you have no idea what you're dealing with

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is good.

there's no denying that fact. is it 10.0 good? absolutely not. kanye's latest is varied, sophisticated and a unique exploration of the individual who seems to simultaneously be the cockiest and loneliest man in show business. the album as a whole is fascinating - living in the twitterspacebook world we occupy, we've had the opportunity to sample a substantial chunk of the album in advance; as a result, my first listen-through wasn't so much an initial impression more than a revisiting of many tracks that had already carved out a significant space in my head. Runaway is the standout of the show, miles above anything else offered; All of the Lights displays kanye's trademark brassy boldness while putting rihanna right where she should be (on the chorus, and as far away from any verses as possible), and So Appalled is a terrific example of swizz beatz' (beatz's?) ability to turn any phrase in the english language into something cool.

that said, Dark Fantasy suffers from a terrible, debilitating flaw - nicki minaj. i don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that she is the worst thing happening to, not only hip-hop, but music as a whole right now. minaj is devoid of talent, lyrical ability, and an entry-level understanding of basic grammar and pronunciation; and the concept of dual personalities was tired when eminem tried it on for the first time. i will feel a lot better when her undeniably short career comes to a quick close. her presence alone deviates Dark Fantasy from pitchfork's bold rating, and will forever make me press skip when Monster comes on.

so what's next for kanye? thankfully, we won't have to wait long, as his collaborative effort with jay-z, Watch the Throne is due in early 2011. That's My Bitch features the distinctive vocal talents of la roux's elly jackson, and with q-tip on production duty, this one's a winner.

kanye west & jay-z - that's my bitch ft. la roux