Dark Fantasy (song)

Last updated

"Dark Fantasy"
Song by Kanye West
from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Recorded2010
Genre
Length4:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • RZA
  • Kanye West
  • No I.D.
  • Jeff Bhasker
  • Mike Dean

"Dark Fantasy" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and producer Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song serves as the opening track of the album, and was written by West, Ernest Wilson, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean and Robert Diggs. It features an opening narrative delivered by rapper Nicki Minaj, and singers Teyana Taylor and Justin Vernon contribute to the song's hook and provide background vocals. The track heavily samples "In High Places" by Mike Oldfield (sung by Jon Anderson). The song introduces several of the themes presented on the album and features numerous pop culture references, a gospel-inspired production style, and piano-driven composition. The song received acclaim from music critics, who praised the song as a strong opener to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, complementing West's vocal delivery and the song's production.

Contents

Despite not being released as a single, the hype generated by the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy caused the song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at position 60. It was the opening song of West's 2011 setlist at the Coachella Music Festival, and was performed at the 'Vevo Presents GOOD Music' musical venue. "Dark Fantasy" was utilized in the opening sequence of West's short film Runaway , in an extended scene where West drives down an atmospheric forest road.

Background

"Dark Fantasy" was partly produced by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, who brought his production style to the track. RZA 6 Shankbone 2009 Tao of Wu.jpg
"Dark Fantasy" was partly produced by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, who brought his production style to the track.

Like the majority of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the song was recorded in Oahu, Hawaii. [2] Following several media controversies, West decided to record his next album in a reclusive manner only working with artists he considered himself familiar with. [3] Justin Vernon of the group Bon Iver appears on backing vocals of the track and is the first voice heard on the album. [4] West was a fan of Bon Iver's album For Emma, Forever Ago and invited him down to Hawaii to record with him. [4] While working there, the two became friends and reportedly produced 10 songs during their sessions together. [4] Vernon described the process as highly artistic in nature, stating that the fourteen-hour day recording schedule allowed for a lot of fun and creativity. [4]

The song features production by RZA of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, who commented that "Dark Fantasy" was one of the many compositions that he and West collaborated on. [5] [6] According to him, West had a "stack of beats" and that he tried to be as productive as possible with so much material already recorded. [6] The style of composition is deeply influenced by producer RZA, who introduces his "bring-the-ruckus" aesthetic to the song production. [7] Nicki Minaj was asked to open the song with a spoken word introduction, a favor she was excited to perform because she was a fan of Jay-Z, a rapper who West was recording with at the time. [8] Minaj described both Jay-Z and West as "icons", and stated that she was blessed to be working with them. [9]

Producer No I.D. spoke about the history of the beat, and noted that it was offered to both Drake and Jay-Z before West finally decided to use it himself. [10] According to him, producers RZA and Pete Rock had already recorded certain portions of the song, and that he and West recorded the chorus parts. [10] Following that, he mused "then Nicki did the intro and it went crazy. That’s one of my favorite records, just because of all the emotions that came with it.” [10]

Composition

The song is introduced with a contribution from one of Minaj's alter egos; Martha Zolanski, who appears to be a rewording of the introduction to writer Roald Dahl's poetic rework of "Cinderella". [11] [12] [13] [14] West begins his verse with the refrain "I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago". [10] It introduces themes referenced on the majority of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, including comments on decadence and hedonism, with West musing how "the plan was to drink until the pain was over / but what's worse, the pain or the hangover?". [15] [16] [17] His lyrics on the track contain numerous musical and cultural references, including those to the song "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", the Lamborghini Murciélago sports car, rapper Nas, fashion designer Phoebe Philo, short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", the band the Kings Of Leon and their song "Sex on Fire", singers Celine Dion and Leona Lewis, and television character Steve Urkel. [18] [19] The song contains the line "too many Urkels on your team / that's why your wins low", a double entendre. [18] [19] The "Winslows" were the family Urkel lived with on the show Family Matters , with the alternative meaning touching upon how his opponents' "wins are low". [19] The chorus contains the line "can we get much higher?", another inquiry that is brought up during much of the proceeding album. [20] The song samples a portion of "In High Places" by Mike Oldfield, a pop rock song from 1983 from the album Crises . [21]

West raps in a highly melodic manner, almost singing some of his verses, over the brooding production style. [7] The production style has been defined as having several similarities with West's prior composition styles. [22] [23] AbsolutePunk's Drew Beringer stated felt that the song sounded like West was "sampling his own source material" on the song, and felt that West embraced a "baroque instrumentation" on the track. [23]

Critical reception

Nicki Minaj's opening spoken word verse was praised by several music critics, with her accent being cited as a highlight. Nicki Minaj - Live Femme Fatale 9.jpg
Nicki Minaj's opening spoken word verse was praised by several music critics, with her accent being cited as a highlight.

