Dissect - S2E16 – Season Finale: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Episode Date: December 11, 2017

Our season long examination of Kanye West‘s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy concludes with our final thoughts on the album. Then we'll hear directly from Dissect listeners who share their thoughts on the season. Follow Dissect on social media @dissectpodcast. Purchase Dissect merch at dissectpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Dysect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Kushna. On season one of Dysect, we examined Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album to Pimp a Butterfly. Central to the album was Kendrick's acclamation to fame, and the pressures of success after his debut album Good Kid Mad City propelled him from the streets of Compton to critically acclaimed rapper and celebrity. Adapting to his new life wasn't easy. Throughout to Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick expressed a depression and insecurities he felt during this adjustment period. The sentiment was articulated most acutely on the

song You, an emotional rock bottom that finds Kendrick contemplating suicide. As the album progresses, Kendrick takes a pivotal trip to South Africa. It's here that his worldview grows larger, and after a transformative encounter with God at a gas station, he's able to reconcile his internal conflictions and embrace the responsibilities of being a role model. This personal harmonization is expressed in the album's penultimate song, I, where we find Kendrick coming full circle, performing to his hometown of Compton, an anthem of self-pride and self-worth.

I duck these cold faces, post-up feet, fight for faces, dreams and reality's peace, blow steam in a face of the beast, sky can far down, we can cry down, look at me, motherfucker, I smile, I love my dad, uh, when you're looking at me, yeah, tell me what do you see?

I love myself. I put a bullet in the back in the back of the head, that it'll put me. I like myself. Rather than ending on the euphoria and optimism of I, Kendrick instead concludes the album with Mortal Man. It's a prophetic song, one that acknowledges a seemingly inevitable decline of our icons and celebrities.

I put my back against a wall. How many leaders you said you need it, then left him for dead. Is it Moses? Is it U.E. Newton or Detroit Red? Is it Martin Luther, J.F.K. Shooter, you assassin. Is it Jackie? Is it Jesse?

Oh, I know it's Michael Jackson. Oh, when shit hit the fan. Is you still a fan? When shit hit the fan? Mortal Man challenges us listeners, fans, and followers to question our relationship and loyalty we have with our so-called idols. He asks, when shit hits the fan, are you still a fan? It would seem that Kendrick is all too aware of the decline of his idols and heroes, all too aware of the flimsyness and fickleness of public support. To Pimp a butterfly ends in fantasy, as Kendrick converses with and seeks advice from the spirit of Tupac Shakur.

Kendrick asked Pock directly how to maintain sanity amid success and celebrity. And through your different avenues of success, how would you say you managed to keep a level of sanity? By my faith in God, by my faith in the game, and by my faith in all good things come to those that stay true. Right. You know what I'm saying? And it was happening to me for a reason. You know what I'm saying? I was noticing shit.

I was punching the right buttons and it was happening. So it's no problem. You know, I mean, it's a problem, but I'm not feeling to let them know. I'm going to go straight through. Ultimately, Kendrick's fate is shrouded in mystery as to Pimp a Butterfly ends with Tupac failing to respond to Kendrick's final question, a metaphor for an icon taken from us too soon. While Kendrick found esteem and confidence on I, ready to accept his role as celebrity and role model, mortal man forces us to wonder about Kendrick's fate as celebrity, knowing that he can only control

so much, knowing that one wrong move could sway public perception. And like so many before him, the success and fame and celebrity he's accrued could very easily come crumbling down. Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you. I'm let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time. On September 13, 2009, Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. And well, you know the story. Kanye was deemed America's villain overnight.

and the success and fame and celebrity he had accrued was instantly put in jeopardy. It was the shit hits the fan moment Kendrick foresaw on Moral Man. And while Tipa Butterfly documents the struggle of acclimating to fame and influence, my beautiful dark-twisted fantasy, Connie's first album Post-VM-A's, documents the struggles when fame and influence reveal their dark side, when the hero turns villain, when shit hits the fan. As we noted many times this season, the aftermath of the VMAs sent Connie on a self-imposed exile,

first to Japan, then Rome. When he finally returned to the States, it was to Hawaii, where he began working on what would become my beautiful dark-twisted fantasy. The stakes of the album couldn't have been higher in Connie's head. Because I really put myself in a zone

that I felt like my life was dependent on the success of this album. You know, and with that being the case, I say, you know what? No matter what anybody says about me, they won't. I can write something that can make someone that hates me the most have to really respect or love the song.

Throughout the season, we discussed the structure of twisted fantasy in three acts. These three acts loosely resemble what's called the hero's journey, an extremely prevalent narrative structure used in many films you watch every year. Act 1 is known as the exposition. It provides environmental context, introduces the main character or protagonist, and establishes their motivations and desires. In Act 1 of Twisted Fantasy, comprised of the song's Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, and Power, were introduced to the album's main character, Kanye West, or at least some version of Kanye West.

The album open or Dark Fantasy begins with a prelude, the reimagining of Roll Dolls Cinderella performed by Nikki Minaj. It's a synopsis of the album to Come, where fame is likened to Cinderella's story, one that finds our living in a dream world that ends when the clock strikes midnight. In twisted fantasy, fame is likened to Cinderella's fantastical trip to the Royal Ball, and Kanye's VMA incident is the clock striking midnight, the moment in which the fantasy is over, and the ugly dark side of fame reveals itself. Kanye enters dark fantasy saying,

I used to fantasize about this back in Chicago. It establishes our protagonist, where he's from, while also alluding to the fantasy that is fame he dreamed of when he was a boy. The next lines flash forward to the present tense, mercy, mercy me, that mercy alago. That's me the first year that I blow. Connie is now rich and famous, driving foreign sports car after finding success in celebrity through music. The song's hook asks, can we get much higher? A reinforcement of our character's position in the world. He's rich and famous, living the high life. With the song gorgeous, we have more character development,

as Connie adds dynamics to his position in the world as a man overcoming the racial obstacles people of color face in America. It sheds light on how Kanye found success through his indomitable will and determination. The song Power expresses at once the pinnacle of Kanye's rise as well as his inevitable demise. Kanye parades himself as a powerful, influential agent of the 21st century, while also cautioning against power's destructive force. Ultimately, the fame and power is too much for Kanye, and he imagines his own suicide and leaves us with a question. You got the power to let power go? Do you got the power to let power go? It's this question in Kanye's imagined suicide that sets Kanye on a path of self-discovery.

He will enter a fantasy world, a construct and representation of his own psyche. Here, he'll attempt to gain a clearer picture of who he is, and relinquish the power he's accrued. The power and fame that posts the amaze has revealed itself to be farcical and circumstantial and void of true loyalty. In the three-act structure of the hero's journey, the first act in includes that the protagonist leaving his or her ordinary world to begin a journey into the unknown. On Twisted Fantasy, this bridge into the unknown is represented by All the Lights interlude, which we noted sounds a lot like funeral music following the suicide on power.

The song All of the Lights is the introduction to Kanye's fantasy, The Unknown. We enter a fantastical world of bright lights and find Kanye imagining himself as an abusive ex-con trying to win back his daughter. We interpreted this as a dreamlike metaphor for Kanye's own situation, with Taylor Swift being the slapped girl and the daughter being his pure creativity and authentic identity he's trying to win back. In a typical three-act structure, Act 2 finds a protagonist traversing the unknown world, running into a series of challenges and obstacles that prevent him or her from easily achieving their goals. In Twisted Fantasy, Connie traverses the unknown world that is his own psyche, exploring and challenged by the different facets of his own

persona. On Monster, he plays the heartless villain, the role bestowed on him post-V-MAs. On so appalled, he plays the jaded rock star who realizes the ridiculousness of his lavish lifestyle. With Devil in a New Dress and Runaway, we enter the romantic section of the album as Connie tries his hand at love. Here, we gain a deeper understanding of Connie and his limitations through his failed relationship with an unnamed woman, which we can also view as a metaphor for fame itself. We learn that Kanye's flaws, inadequacies, and ego prevent him from being able to truly love or be loved. It all leads to the album's moment of grand catharsis, Runaway's second half, an outpouring of human emotion.

