The Kanye West album Kanye West hates: “I made it out of fear”
Kanye West going against popular opinion is nothing new. He’s always striving for originality in his music, clothing or anything he puts his mind to, no matter how much backlash he might receive. His music catalogue between 2004 and 2003 is considered one of the best runs in hip-hop, with many considering My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as the best of the bunch. But in Kanye’s mind, not so much.
Dark Twisted Fantasy was released in 2010 off the back of the controversy he received for interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards in defence of Beyoncé. Recorded in exile in Hawaii, it’s often seen as the best of everything Ye has to offer, from his raps to production to guest appearances. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, boasting features from Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Elton John, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, Kid Cudi, and others.
However, Kanye has gone as far as admitting he “hates” the album. Taking to social media in 2025, he said, “I hate My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Like haaaaaaate that album. I made Dark Fantasy out of fear and to prove something. It was like ‘coming back from the Taylor Swift moment’. I should have leaned in more.”
He added, “The Life of Pablo is waaaay better than My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Go song for song.” Despite his negativity, Ye did praise a couple of tracks: “Songs I love on Dark Fantasy are: ‘Devil in a New Dress’, ‘Blame Game’.”
This isn’t the only time Kanye’s spoken down on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. On another occasion, he claimed even more albums were superior and singled out a track he believed wasn’t pushing boundaries. “So many people rate My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as one of the best albums. [But] Yeezus and 808s & Heartbreak are so much better and stronger,” he told SHOWstudio. “Dark Fantasy is almost like an apology record. ‘Power’ was the least progressive song that I ever had as a first single.
“It was like me going back and spending six dedicated months – it took over two years to release the album – but six dedicated months piecing together what people liked about me, to make an entire bouquet that they loved, that was the most listenable, that was the least challenging.”
Kanye also compared My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to Thanksgiving dinner in terms of giving fans something they’re comfortable with. “People want to talk about how much they loved that like it was Thanksgiving dinner,” he said. “And how long has Thanksgiving dinner been cooked for? And it’s great, you don’t want anybody changing things on Thanksgiving dinner.”
He continued, “But you take 808s or Yeezus, where these albums got completely panned when they came out, and then you see how they end up influencing things.” On the other hand, Paul McCartney once revealed his love of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, telling DIY Magazine, “That was the record of his that I really envied. I thought, ‘Oh, he’s done some good stuff.’”