"Dark Fantasy" received acclaim by critics. The Washington Post 's Chris Richards described the song as having "mutant gospel crescendos" and called it epic in nature. [24] MTV News praised the delivery of Minaj's verse, calling it structured like a nursery rhyme, musing that it "sets the tone for the song (which is intense and hallucinatory) and the album". [3] Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield praised the lyricism, describing it as witty, and wrote "in 'Dark Fantasy,' West rhymes "mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago" with "diablo," "bravado" and "My chick in that new Phoebe Philo/So much head, I woke up in Sleepy Hollow. It's some genius stuff." [25] David Amidon of PopMatters felt that West's vocals were "layered a baker’s dozen different ways" and described the production as synthetic in nature. [26]

Dan Vidal of URB stated that he enjoyed Minaj's verse, describing it as a "pseudo-cockney-accented opening narration" and praised the song's arrangement as "spine-tingling". [27] David Browne of Time wrote "tracks like 'Dark Fantasy' and 'So Appalled' are built on rumbling tanks of pianos and strings that sound as if West is marching into the apocalypse." [28] Andrew Martin of Prefix Magazine stated that the song restored his admiration for West, and that the track lived up to the hype behind it, writing "most of it is rather epic and damn good, especially this track with its classic RZA production and assistance from No I.D.." [29] J. Tinsley of The Smoking Section commented that the song served as a successful opener, viewing it as a "boisterous firestarter combining sharp lyrics, a spurious Nicki Minaj English accent and an enormous chorus." [20] Chris Martins of Spin complimented West's lyricism and use of double entrendres, and mused that the track was the album's "beyond luxe opener". [19] Jonah Weiner Slate commented that West pulled off an impressive balancing act, and cited the song as an example of "his marvelous, hungry ear". [30] Andrew Barber of Complex compared the impact of the beat to that of a cannon, calling the production team of the song a "dream team", describing the track as powerful in nature. [10]

Promotion

West performing at Coachella in 2011 Kanye Coachella 2011.jpg
West performing at Coachella in 2011

At the 'Vevo Presents GOOD Music' musical presentation, the song was performed by both West and Taylor. [31] The performance began with West's silhouette pressed against a glowing background, dressed in all black. [31] During his set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, West performed "Dark Fantasy" as the opening track. [32] [33]

The song was also featured as the opening track in Runaway, a 35-minute music video directed by West set to music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. [17] [34] The scene which the track is played during features West driving his MTX Tatra V8 through the forest when he crashes into a meteorite, which according to GQ , paralleled West's car accident that was the inspiration for "Through the Wire". [35] The song was used in advertisements for the film The Hangover Part II . [36] [37]

Most notably, the song is featured during the farewell montage at the climax of The Hangover Part III , particularly the verse "The plan was to drink until the pain over, but what's worse, the pain or the hangover?" as it coincidentally relates to the story arc of the trilogy.

Commercial performance

Due to the hype generated by the anticipation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Dark Fantasy debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at 60, without actually being released as a single. [38] The second week it dropped to 83, and by the third week it exited the chart. [38] The song performed similarly in Canada, charting at 67 on the Canadian Hot 100. [39] Other than the four singles released from the album, ("Power", "All of the Lights", "Monster", and "Runaway") "Dark Fantasy" was the only song off the album to chart. [38] The song debuted at position 10 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles as reported by Billboard. [40] It also appeared at position 80 on the South Korean Gaon Chart, and at 189 the following week. [41]

Legacy

In 2022, the song gained a resurgence in popularity due to an internet meme involving characters from the Japanese manga series One Piece . The meme involves a scene in the anime adaptation where the character Whitebeard shouts "The One Piece... The One Piece is real!" followed by a montage of edited images depicting him and several other One Piece characters (including Tony Tony Chopper, Monkey D. Luffy, and Portgas D. Ace), sometimes with drawn-on large penises, while the song plays in the background. The scene or audio of Whitebeard shouting is sometimes replaced with Better Call Saul actor Patrick Fabian reading the line instead. [42]

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for "Dark Fantasy"
Chart (2010)Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon) [41] 80
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [39] 67
US Billboard Hot 100 [38] 60
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard) [40] 10

Certifications

Certifications for "Dark Fantasy"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [44] Gold500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

"Lost in the World" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features vocals by Justin Vernon of indie folk band Bon Iver, as well as sampling his 2009 song "Woods". It also contains portions of "Soul Makossa" written by Manu Dibango, and samples of "Comment No. 1", performed by Gil Scott-Heron. It was produced by West and Jeff Bhasker, who wrote the track with Vernon and Malik Jones. "Lost in the World" was initially leaked on September 29, 2010, and was 5 minutes and 55 seconds long. The version on the album was divided into two parts, with the outro becoming a new track entitled "Who Will Survive in America".