In the three-act structure, there's typically a final conflict or climax in which the protagonist battles the antagonist. Runaway's second half, in terms of a plot point, could be viewed as this climax, with Kanye, of course, being both the hero and the villain, his own worst enemy, and he's attempting to reconcile this duality. The story's climax is followed by act three, which typically contains what's called falling action that ends in resolution and the hero returning home, a changed man or woman. This is where Kanye's journey veers from the traditional three-act narrative structure. After the cathartic release of Runaway, we fall deeper into the rabbit hole that is Kanye's psyche, and Kanye becomes more and more isolated and alone. Hell of a life begins with

an energetic stab of explicit fantasy, but it ultimately deteriorates until Kanye is found alone in front of a computer screen masturbating. In Blame Game, Connie tries to find a guilty party for his unraveled relationship. And after a scattered brain and emotionally schizophrenic attempt at a persecution, the song concludes with perhaps the lowest, loneliest moment of the album. I can't love you this much. I can't love you this much. I can't love you this much. I can't love you this much. The album's quote unquote resolution comes by way of the album's penultimate track Lost in the World. Connie embraces the chaos of his life and solidifies his intent moving forward.

He no longer desires fame. Rather, he wishes to abandon the plastic life of celebrity in exchange for something more authentic, like love, like a wife and children. On Lost in the World, Connie is letting a part of himself die in order to be reborn. He's yielding to chaos to find order. He admits he's lost in the world so he may find his path. It's the reconciliation of the duality and internal confliction presented throughout the album. The answer to the question posed at the end of power.

You got the power to let power go. It would seem Connie is going to give it his best shot. Lost in the world is a statement of intent. The first step forward to the actualization of a better future. But ultimately, like to pimp a butterfly, twisted fantasy's end becomes shrouded in mystery as who will survive in America casts an ominous shadow over Connie's new path. The grim portrait of America provided by Gil Scott Heron forces us to question whether Connie will be able to actualize his new path

in the face of the heartlessness and false promises of the American dream. Who will survive in America? Who will survive in America? Who will survive in America? After one hour and eight minutes of ambitious, grandiose, heavenward-reaching musical material that is my beautiful dark-twisted fantasy. The album concludes with a half-hearted, flimsy round of applause. It's a lackluster end to an album of this magnitude, and of course, a calculated decision. We first think of the line, no one wants to hear the preacher spill or spiel, stated by Heron in the opening of who will survive in America. The preacher is representative of God, of eternal truth. In the context of Heron's peace, both the preacher line and the flimsy applause

imply the unwillingness of Americans to hear or acknowledge the true unjust conditions of their seemingly directionless, dare we say godless country. We suspect Connie, uses the applause to convey a similar message, but likely one more personal. Twisted Fantasy was Kanye's magnus opus, his grand offering to the public as, and this is Kanye's word, a quote-unquote apology for his behavior, an attempt to win back the world. As a public figure with an enormous voice, Kanye found himself post-VMAs at the risk of losing that voice for good. The applause found at the end of Twisted Fantasy could be interpreted as his grand gesture falling on deaf ears, that his public perception and villainization restrain his voice,

that his artistry and creative talent go unnoticed because of the concept and consequences of celebrity, that despite being a household name around the world, Kanye is ultimately alone. The applause also played into the fantasy aspect of the album. As we mentioned throughout our analysis, much of twisted fantasy takes place in Kanye's head, the dreamlike interpretations of his circumstances, persona, and emotions he was dealing with in the aftermath of the VMAs. Of course, our fantasies are often exaggerated versions of real events or scenarios, which explains the album's larger than life maximalist approach. And while the album's enormous sound would have us believe it would be more likely followed by a standing ovation,

the lifeless applause bring us back to reality, that my beautiful dark twisted fantasy is just that, a grand fantasy taking place in someone's head, perhaps symptomatic of someone spending too much time alone. We're left to wonder if the new path he paid for himself on loss in the world were materialized, left to question whether or not he'll survive in an American landscape that worships their idols one day, only to crucify them the next. In the case of Kanye West, the question of whether or not he'll survive is sadly a question we're still wondering about to this day. This season, the one you know, was made up centuries ago. They made it sound all wacky and horny. This season, we spent nearly 10 hours together discussing a single album.

And it's hard to calculate for sure, but I can safely say I spent nearly 400 hours researching, listening to, and writing about Twisted Fantasy this year. Similar to last season, for today's finale, I'm going to loosen my tie a bit and speak about my beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy less objectively, and talk more personally about my thoughts and takeaways from the album. The first thing I would like to address directly is the concept of fame. It's of course the central theme of twisted fantasy, the album's underlying antagonist. It was also a major player in Kendrick Lamar's to Pimp a Butterfly.

Despite the many cautionary tales we've heard about fame, despite the countless artists, musicians, actors, and athletes who have struggled with it, leading many to drug and alcohol addictions, mental breakdowns, and even suicide and untimely deaths, despite all of that, fame is still generally viewed as something to be desired in our culture. And it's no surprise why. In the face of the existential dread of a meaningless existence, existence, fame is a confirmation of self-worth, a validation of one's importance, a chance at immortality. It's a tempting proposition. But why then do so many who obtain fame struggle so much with

it? I think it's because in exchange for fame, you lose part of your humanity. Because the famous seem larger than life, we assume a certain invincibility, and with that perceived invincibility comes an inherent dehumanization. I recently saw a video of Kanye West at Disneyland. He wore a hat and a sweatshirt with a hood, clearly attempting to maintain some sort of anonymity. He was also with a young boy, I believe his nephew. The video showed Connie and the boy walking around Disneyland, while a large group of people followed them, every single one of them with their camera phones out, filming and taking pictures of the two. Imagine this for a moment. Famous or not, imagine walking with a child with a group of strangers following you around and filming you without your permission. You become something

other than human at that point. You're an exhibit. It's the way we treat animals at the zoo. It's what we do when we visit the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. Think of the dehumanizing effects of being treated this way. Aside from the obvious discomfort and awkwardness, I believe it does two things simultaneously. It both amplifies your ego and leaves you incredibly self-conscious and insecure. The scrutiny and attention make you feel superhuman and less than human at the same time. That's an incredibly confusing, incredibly dangerous cocktail of emotions? How could one get a clear picture of who they are with those conflicting feelings? There's no wonder so many celebrities have complexes and mental breakdowns.

One of my biggest goals this season was to humanize Kanye West. I wanted to remind us, remind myself, that despite his bombast, his success, his celebrity, his money, his talent, his wife, his ego, his reputation, his controversy, Kanye West, first and foremost, as a human being. Because there's no escaping the human experience. Despite our cultural assumptions about success and celebrity, there's still no escaping hurt, sorrow, joy, pain, heartbreak, stress, confusion, and all the other complexities of navigating blindly through this life. There's no Louis bag, Lamborghini, magazine cover that can change that. Arthur Schopenhauer, that German philosopher we spoke about earlier this season, once said, quote, wealth is like seawater, the more you drink,

the thirstier you become. The same is true of fame, unquote. And it's true. Fame and materialism are cut from the same cloth. We often yearn for a new car, bigger house, nicer clothes, whatever it may be. They become trophies representative of success, a way to validate your worth to yourself and others. And when we get those things, sure, it feels good in the moment, but soon enough we find ourselves desiring the next thing and the next thing and the next thing, until we realize it's an unquenchable thirst, a perpetual hamster wheel. It's only until we can step off that wheel, examine and reconcile who we are void of material things, void of fame or outside confirmation, that we find true harmony, true contentment, and peace. This was the revelation found in both Tipinpa butterfly

and my beautiful dark twisted fantasy. Internal harmony and contentment has to come from within. It can't come from outside validation. Can't come from material things. It comes from within. Frederick Nietzsche, the other German philosopher we referenced earlier this season, once said, quote, I have found strength where one does not look for it, in simple, mild, and pleasant people, without the least desire to rule. And conversely, the desire to rule has often appeared to me a sign of inward weakness.

They fear their own slave soul and shroud it in a royal cloak. In the end, they still become the slaves of their followers and their fame, unquote. Isn't this essentially the story of my beautiful dark twisted fantasy? Since a young age, Connie craved success in stardom, which he eventually attained at the highest level. Overnight, that success was put in jeopardy. Twisted Fantasy was Connie's deliberate attempt to win back the public. Because it was made with intentions other than pure creative expression, Connie now often

speaks somewhat negatively of the album, as if it's tainted in some way, as if, like Nietzsche suggests, it was an act of slavery to his followers and fame. You know, people extend their brand for a long time. There's true moments of genius, and then there's just moments of kind of looking through the archives and placing shit together. Like people, so many people rate, you know, Dark Fantasy is like one of the best albums. And Yeez-S and 808s are so much better and stronger. Dark Fantasy is me almost like an apology record. like power was the least progressive song that I ever had as a first single.