"Blame Game" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features recording artist John Legend and was produced by West, Justin Franks, and Mike Dean. The song features a hip hop skit provided by comedian Chris Rock. It uses the piano composition "Avril 14th" by Aphex Twin. Lyrically, the song contains West's thoughts on past break-ups and explores themes of unrequited love, heartbreak, and spousal abuse. Midway through the song, Rock delivers an extended monologue as the new boyfriend of West's past lover.

<i>My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</i> 2010 studio album by Kanye West

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010. Retreating to a self-imposed exile in Hawaii after a period of controversy in 2009 following his interruption at the MTV Video Music Awards, he recorded the album at Honolulu's Avex Recording Studio in a communal environment involving numerous musicians. Additional recording sessions took place at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California, and at the New York City studios Electric Lady and Platinum Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massive Attack (song)</span> 2010 Nicki Minaj single

"Massive Attack" is the commercial debut single by Trinidadian-American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj, featuring Sean Garrett and was released on April 13, 2010. The song was produced by Garrett and Alex da Kid, who wrote the song together with Minaj. It was initially intended to be the lead single from Minaj's debut studio album, Pink Friday, but the song was dropped from the album due to the single's underwhelming commercial performance. The song was a distinct change in Minaj's previous work on mixtapes and features and received mixed reviews from critics, commending lyrical content and distinctiveness, and criticizing that it did not fit her "Barbie" persona well. An accompanying music video which features a helicopter chase, and militaristic jungle and desert scenes, was positively received.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power (Kanye West song)</span> 2010 single by Kanye West

"Power" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features additional vocals by soul singer Dwele and is co-produced by West and Symbolyc One. It is built around samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, "Afromerica" by Continent Number 6, and "It's Your Thing" by Cold Grits. After having recorded it in Hawaii, West reported that 5,000 man-hours were spent developing "Power". In its lyrics, West comments about the United States, his mental health and his critics. Its chorus features an abrasive vocal-riff.

<i>Pink Friday</i> 2010 studio album by Nicki Minaj

Pink Friday is the debut studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj, released on November 22, 2010, by Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Motown. After signing a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment in 2009, Minaj began planning the album that same year and work continued into 2010. Minaj enlisted a variety of producers whose efforts resulted in a primarily hip hop and pop record, which sees additional influences from R&B. The album features guest vocals from Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, will.i.am, Kanye West and Natasha Bedingfield.

"See Me Now" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring R&B singers Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson. The album version includes a verse by Big Sean and is included on West's fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) as an iTunes Store bonus track. It was written by West, Knowles, Wilson and Sean, while production was handled by West, Lex Luger and No I.D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil in a New Dress</span> 2010 song by Kanye West featuring Rick Ross

"Devil in a New Dress" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and rapper Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Originally released through West's GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free music giveaway started by the rapper to promote My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it later appeared on the album with an added guitar solo by producer Mike Dean and an additional guest verse featuring rapper Rick Ross. "Devil in a New Dress" was produced by Bink, and is the only song on the album not to be produced by West. The song samples Smokey Robinson's slow jam recording "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", and is themed lyrically to lust and heartache. Both the topics of love and religion serve as the main inspiration to the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runaway (Kanye West song)</span> 2010 single by Kanye West featuring Pusha T

"Runaway" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rapper Pusha T, released as the second single from the former's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was written by the artists alongside Malik Yusef, Emile, Jeff Bhasker, and Mike Dean, with the latter three co-producing it with West. The composition features repetitive piano riffs, intricate samples and a production style with several similarities to West's album 808s & Heartbreak (2008). Described as a deeply personal song in nature, it expresses West's thoughts on his failed relationships, and his acceptance of the media's perception of him. Lyrically, the song explores criticism aimed at West in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster (Kanye West song)</span> 2010 song by Kanye West

"Monster" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the third single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features rappers Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj, along with indie folk group Bon Iver. All five credited acts have writing credits on the posse cut, with the production handled by West and Mike Dean. The instrumental is atmospheric and drum-heavy, and the lyrics reflect influences from horror films, creating an eerie composition which drew critical comparisons to the Michael Jackson track "Thriller".