And it was like this, me going back and spending six, you know, months, dedicated months. It was like over two years that it took to release the album, but six dedicated months and kind of 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, was that and blah, blah, blah. And people want to talk about how much they loved that.

Like it was Thanksgiving dinner. And, you know, how long has Thanksgiving dinner been cooked for? With all due to respect to Kanye, I disagree about his thoughts on power. If you listen to the Power episode, you understand why. But what I think this interview reveals is that Kanye's feelings about twisted fantasy are tainted by its intentions. It wasn't created from a place of absolute purity. It was partly a means of validation from the outside world.

something he realizes now is ultimately a fruitless endeavor. He feels 808s and Yeezus were stronger because they were made from a place of purity, their untainted creative expressions of his emotions without regard for the outside world. Like Nietzsche said, the famous become slaves to their fans and followers. Twisted fantasy, as unintuitive as it might sound, is a constrained artistic expression. It's partly the reason why Kanye's next solo album Yeezus is so abrasive. The reason why in the song I Am a God, Kanye says,

As soon as people like you, make them unlike you. Kissing people's ass is so unlike you. Having regained the public's admiration through Good Fridays, Twisted Fantasy, Cruel Summer, and Watch the Throne, Kanye seems done with the fickleness and circumstantial loyalty of the public. With Yeezus, Kanye was taking back control of his creativity. If Twisted Fantasy was an apology to the public, an act of slavery, it would seem Yeezus was a giant fuck you,

an act of liberation and rebellion. Jesus is at least in part the expression of frustration with the flimsyness of public loyalty. The same public loyalty, Kendrick Amar, questioned on Mortal Man. Mortal Man is a song that forces us to examine the way we all personally view celebrities and artists. It's a question you may consider asking yourself if you haven't already. How do we all individually contribute to this concept of fame? A concept that seems to destroy, or at least severely complicate, so many of the lives it attaches itself to. This fame give us the right to follow someone around at a theme park, putting a camera in their

face so we may selfishly post it on social media. Or could it be that the greatest gift, the most selfless act, the biggest thank you we could grant the people we admire, is a sense of normalcy, to idolize, cherish, admire their work, but respect and forever remember their human beings. Another thing I thought about a lot this season was this seemingly contradictory notion of Kanye West. How can someone so famous, so larger than life, remain somehow extremely relatable to so many of us? It's a theme that you'll notice comes up again and again in the audio montage of dissect listeners at the end of today's episode. I think the reasons why Kanye West is relatable, despite his public perception and fame,

gets at some really important fundamental things about art in general. Specifically, I want to talk about great art's ability to inspire action. One of the most important aspects about Kanye West, the thing that sets his music apart from so many others, is that his art inspires action, and has the potential to change the way you live your life. It can directly influence the choices you make, and inspires so many of us to believe in ourselves. And because of that belief, we take chances we'd perhaps not normally take. This, I think, is the reason Kanye West and his music are so meaningful to so many of us. He takes the very specific and makes it universal.

If you listen to the first few episodes this season, you know that Kanye West only became the Kanye West we know today, because of his hard work, determination, and blind persistence. On his path to self-actualization, Kanye had hundreds of reasons not to continue, not to pursue his dreams. There was the onslaught of naysayers, the constant rejection from record labels,

the marginalization of a producer, the car crash that threatened his life and ability to speak. And in the face of the myriad reasons to give up, there is just one reason for Kanye West to continue, a belief in himself, that's it. Connie felt something inside of himself that no one else, could see. And without this belief and determination, we not have the privilege of experiencing his art, art that has dramatically shifted contemporary culture. And it's that same belief in

determination that gave him the ability to overcome his suicidal thoughts after his mother's death and the torrential VMA backlash. It's that same belief in self that makes Connie West both inspiring and relatable. He shares with us his very specific personal story, but when we strip his story of its specifics, we're left with something very fundamental, very human. He's simply a man who's attempted to overcome his personal circumstances and challenges, attempting to grow and mature as a person, attempting to find contentment and happiness. And this stripping away the specifics of someone's story in order to find their intent is something I personally do as much as possible. It's an exercise routine for your mind, one that will build your empathy muscle,

and your capacity to relate to nearly everyone on this earth, intent over specific. When we stripped the album of its specifics, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is simply a story of a man examining his own challenging circumstances, ultimately proposing a resolution through the belief in himself. Stripped of its specifics, to Pimp a Butterfly is simply a story of a man examining his own circumstances and challenges, ultimately proposing a resolution through the belief in himself.

While both albums are sonically grandiose and very specific to their own personal journey, when we strip them of their specifics until we're left with only their intent, We find something very basic and universal, something that we can all relate to. Both artists were not content with their life, and they were simply seeking a better way to live. Through rigorous self-examination, they assessed and sorted the authentic from the fake, and realigned their life path, altered the trajectory of who they are, toward who they want to become. This is how progress is made, in life, in the world, one realignment, one readjustment at a time. We're all in a constant state of becoming, even our heroes.

Both Kendrick and Kanye are living proof. They both share with us their experience, at its core of our human experience, because it's done with so much honesty and genuine emotion, we can relate. This is art at its best, because art at its best has the ability to expand our worldview, be it Kendrick Lamar's experience growing up in Compton, or Connie West struggle with fame. If a story is told well and honestly through art, it helps us to understand the experience of others, experiences we likely know nothing about otherwise. We can watch a movie like Hotel Rwanda and get a basic understanding of a life experience unlike anything most of us could imagine.

You can listen to an album like Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid Mad City and get a basic understanding of what it might be like to grow up in the gang-infested streets of Compton. There are countless examples of this. These stories and experiences told through art expand our worldview. They force us to consider experiences that are different from our own, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, they compel us to have empathy, which can simply be defined as having a basic understanding of someone else's story. But the intersection of art and empathy is nothing more than a pleasant-sounding theory if it doesn't inspire action. The philosopher Herbert Marcus said that, quote, art cannot change the world, but it can contribute to changing the consciousness and drives

of the men and women who could change the world. Some 20 years later, the poet Tupac Shakur said, I'm not saying I'm going to change the world, but I guarantee I will spark. the brain that will change the world. The primary function of art is to inspire action. Otherwise, art is a static novelty, something that sits on the wall. Artists aren't meant to be worshipped, aren't meant to be tabloid subjects, or treated like animals in a zoo. They're simply meant to be listened to. They're the conveyors of universal truths. They often express what most of us find to be inexpressible. They help to crystallize our own existence, help us to better understand our own experiences and inspire us to take action in our own lives. One of the primary goals of dissect

is to act as an intersection between art and action. To make art more readily understandable, expedite the expansion of worldview so you may extract meaning and be inspired to act. But this podcast means nothing, and more importantly art itself means nothing, if it's rendered inactive, if we consume it passively like we do so much these days. Art has so much to give us if only we allow it. but you have to listen when it calls you. That album you love so much that you listen to over and over year after year, that connection isn't arbitrary. There's a reason for that.

There's a reason you, and I do mean you, very specifically, are able to sit through a podcast that so tediously picks apart art. You recognize either consciously or intuitively that art has something very tangible to offer you, that if you make yourself available to it, art has a power to influence your actions, to push forward the progress of human existence by the empathetic understanding of the stories and experiences of others. I know these might sound like lofty inspirational cliches, but they're really not.

Your life and the lives of others improved due to the collection of individual actions. And if art can act as a catalyst to action, inspire you to become more empathetic to the experience of others, it will expand your worldview, it will change the way you think and therefore change the way you act. I know this to be true because it very recently, happened to me in a very tangible way. As much as I attempt to keep my personal life separate from this podcast, I'm going to share with you my story. And I preface this story knowing that I'm not the end-all be-all shining example of how to live. I also preface this story knowing that I'm circumstantially

very fortunate. But I'm sharing with you this story because it's the direct effect of art and action, the direct effect of altering the trajectory of one's life. It's the story of this podcast. I'm currently 34 years old. I'm not old, but I'm certainly not young anymore either. Throughout my teenage and adult life, as long as I can remember, really, I've dreamt of one day making a living through a creative project. For about 10 years, that meant writing and performing music in the handful of bands that I was in during those years. As much as I loved school, I dropped out of college to give music my all. For a while, I even lived in a closet under a staircase because it was cheap and allowed me to work less and create music more. Ironically, as soon as I got fairly close to obtaining my goal, I realized that the band

life wasn't the life I wanted to live anymore. So I realigned my life path, went back to college, and faked my way into the music program, despite not knowing how to read music or never having taken a music lesson in my life. I studied music composition, immersing myself in classical music for over four years. Once I graduated, I realized that while I loved composition, theory, and classical music, it wasn't what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. Shortly after that time, I found a job I liked, and my wife and I had a daughter. As you either know, or as you can imagine, kids are amazing, but exhausting. I love my daughter more than anything in the world, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that having a kid is the potential to suck the ambition from your personal life due to sheer exhaustion.