<i>Runaway</i> (2010 film) 2010 short film by Kanye West

Runaway is a 2010 American musical short film directed by Kanye West.

GOOD Fridays was a weekly free music release by rapper Kanye West, launched in support of his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The original intention was to release a free new song every Friday for a few months to promote his album, and the weekly tracks generally featured various rappers from his label, GOOD Music, and other artists he usually collaborated with. All of the GOOD Friday tracks come with their own cover art. West initially announced that the free music program releases songs from August 20, 2010, to Christmas 2010. However at the beginning of November, West announced that he was extending GOOD Fridays until the end of January. 15 GOOD Friday tracks have been released through the program and three tracks appeared on West's album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. West described the series as "an exercise in the power of art."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Appalled</span> 2010 song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Pusha T, Cyhi the Prynce, Swizz Beatz and RZA

"So Appalled" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was produced by West, along with No I.D. and Mike Dean, and features verses by Jay-Z, Cyhi the Prynce, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, and RZA respectively, who all receive writing credits. Lyrically, the song explores topics such as the troubles produced from being famous, social concerns and features numerous pop culture references.

<i>Watch the Throne</i> 2011 studio album by Kanye West and Jay-Z

Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the release, Jay-Z and West had collaborated on various singles, and with the latter as a producer on the former's work. They originally sought to record a five-song EP together, but the project eventually evolved into a full-length album. The album features guest appearances from Frank Ocean, The-Dream, Beyoncé and Mr Hudson. It also features vocal contributions from Kid Cudi, Seal, Justin Vernon, Elly Jackson, Connie Mitchell, Charlie Wilson and Pete Rock, among others, and samples of vocals by soul musicians Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield.

"All of the Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other recording artists, including Drake, John Legend, The-Dream, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, Kid Cudi, and Rihanna, with the latter two being credited on the official music video and the official single, but not on the album version of the song. The song is often played along with its accompanying interlude “All of the Lights (Interlude)”

"Gorgeous" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The track features a hook provided by Kid Cudi, a recording artist formerly signed to West's label GOOD Music, and a rap verse provided by the Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. The song was written by West, Cudi, Raekwon, No I.D., Mike Dean and Rhymefest, and was produced by West, No I.D. and Dean. It contains elements of Enoch Light and the Glittering Guitars' cover version of The Turtles' song "You Showed Me". "Gorgeous" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised the intricacy of the production, the quality of the guest features and the rock music inspired aesthetic of the song. Several critics cited West's verses as a highlight of the track, complimenting his lyricism and delivery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold (Kanye West song)</span> 2012 single by Kanye West featuring DJ Khaled

"Cold" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the second single from the album Cruel Summer (2012). The song, which features DJ Khaled, was made available for purchase on the iTunes Store on April 17, 2012. Songwriting is credited to West, Chauncey Hollis, James Todd Smith and Marlon Williams, while production was handled by Hit-Boy. Lyrically, the song features West boasting about his personal issues and touching on subjects such as his relationship with Kim Kardashian, his breakup with Amber Rose, and his feelings on Wiz Khalifa and Kris Humphries. Additional vocals are included from DJ Pharris. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised West's lyrical performance and the boldness of his subject matter. The song contains an interpolation of "Lookin' at Me" (1997) as performed by Mase and Puff Daddy, and a sample of "Illegal Search" (1990) also performed by LL Cool J.

"Hell of a Life" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was produced by West, Mike Caren, Ernest Wilson and Mike Dean. The song features a number of samples and contains backing vocals by Teyana Taylor, signed to West's G.O.O.D. Music label. The song features a production style with influence from rock and heavy metal music, and is notably bombastic and aggressive in nature. The song expresses a narrative about West marrying a pornographic film actress and the traumatic events that follow. It employs highly sexual, nightmarish imagery, and was inspired by West's relationship with model Amber Rose among other real-life events.

"Blazin'" is a song by American hip hop artist Nicki Minaj that features Kanye West, from her debut studio album Pink Friday (2010). The hook was freestyled by Minaj in the studio.