Looking back at that time, it would have been very easy and very easily justifiable for me to give up my creative dream. But instead, I followed my intuition. I didn't give up. It actually feels really nice to be able to say that, honestly. I didn't give up. I started a podcast called Dysect, a unification of all the things I've come to love over my lifelong pursuit of creativity, music, music composition, theory, history, culture, philosophy, writing, critical thinking, and storytelling. But Dysect also posed a series of practical challenges. I had to get over hearing the sound of my own voice. initial insecurity nearly destroyed the chances of this podcast from seeing the light of day.

But the biggest challenge, a challenge at last to this day, is simply time. I work a full-time job and I have a wife and daughter. That's enough to fill a daily schedule and then some. In order to create this podcast, I wake up every day at 5 a.m. I work on the podcast. I go to work for eight to nine hours a day. I come home and spend time with my family. They go to sleep, and I stay up late working on this podcast. The next morning, morning I get up and do it all over again. The world gives you nothing until you give it everything. That's been my mantra this year. And frankly, I live in a perpetual state of exhaustion. But make no mistake, I love creating dissect. I voluntarily choose exhaustion in the ongoing

pursuit of a lifelong dream, to make a living doing something I created, something that I love. And it's extremely exciting and honestly a bit surreal for me to announce today, and I'm not exaggerating here. Literally the day I'm recording this, I officially accepted an opportunity that will allow me to create dissect full time. I'm quitting my job tomorrow. And come 2018, I'll be making a living doing something that I created, something that I love. But still all sinking in, to be honest. But to bring it all back to this season, I shared with you my story because it's a personal account of art-inspiring action, one that I hope resonates with you. Because when we strip my story of its specifics, we have a man who examined and re-examine the challenges of his life and constantly

re-aligned his life trajectory in order to make progress. It's my story, it's Kendrick's story, it's Kanye story, and it's your story too. We're all in a constant state of becoming, all realigning again and again our life trajectory in order to move who we are a little bit closer to who we want to become. And I tell you my story knowing that it's not the final chapter. I'll inevitably face a new set of challenges that I'll have to navigate through. That's just the way life works. But if Kendrick and Kanye have taught us anything these first two seasons, is that sacrifice, hard work, dedication, blind determination,

and most importantly, the belief in oneself is the key to ongoing progress. It's all those cliches you hear all the time. But that's the danger of cliches. They tempt us to roll our eyes. Words and concepts we often hear thrown around so much that they can lose their meaning. but we can't let that happen. Hard work, determination, blind persistence, and a belief in oneself are the essential building blocks of progress. And if you take away anything from Kendrick Lamar's to Pimp a Butterfly, from Kanye West my beautiful dark twisted fantasy,

from even this little podcast, let it be the inspiration of action in your own life, to pursue the things you love, to challenge yourself in that pursuit when things inevitably become difficult, to resist the temptation of giving up because it's easy or you're tired, where you failed more times than you succeeded, to continually realign your life's trajectory as many times as necessary, to pursue and spend the most amount of time with the things that you love.

Go listen to all my music. It's the codes of self-esteem. It's the codes of who you are. If you're a Kanye West fan, you're not a fan of me. You're a fan of yourself. You will believe in yourself. I'm just the espresso.

I'm just a shot in the morning to get you going. To make you believe that you can overcome that situation that you're dealing with all the time. I always feel like I could do anything. That's the main thing people are controlled by. Thoughts, their perception of themselves. They're slowed down by their perception of themselves.

If you're taught you can't do anything, you won't do anything. I was taught I could do everything. My mother made me believe in myself. No matter how many people tell me, stop believing in yourself. Stop saying what you can do. Stop affirming what you're going to do and then completing that in real life. That's the impromptu.

proper way to do it. I refuse to follow those rules that society is set up in the way that they control people with low self-esteem. The time is now, the time is now to express and for people to believe in themselves. The time is now for it to be okay to be great. People in this world shun people for being great, for being a bright color, for standing out. But the time is now to be okay to be the greatest you. We've now reached my favorite part of the entire season, and that's hearing from you all. I ask for you to submit your thoughts on Kanye West, Twisted Fantasy, this podcast season, basically anything you wanted to share.

Where you're going to hear now is a collection of incredibly diverse voices from all around the world, all united by a shared love of Kanye West and his music, but perhaps more importantly, a shared love of art itself. I encourage you all to give them your full attention. They may sound or think different from you, but they are your people. And it's surprising how much we can learn from one another, if only we listen. Jasmine Canterbury, UK. I remember when my beautiful dark twist of fantasy came out,

and the first time I listened to it was like suddenly hearing what I hadn't known I was waiting to hear. It slotted into parts of my brain that were dormant, and they exploded into a kaleidoscope of colours. apart from the lyrics which are some of my favorite of all time orally this album makes my brain happy and to this day the drums kicking in in all of the lights just makes me go oh that is so good dylan from chicago the day the late registration came out in 2005 i bought the album and played it for my mother she was brought to tears by hey mama and a memory associated with that song was forever bonded. I lost my mother in my mid-20s and Kanye's parallel narrative in his songs

has always spoken to me and brought strength through sad experiences. I still watched Kanye's O8 Grammy performance of Hey Mama every mother's day and lines like, last night I saw you in my dreams and I can't wait to go to sleep, our intensely relatable moments. It's been easy for me to parse out feelings of empathy for Kanye and midst public meltdowns, braggadocious behavior, and other tomfoolery. Beneath it all is a deeply complex man who just wants to be Donda's boy once more. That's a university. human experience, even for Yeezis. Hey there, guys.

This is East Way, Jerry, from Saudi Arabia. One of the major themes of my beautiful dark-twisted fantasy is adapting an egotistical persona in order to hide the many crippling insecurities that you have, which is the main reason I relate to Connie more than an artist. I relate to him as a human being.

Thanks, Cole, for all your great work. Peace out. Yo, what's up? This is Spos from Wells, Maine. I love this podcast. I just want to say that we need more Kanye West's. I am endlessly inspired by Kanye, his art, his fearlessness. He's destroyed many of the walls I thought existed in music, in culture, in marketing, and I hope he never stops innovating for us. Though many losers hate Kanye, I think he'll be universally appreciated in

retrospect, almost like Abraham Lincoln or some shit. Long live Kanye West. We need more Kanye West. My name is Danny, and my beautiful Dark Twos of Fantasy came out during my first major breakup. In an odd way, the themes and power of the album mirrored my struggle of losing somebody, resenting an ex, hating myself for the part I play in the destruction of the relationship, and helping me rebuild my self-worth and ego afterwards. Kanye's music has always been important to me, but this was simply the case of a great album at the right time. I believe that Kanye is a definitive entertainer for people who are looking to believe in themselves, and if nothing else, the message I got from this album is that I should never be afraid to bet on myself. Salutations, Faithful Dissect listeners. My name is Joey Grijalva. I'm a writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

And I think the genius of season two lies in the thematic connections it makes between season one, particularly the exploration of Kanye's fall from grace, and how his career often embodies the high-wire act of being a black celebrity in America, which, as you may recall, is something Kendrick addresses directly on to Pimp a Butterfly, in which Cole shines a light on. So I really want to thank Cole for that, and especially for encouraging us to practice empathy in general. In closing, I just really want to thank Kanye for being Kanye.

Hey, my name is Callie and I'm in Nashville, Tennessee. I've always been a Kanye fan and this podcast made me sympathize and understand him even more. It also made me further realize what a force he is and how misunderstood and underappreciated his talent has become. Breaking down the lyrics as well as the musical structure was super powerful for me. I also have a new appreciation for this album and I found myself listening to it on repeat a lot. Over the past few weeks while listening to this podcast, I kept figuring out a way to talk about Kanye and in particular this album. The most emotional songs for me were power and runaway, both which brought me to tears. I hope that Kanye will create music that challenges folks and makes them not just want to dance but want to listen.

Hi, everyone. My name is Rachel, and I'm from Hayward, California. When I first heard that Dyslex Season 2 is going to be about Kanye, it didn't matter what Kanye album it was going to be about. From college dropout to Yeez-est, to my beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, to 808s and heartbreaks. These albums are a pure representation of Kanye's evolution as an artist. Each of them represent a different time and struggle in his life. And the greatest gift that he's given to me as a fan is his vulnerability to allow me to see him evolve as an artist.

His music has always spoken for itself, and I'm forever grateful for that. Cole, I hope you do another Kanye album, but regardless, you're awesome. Thanks, man. Hey, Cole. My name is James. I'm from Tampa, Florida. Shout to Connie and Matthias. I was going to say that this, she has completely changed my perspective on the album,

and ultimately my opinion of Kanye. I knew what an effort went to his work, but not to a degree that everything in it had a meaning. But I mostly want to thank you for dissecting a rap in general. As someone who's a big fan of the art, not many people gave me the time of the day to explain it or explain its importance, but you help others understand and appreciate the art, which I thank you for. I talk about what I learn from you all the time, especially to my mom. So I want to thank you for helping me appreciate art more and help you help you. helping others understand it.

And I hope to see the channel grow. What's up, Dysak Podcast? It's Sam from Tampa. And this is my favorite album of all time. And I really think you highlighted some of the features of it that I think go underlooked when people appreciate the project on a surface level. And don't really look at the intricacies

of Kanye's character, how he's changing, and how even when he's at his lowest, you can still find that he's relatable and that you can side with him. I just want to thank you for all your hard work. Can't wait to see what season three is. Shout out to my boy James. My name is Grayson, and I live in Circe, Arkansas. Roger Ebert has famously said that film is an empathy-generating machine,

and I think that can be said about a lot of creative expression. Most people I know when Kanye West's name is brought up will dismiss him as an asshole, or maybe even harold him as the greatest creative. of genius alive today. Well, I think both of those labels contain elements of truth. I think what he is most of all is multifaceted and human. I think Kanye West music and projects like the Dissect Podcast that seek to understand his music help illuminate more what those terms mean and have taught me and I'm sure a lot of others more about what it means to be us. Hi, this is Teresa from San Francisco. Being a Kanye West fan can be lonely at times.

I find myself struggling to defend his creativity and explain his cultural influence to friends who see him as nothing more than an arrogant asshole that the media makes him out to be. So thank you, Cole, for shining light on not only the artistry of Kanye's work, but also the human being behind the genius. A human being who is worthy of our empathy and whose contributions to our culture deserve to be recognized. Hello, my name's Alyssa. I'm from the St. Louis area, and I just want to say thank you, Cole, for, reminding us all that Kanye is a person, just like the rest of us, that he faces pain in his life and he has to figure out how to emotionally navigate these struggles. He makes mistakes, he learns, and he turns around and works on himself to become better. Can any one of us really say that we would handle the stress of fame any differently?

Hey, this is Gully in Venice, and I just wanted to share my thoughts about Kanye. For me, dissect was a huge redeemer for Kanye. I'd always enjoyed his music, but a lot of the controversy and his sort of douchebaggery in the media really had turned me off a lot, but I think what I discovered listening to Season 2 of Dissect is that there was a lot of complexity behind those situations, and it's never just as simple as what you hear about in the media or what you see on Twitter. So I think for me, it was really insightful and eye-opening to hear the narrative behind the album and also a lot of the struggles Kanye's been through because I'm a huge fan of his music, but I think his personality just turned me off for a while. I'm Emmanuel from Millageville.

I've had a special connection to Kanye's music since the college dropout since it coincided with my freshman year of college. With my beautiful dark twisted fantasy, I'm really most appreciative of his willingness to bear his soul on record. even more than before and also the multiple levels, both thematically and musically, that he implements. I mean, I'll always relate 100% to Kanye, but I will always appreciate that he takes us along for his journey with all the bumps, bruises, highs, and lows. That's true art. My name is Tim Arrington. I'm a producer and engineer currently in Washington, D.C.

And after listening to Season 2 of Dysect, it really helped me become a better musician, like a better, producer, just a better music fan overall, just hearing how meticulous and well thought out, Kanye wasn't putting it together. It made me really look at my music at a different level. And really just made me want to inspire me to become great, man. Hey, my name's Marley. I'm from Bend, Oregon. and I'm convinced that Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy saved my life. I'd always been a huge Kanye fan, but Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy came out right when my parents were getting a divorce

and my boyfriend and I had broken up, and I just dropped out of art school, and I felt crazy. And listening to Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on vinyl in my living room every day just gave me a little sense that I wasn't so old. lost in the world. Hi, my name is Jalal Jackson. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. Cahey has played a huge role in my life,

both personality-wise and artistically. As an artist myself, I try to be as creative as artists like Kendrick and Kanye. I feel that Dysect helps me get a better grabs on how difficult it is to make a great project. And I really appreciate Kyle and all the work he's doing over there at Dysect.

And please, Kyle, Blonde, Season 3. Thank you. Yope, Sally Jones. Kanye has always been one of, if not, my biggest inspirations in production ever since graduation came out. But honestly, it wasn't until some time between Yis and T.Lops' release that I truly began to realize his troubled genuineness through the portrayal of his heart. EZ taught me the power of honesty through sacrificing much of his persona to painfully display the Gemini and all of us when we were confronted daily with the choice between our own ultralight beings or our night life. As a Chicago guy, Kanye definitely resonates with me. He performed at my Chicago Public High School before college dropout released with Twister in our auditorium. The same high school chanced the rapper eventually went to, and I followed him ever since.

Say what you will about his personality. Calling him an asshole is easy. I appreciate a celebrity willing to speak his mind, regardless of public backlash, and the music speaks for itself. He produced some of Jay Z's best work, and as an artist, innovates his head. hip-pop more and more with each album. Cole, I'm going to let you finish, but Kanye is quite possibly the best artist of all time. This is Jenny in Fort Collins, Colorado. And all I got to say is that being a fan of Kanye West used to feel like a dirty confession,

but since listening to dissect, it feels like something that I should proclaim a lot louder and prouder. Connie's been there for me as a shoulder to lean on, a friend to party with, and a coach throughout my life, and I appreciate his music tremendously. Yeezy taught me. Hi, Cole. This is Tash from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. You are doing a great thing by reminding us all of the value of sitting down and living with a piece of art. To me, Kanye was one of the most beautifully complex, gifted, emotional, and difficult artists of our generation, and I really appreciate its mastery of the album as a narrative art form. You said that Jesus is your favorite

Kanye album and it holds a special place for me too. I love how it deconstructs the established concept of an album with the anti-album art and insane sonics and it continues to do that with Life of Pablo. And that's what sums up Kanye to me, simply refusing to get comfortable. Conceded, arrogant, brash, genius, one-of-a-kind, brilliant. No, I'm not talking about myself, but about my music idol Kanye West. My name is Sarah. I'm from Montreal and a lesbian. wasp. So pretty much the furthest from the typical rap fan you can think of. But Kanye is more than rap, more than hip-hop. He bridges all that noise and writes from the heart. And he makes this music relatable to all. So he's been there through my tough moments, my happy moments, my sad moments.

He's written about all those things and more. And that's why he's my favorite artist. Hey, this is Roba Lepanen, a middlehead from Finland. And I got to say, I started off as a Kanye hater. Everyone around me hated him as a teenager. There was the South Park episode, all that. And I thought he was musically irrelevant. But then I got into music more, I started listening to the full albums, especially this one. And I got to say, Dicex season deepened my appreciation and love for the album. And especially the episode Power, which I loved. And I shared it with a friend of mine who had similar thoughts on Kanye. And he just changed his mind. He and I still think Kanye is crazy, but he's a genius.

And thanks for that. My name is Ian. I'm from Los Angeles, California. County West's music has continued to define shape, explain, alter, and influence the many seasons of my time on earth. As I look back at my life, all of his albums have served as personal mile markers. His music has seemingly served as my own soundtrack ever since I was 13 years old. As the throes of puberty hit me, cultivating, angst, self-doubt, and cystic acne. It was a college dropout, late registration and graduation that gave me the confidence to walk through the hallways. 808 and heartbreak aptly came out with my freshman year when I was unsure of my life's path.