References

  1. Brewster, Will. "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: a sonic analysis of Kanye West's magnum opus". Mixdown. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. Callahan-Bever, Noah (2010-12-12). Kanye West: Project Runaway Archived December 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Complex . Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  3. 1 2 Rodriguez, Jayson (2010-05-25). Kanye West's 'Power' Producer Explains How Song Happened. MTV. Viacom Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hill, Logan (October 14, 2010). "Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on Recording Kanye's Dark Fantasy". Vulture. New York Magazine . Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  5. Gill, Andy (2010-11-19). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The Independent . Retrieved on 2010-11-19.
  6. 1 2 Ahmed, Insanul (March 18, 2012). "Interview: The RZA Talks Headphones, Hollywood, and Working On "Watch The Throne"". Complex. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  7. 1 2 TC (2010-10-23). Kanye West - Dark Fantasy Archived 2011-12-30 at the Wayback Machine . Smoking Section. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
  8. Ziegbe, Mawuse (October 28, 2010). "Nicki Minaj Remembers Being 'Obsessed' With Jay-Z". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  9. Ryan, Sean (August 8, 2010). "Nicki Minaj Addresses Marriage Rumors, Talks "Monster"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Barber, Andrew (2012-12-07). Kanye West "Dark Fantasy" (2010). Complex. Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  11. Walker Graves, Kirk (2014). Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 53.
  12. Denslow, Michael (November 15, 2010). "Album Review: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  13. "Nicki Minaj talks Rihanna and Kanye West collaborations". Rap-Up . Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  14. Powers, Ann (2010-11-23). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Los Angeles Times . Tribune Company Retrieved 2010-11-22
  15. Kot, Greg (2010-11-17). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  16. Denney, Alex (2010-11-19). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. NME . Retrieved 2010-11-22.
  17. 1 2 Concepcion, Mariel (October 7, 2010). "Kanye West Premieres 35-Minute-Long 'Runaway' Video In London". Billboard . Retrieved October 23, 2010.
  18. 1 2 Anderson, Kyle (2010-11-15). Inside Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 'Dark Fantasy' Archived June 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . MTV News. Viacom Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Martins, Chris (2010-11-11). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Spin . Retrieved on 2010-11-11.
  20. 1 2 Tinsley, J(2010-11-22). Hell of a Life - Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Archived 2011-12-12 at the Wayback Machine . Smoking Section. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
  21. Singh, Amrit (November 18, 2010). "Download The Samples Used On Dark Twisted Fantasy". Stereogum . Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  22. Paine, Jake (2010-10-04). Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Archived 2011-11-02 at the Wayback Machine . HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-11-27.
  23. 1 2 Beringer, Drew (November 22, 2010). "Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". AbsolutePunk . Buzz Media. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  24. Richards, Chris (2010-11-19). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The Washington Post . Retrieved 2010-11-19.
  25. Sheffield, Rob (2010-11-08). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  26. Amidon, David (2010-11-22). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. PopMatters. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
  27. Vidal, Dan (2010-11-23). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Archived March 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . URB . Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  28. Browne, David (2010-11-17). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Time . Time Inc. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  29. Martin, Andrew (2010-10-24). Kanye West: "Dark Fantasy" (Prod. RZA, No I.D. & Kanye West). Prefix Magazine. Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
  30. Weiner, Jonah (2010-11-12). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Slate . Retrieved on 2011-01-29.
  31. 1 2 Kaufman, Paul (March 20, 2011). "Kanye West Brings G.O.O.D. Music, Jay-Z To Texas For SXSW". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  32. "Listen To Kanye West's Full Set From Coachella". Idolator. Buzz Media. May 11, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  33. DiMeglio, Mary (May 10, 2011). "Kanye West Slays Coachella Festival's Last Night". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  34. Kaufman, Gil (October 7, 2010). "Kanye West Screens 'Runaway' In London". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  35. Morris, Andy (October 12, 2010). "100 things Kanye taught GQ: Everything that happens in Runaway". GQ . Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
  36. Brad, Wete (March 18, 2012). "Interview: Teyana Taylor Talks Joining G.O.O.D. Music, Influencing Fashion & Being Doubted". Complex. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  37. Ditzian, Eric (April 1, 2010). "'Hangover Part II' Trailer: Five Key Moments". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  38. 1 2 3 4 "Billboard Hot 100: Week of December 11, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  39. 1 2 "Kanye West Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  40. 1 2 "Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles - Issue Date: 2010-12-04". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  41. 1 2 "Digital Comprehensive charts" (in Korean). Gaon Chart . Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  42. Diaz, Ana (September 1, 2022). "One Piece and Ye's 'Dark Fantasy' are the foundation for this NSFW meme". Polygon. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  43. "British single certifications – Kanye West – Dark Fantasy". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  44. "American single certifications – Kanye West – Dark Fantasy". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 29, 2020.