Twisted fantasy comforted me at a time when a friend of mine was murdered. Eases came at a time when I began working my way up the corporate ladder and life of Pablo eased me out of my quarter life crisis. His music has ever evolved, but its place in my life has not and never will. My name is Sadie. I'm from Texas, and Kanye West has been my favorite musician since I first fully listened to my beautiful dark twisted fantasy years ago. I feel basically indebted to Kanye forever due to the healing power that his music has brought to my life. Listening to him empowers me to confront my adversities head on

and let any challenge I come across in life push me to be the best version of myself. I love him and I'm thankful to dissect for letting me understand my favorite album in an even more complex way. As a 15-year-old listening to my beautiful artist in fantasy in 2010 was a life-changing experience. It's what I imagine experiencing pet sounds in 1966, Sergeant Pepper's in 1967,

or Illmatic in 1994 must have been like. It's the best album of the past 10 years, and it's the one I go back to the most. Thank you so much, Kanye West, for this work of art, and thank you, Cole, for this podcast. This is Matt Palucci from Massachusetts, I just want to thank you for making this podcast. Kanye has always been my favorite artist,

and Dark Twisted Fantasy has always been my favorite album. Moments like Runaway's outro and the guitar leading into Ross's verse, on The New Dress have always given me a feeling that no other artists can replicate. Your analysis has been spot on, and I hope to see you tackle Adewitts and heartbreak in the future. My name is Bryce, and I'm from Canada. Kanye has had a massive influence on my life,

from each and every album to his journey and talents that span across fashion, film, and design. I remember being part of a Kanye fan forum, creating a music video for a high school animation assignment and remixing songs as I messed around with production as a teenager. Seeing the glow in the dark tour was life-changing and completely shifted how I think about concerts, while I connected deeply to do 808 at that time of my life

and continue to be inspired by his work and words on a daily basis. I'm grateful for this deep dive with Dysak to better understand the level of craft, meaning, and music theory instilled in his work. Thanks to Kanye, I'm pushing myself to bring my own genius out into the world more, and to unapologetically believe in where I'm headed, despite the naysayers and noise. Hey, Cole, this is Zach from Toronto. Kanye is an artist whose early stuff in particular is just stitched into the fabric of my love for hip-hop. I can vividly recall myself reciting every syllable of spaceship while walking to work for my overnight shift at the radio station.

That song for me got me through some of the most intense second guessing of myself as I was grinding into my first career. Anyway, thanks for doing what you do. I've always appreciated my beautiful dark, twisted fantasy, but nowhere close to the level that I do now. Can't wait for season three. Hi, my name is Philip, and I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. I'm a big Kanye fan, and now I'm a big fan of this podcast as well. One of my favorite things about Dysect is the context that it provides. Having context really helps you understand a person as well as their art,

and this podcast helps with both. I am well aware of Kanye's antics outside of his music, but I failed to really connect it to his art. Kanye's fall from grace and return to power comes up lyrically and thematically throughout my beautiful dark-twisted fantasy in ways that I never really connected on my own. Thanks, Dysect for helping give me the context to view a great album and a whole new light. Hi, this is Paige from Boston.

When I first heard that season two was going to be about Kanye West, I was a little biased because I'm a Taylor Swift fan, but I buckled down and bought the album, and I was actually surprised at the number of tracks that I was already familiar with, but only in isolated, fleeting incidents, like the radio or at a bar.

So stringing together, the beautiful, the dark, the twisted, and listening to the album in full with the help of dissect, brought insight and understanding to Kanye's experience as a celebrity and as a human. So I have a greater appreciation for all of his work, and I believe that this is a masterful piece of artistry, and I look forward to season three. Thanks, Cole. Hi, my name is Brian.

I'm from Houston, Texas. Go Stros. Kanye's inspiration through music and personal beliefs is what stands out to me. Despite how the media portrays Kanye, he is not wrong for believing in himself and its creativity through through. Every album Kanye has created reflects a point in his life on what he has been through and how he approaches it, just like model. beautiful dark twisted fantasy, Kanye has taught me to think independently and speak my mind regardless of what people will say or think about me. Hi, I'm Danny from Syracuse, New York, and I just wanted to say, my beautiful,

dark twisted fantasy is my favorite album of all time. I really got turned on to it when my sister got it for me for Christmas, and I was going through a hard breakup at the time, and this album just helped me get over that and inspired me to, I guess, better myself. and turn me on to different music and different art forms, so I definitely have an emotion attachment to this album overall. Hi, this is Matt from Furndale, Michigan. Kanye, to me, represents the full spectrum of artistic expression. He juxtaposes the sacrosanct with the profane and manages to be boastfully egotistical, while introspectively exposing listeners to his own deepest insecurities.

He embodies the taboo of the genius who is not humble about it. He's vilified for his public personality, and he seems both hard. hurt by it and unable to resist feeling his bad reputation. He's his own biggest fan and his own worst enemy. He's every Greek myth and every story of the Bible wrapped up into a single, brilliant, but complicated mind. Listening to this season of Dysect has not only reinforced my belief that Kanye is a visionary and a pop cultural icon, it has also proven that he is much more in touch and knowledgeable about a variety of subjects than many people give him credit for. There are so many moments on Twisted Fantasy and in his career as a whole that peel back his layers to reveal an

enthusiastic creative slash art and fashion nerd underneath his often crude raggedosio. His intuition regarding music composition and his ability to work samples into his soaring hip-hoping hip-hopus and make no mistake, Twisted Fantasy is a magnum opus. As well as his penchant for shoes and clothes and the human spirit, uncontestedly make him worthy of the highest modern artistic accolades. This is Tyler Barrett from many of the many of the world. Minneapolis, Minnesota. I think Kanye West's story of persistently and more importantly deterministically overcoming adversity is a beautiful, dark-twisted representation of the American dream. From locking

himself inside a room doing five beats a day for three summers to persevering through seemingly endless rejection from unbelievers, he shows that an indomitable spirit is the single most important key to greatness. Bobby from Detroit, if you're a fan of Kanye West, then you're really a fan of yourself. I hope that statement to be totally true. As a look at Kanye's albums, it's really the soundtrack of my life. As I look at all of my accomplishments, as I look through all the things that I've been through, going through heartbreak in terms of relationships to success in terms of winning, his songs, his albums have really dictated that. A lot of people don't have that luxury of being able to create that. But Kanye West, he's just inspirational,

motivational, and honestly, I really do feel like he is one of the main reasons why I'm where I am right now. Hey, everybody. Wendell in San Francisco here. Kanye West, simply put, is one of the most important artists of any genre in any time period. Personally, Kanye's music has been the soundtrack to my entire adult life. My beautiful dark, twisted fantasy is in constant rotation in my house, and I consider it to be one of the most impressive musical achievements of all time. It deserves to be in the Smithsonian for the last three minutes of runaway alone. I'm grateful to Cole for all his time, effort, and thoughtfulness in bringing us this beautiful, analytical, and endlessly interesting examination of the album. On behalf of all the fanboys and stands out there, I'd like to say that you absolutely nailed the essence of Kanye, his work, and his place in the context of our culture. Thank you.

Hello, I'm Bobby. You may think Kanye West is an egotistical asshole, but it was his drive and belief in himself when no one else did that propelled him to greatness. You may think Kanye West is one of the most important artists of our time. He sure does. You may not think Kanye West is a true MC. You're probably right. While aided by a team of rappers and producers, the creative complexities of the lyrical and musical content on my beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy are nothing short of genius. You may miss the old Kanye. I still long for the soul beats and sped up vocal samples that first caught my ear in the early 2000s. But I can appreciate the evolution of his musical expression. Regardless of what you think of Kanye West, you have to

respect his iconic legacy. Hello, my name is Chris Marshand, and I'm from Peoria, Illinois. I realized while listening to the Runaway Part 2 episode that discusses Kanye's extended vocal guitar solo, that we were having a cultural moment, that you were acknowledging and helping us all realize that Runaway is an undeniably masterful work of art, a landmark song, a pillar of culture. But here's what is so frustrating. There are so many people that can still only see Kanye as a douchebag hack, a narcissistic,

no talent cry baby. I haven't really convinced anyone who isn't already convinced that Kanye creates beautifully complex art and that yes, he's an undeniable genius. But here's what I am grateful for. I'm grateful you created this podcast for people to discover. It is a testament to the brilliance of Kanye in his dark twisted fantasy. I'm Kevin from Hoboken, New Jersey. One of the reasons I love Kanye so much is for those hilarious moments or songs where you can't quite tell what's intentionally or unintentionally funny. I think in terms of full songs, this is exemplified perfectly and so appalled. For example, it is so great how it seems like absolutely no one on the track even considers pronouncing the word ridiculous correctly,

or that his biggest problem with his housekeeper is that you can't just be a bad bitch who also happens to sweep. These moments show Kanye is either super self-aware or hilariously oblivious, and not knowing which is a fan is what makes his music endlessly entertaining. Kanye West is a multifaceted genius. From his clever, lines, a metaphor is to the soulful samples he cherry picks to create his distinct style. My connection of Kanye is layered and is the source of my inspiration. My name is Amber Nicole, and I'm also a writer in Jimmy and I from Chicago. Yay once said, reach for the stars to with you fall you land on the cloud.

I use that line as a mantra to pursue my songwriting aspirations. I miss the old Kanye, but I still love Kanye, and that'll never change. Hi, I'm Michael, I'm 18 as I'm currently recording this. Kanye West, my beautiful dark twisted fantasy came out about eight years ago. And so I've had a lot of time to grow up with this album and go through many different stages of life. And while I'm still young, it's still been really helpful and helped me develop as a person, being able to listen to his emotions and think through mine, especially on things like Blame Game, Devil in a New Dress, and Runaway. every time I listen to Run Away, I just feel the tears coming. And it just helps me to realize that everything is okay in life.

It helps me to move on, you know. Hey, what's good? It's Animal Brown checking in from the On Deck TV podcast. Man, you couldn't have picked a better record to do season two of Dyset with. My beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was already a classic. You just made it five times better. I will say that Kanye has taught me to take chances and not be afraid to be different. He is constantly reinventing himself and also speaking his mind unapologetically.

So that's super dope, man. Keep up the good work. My name is Carly and I live in Dayton, Ohio. Kanye is a true artist in a world when everything else in his genre seems commercialized. I believe he honestly cares about his fans. The line about him being the espresso for his fans is truer than ever. He elevates us. He expects us to get his sneaky innuendos.

he trusts us and expects the same in return. He's giving us an insight into his psyche that is so pure, and as a fan, I feel like I know him based on his seven albums. I almost feel as if we've grown up together. His confidence is inspiring to me, and I think I've become more confident in who I am by taking a page out of Yeh's book. Hi, my name is Andrew Henline, and I'm from Chesapeake, Virginia,

and listening to this season I dissect helped me gain deep respect for music composition. I was enlightened by the Runaway Part 2 episode by experiencing why Kanye said the abstract news. felt more expressive than the words. I think the artist's ability to express the deepest parts of emotion through music and then accompanying that with attempting to explain those emotions, speaks volumes to how people operate. We feel their belief something at the core of who we are, and then we rationalize it with analytical thought and language.

I learned that music expresses the unexplainable, but it doesn't stop there. Things like laughing, dancing, buying diesel jeans, crying, and more express feelings deeper than words. I know I have a deeper love for music and I'm encouraged to be more in tune with my desires, passions, and emotions. Hi, I'm Corey from Baltimore and I just want to say Kanye will always have a huge place in my heart because I felt like when a lot of people who I loved in my life let me down, Kanye's music has always been there for me. Also, I will go to bat for Kanye in any situation. If his music starts playing somewhere, everyone I know just looks straight at me and I'm inevitably going to get very heated and stick up for him like I would stick up for any way. that I love. I call him my dad. Everyone makes fun of me for it. And I am not ashamed. I love Kanye, and I always will. Hi there. My name is Kelly Coyne. I'm a recording engineer and producer in the

Bay Area, San Francisco. And Connie West has been a huge inspiration for my production, especially his vocal effects and his sampling. It's just so creative and I love it. And in a deeper sense, I feel like he's let me connect to the monster in me and the darkness in me. In a healthy way. It's a Maka from Mississippi, and I have to say Kayen West's music is inspiring and empowering on many different levels. The quote that stuck out to me the most from the entire podcast is when he says himself that if you're a fan of Kanye West, you're a fan of yourself. And I really like that about Kanye. Although it comes off as cockiness, he really promotes self-confidence, not being afraid to take really.

being your own person, even when majority of people are really not feeling you. Kanye West is truly one of the greatest of our time. I'll end by saying my beautiful dark twisted fantasy is one of Kanye's best bodies of work, hands down. And so I'm so glad that Dysect covered such a great album. Yeah, as a Kanye fan, you always have to defend him. But when he was saying he needed money more than Africa, I stopped defending him. Overnight I made a site that went viral called Help Kenya, Not Kanye, to shift the conversation as something positive

and raise money for Africa. It wasn't out of hate. It was tough love. I wanted him to recognize he had gone too far and go get help. His music is so smart, but he can act so stupid sometimes and it makes it hard to be a fan.

That's why I love your podcast. It makes me feel like loving Kanye isn't crazy. He is a musical genius. Kanye West had set up a rap count for my beautiful dark, Twisted Fantasy album. That alone should tell you the dedication he had towards making this album.

And as a result, it's one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made. It's Kanye at the peak of his powers. It's an album that's worthy to be examined fully. And it's also an album that will help you open your ears, even wider to other genres of music. That's how special it is. My name is Marquise, and I'm from Jacksonville, Florida. My name is Isaac, and here are my thoughts.

Kanye is extremely talented. He has shown not only as a musician that he can be timeless, but as a producer and as a fashion icon too. He demonstrates an adaptive, artistic, and exuberant style, unlike many others. I think for the most part, his album's barely disappoint. He enhances the skills of other musicians around him, and as Jay-Z's protege, he discovers new artists that are going to be great, such as Travis Scott and Chance the Rapper.

From the start, he has proven his capabilities of creativity, are nearly limitless, and I can't wait to see what the future brings from Ye. It's difficult to see someone with immense fame, money, and most of all, power of influence to think there is a humble or even human side. I'm not the type to put people on a pedestal, but Kanye's kind of a musical genius. Pulling inspiration from rock music and other music or using a room full of musicians' opinions to make a song is an admirable process. I get why Kanye couldn't sleep.

Who could sleep with all this creative juice sitting in your head? Seeing the foundation of his critical, intelligent musical choices and the depth of pain of where all the music came from, he put aside preconceived notions from the media of his insanity. Maybe he is insane, but don't all artists and geniuses have some level of madness? Joanne Kim, Los Angeles. I'm sorry, Kanye, I'm sorry I took you for granted. Your genius, your creativity, your mastery, we all took you for granted. The pace, the noise, the gossip, it's easy to do this.

so these days. You gave us so much, every part of you. It details, the intricacies, every part of you. Thank you, Cole, for slowing the pace, opening up our eyes, our ears, our hearts, to appreciate art again. I'm so sorry, Kanye, I forgot how important you are. I'll never take your work for granted again. It was meant to be admired, appreciated, piece by piece, from my heart to yours. Marie. On this album, Kanye shows us his Greek god persona how because he's such a polarizing huge star, he seems larger than life, but as a human, as a man, he's fundamentally flawed. And this really shows well in his music and makes you realize that this is simply a man, a human being that is subject to the same stressors and weaknesses that you and me are, which is simply a man, a human being that is subject to the same stressors and weaknesses that you and me are, which is incredibly like strange and shocking and polarizing

to hear in songs like Run Away Yo, yo, yo, yo, it was good. My name is Curtis Bethel. I'm from Southern Indiana, Notre Dame. Huge fan of podcasts, man. Once I seen you were doing Kanye, I got super excited. That's one of my favorite artists of all time.

One of the biggest inspirations when it comes to making music and even listening to it. So beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, man. of my favorite albums all the time. I just love the way you analyze everything right down to the the E-flats, man. You're super freaky with it, but I love it. Keep doing what you do, Cole. You for the culture, man. This was Hannah from Cambridge. I was first introduced to hip-hop through Jay-Z and a lot of 90s things to rap, and Kanye taught me that hip-hop is about more than

just drugs and sex and growing up on the streets. His wordplay and beats and all the qualities the songs told stories that were so rich and universal. Every song felt like I was opening up a novel, and it didn't always have to be that way. Like, you could throw on Gold Digger at a party, and people could still bump to it on a surface level. But to have all that complexity and still appeal to a wide amount of people, meant that Connie Everly epitomizes rap as popular music for me.

Early mornings, good morning. Rapping in the car, touch the sky. Bad breakup, streetlights. For seemingly every moment or emotion, there's a corresponding Kanye song. The difference between a musician and an artist lies in the artist's ability to create emotion, a connection. Whether it's runaway, through the wire, or ultralight beam, Kanye's talent and versatility allow him to craft music that is relatable. His lyrics aren't his. They're mine too.

Because as Jay says, do you're a Kanye West fan, you're not a fan of me. You're a fan of yourself. As an artist, Kanye brings the perfect blend of witty, intelligent, sharp lyrics with classic, yet innovative music. My beautiful dark, twisted fantasy came at a time for me when I was in grad school and he did this extra energy to finish studying and the first time I heard all of the lights, I knew it was my new anthem. He has an ability to bring up your blood pressure and your energy.

I'll never forget the college dropout. It was something unlike anything I'd ever heard before and I was able to play it through over and over. And to this day, it's still my favorite full album, the jam. My name is Nodgland. I'm from Vancouver, Canada. When I first saw that Kanye, Wes would be the artist dissected on this season, I was very just point. We've considered not listening. I didn't like Kanye other principal, despite not really knowing much about him.

I didn't want to like Kanye. I recognize that lots of people really like Kanye, and he's clearly a very important force of music, so I figured I could probably get a lot out of learning about him. Also, I have a lot of trust that Cole do a great job, regardless of what was being dissected. Kanye has been a great study in celebrity. I don't know that I'd say I like him, but I definitely empathize with him a lot. And I really respect for you done on this album. Thanks for your insight school.

This podcast has meant a lot to me. Hi, my name is Daniel from Miami, Florida. What I love most about season two of Dyset was that I've learned a lot of things that I didn't know beforehand about dark, twist of fantasy. Like, for example, the song Power. I didn't know that that song was pretty much a cry for help or almost like a suicide note. I love the episode of Runaway, especially Part 2. I remember I was just crying in the car towards the end. I really love this season, man.

Thank you for all you've done, especially for us Kanye fans. Hey, Cole, this is Shane from Michigan. I like Kanye for the unapologetic confidence and honesty in his music, and your show helped me understand the courage that took him to truly express himself with my beautiful dark-twisted fantasy. The stories of his come up in the industry, and the stories behind this album remind me that all of us faced out, but can do great things if we just keep trying.

I've had confidence issues pretty much all of my life, So for me, the most important part of season two was hearing Kanye say, if you're a fan of Kanye West, you're a fan of yourself. Thanks Kanye and Cole for helping me be a bigger fan of myself. I'm Casey from McKinney, Texas, and I just binge listening to the entire podcast. And I took a couple of days to reflect on everything. I really liked this season with Kanye because I found myself really drawn to the interpellation part and the sampling part.

Nowadays in music, it's a big part of music, and it's not just hip-hop music. It happens in pop music on the radio with Taylor Swift and with Fallout Boy. They take their own interpolations of songs and make them their own. But with Kanye, it was so important to his album, and it was really nice of you to break that down and show that it's not just a cop-out to use samples. It's not just a cop-out to use interpolations, that an artist can take those and make it their own musical journey. Kanye's music has been like a guidebook to my life.

He's written about things I've been through, things that we've all been through. That's what makes him prolific as he taps into feelings that, we share. He's shown me that it's okay to be your own biggest supporter, to make mistakes, to be outrageous, and to be human. He's displayed his heart publicly in a way I'd never seen, and it showed me I could do the same and feel good about myself. Kanye is a part of all of us, because he's true to himself, even when others don't see it. He put it this way. Go listen to my music. It's the codes to self-esteem. It's the codes to who you are. If you're a fan of Kanye West, You're not a fan of me. You're a fan of yourself.

Hi, Cole. I wanted to thank you for helping me see a man I previously only viewed as a jerk as, in fact, human. I didn't give Kanye's music serious consideration before, but your podcast helped me see that his artistry is considerable, and to have empathy for the emotional turmoil he still seems to be going through. This podcast has been extremely valuable to me in both seasons, helping me to seek to be more understanding of others. I appreciate you and keep up the good work. Hi, my name is Gabby and I'm from Atlanta. Kanye represents the first rapper that I could truly identify with, the first rapper to actually speak about things that I could relate to.

My love for Kanye grew even more when I would see him perform. Even in those early days, I knew he was a superstar. My Dark Twisted Fantasy is such a special album for me personally, with Runaway and All of the Lights being my favorite songs. So this season of Dysect was truly special for me because it put into words and gave me reasons why I deeply fill this album and often return to it. Hey, Cole, my name is Eric, and I want to say that my favorite Kanye West album is late registration. My favorite song off that album is Celebration. And yeah, great podcast, man.

Keep up the great work. Shout out to the Kanye subreddit. Day Wavy. What's up, Dysect? This is Jason from Nashville, Tennessee by way of Chicago, Illinois. My biggest takeaway from season two was the exploration of Kanye West as a man. The battle he wages against himself and others reaches really deep. And Dissect helps guide us, the listener, into his dark fantasy,

and we come out of it knowing more about the person, not just the artist. Well done. Hello, my name is Gabriel. I'm from Brazil, and I'm 17. A couple years ago, I used it to misjudge Kanye just as an asshole that made some famous songs. I've basically always overlooked him, but last year I heard other people saying that he was a musical genius. I watched some interviews and liked a lot of his personality, and the things he was saying made a lot of sense to me. Then, after some research, I could understand a little bit more, but still wasn't into his music.

Now, thanks to dissect, I got into his music and I started to see him as a fucking genius, especially after the mind-blowing power episode. Now I see him as a person that took every opportunity and turned every obstacle into fuel, and as a result accomplished great things and innovated a lot in music. Now, Kanye is one of my favorite artists. Thank you, Cole. Kanye West is a Renaissance man compared to most artists. The deep savant thinking and sage ideals he puts into his music is mesmerizing.

It's captivating. It's modern art. It's relevant. It's intellectual. It's Kanye. From fashion and music to footwear and visuals, his rants are the last thing he would use to describe him. He opens our eyes in mind and continues to show that anything is possible and can be brought to for which. if you want it bad enough.

He inspires me to continue my art and push boundaries while staying true to myself on a day-to-day basis. My name is Justin White with Earwax.com. My name is Malcolm and I'm from Columbus, Ohio. I'm gonna come clean, Kanye West saved my life. A lot of people say things like, I'm a huge fan of his music,

but I hate him as a person. I am not one of those people, even though I used to be. Don't get me wrong, because music has been instrumental in my development as a man, but it's his worst outside of the songs that most resonate with me. He taught me that it was okay to be who I am.

to chase after my dreams and that I didn't have to apologize to anybody for being a genius. In 2009 I wrote a poem with a lining that I said. Lately I've been accused of acquiring an acute Coying West impersonation. This is around the same time that I began to come of age. I genuinely feel we are cut from the same cloth. Sometimes I feel alone in the world, but hearing him vocalize his perspective on things reminds me that there are others, and I am not. My name is Isaac, and here are my thoughts.

Kanye is extremely talented. He has shown not only as a musician that he can be time- but as a producer and as a fashion icon too. He demonstrates an adaptive, artistic, and exuberant style unlike many others. I think for the most part, his album's barely disappoint. He enhances the skills of other musicians around him, and as Jay-Z's progenre, he discovers new artists that are going to be great, such as Travis Scott and Chance the Rapper. From the start, he has proven his capabilities of creativity are nearly limitless,

and I can't wait to see what the future brings from Ye. Hey, this is Joseph Rotundo from Rocky Clark Clothing. Season two was very special because it shed a light on someone who is often misunderstood by the music and the fashion industry. And Kanye West plays a huge role in how I view music and how I design clothing. So thanks, Cole. Hey, Cole. My name is Rukhevany. I'm Namibian, but I've been living in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the past two years now.

Oddly enough, along with a romantic poet called William Blake and his work and my beautiful dark twisted fantasy, I've been using the album's narrative and thematic structure to help me construct what I call a concept poetry album. It will consist of ten poems and I intend on submitting it to a poetry competition by the end of this month. So finding your podcast has been quite helpful with constructing this project for me. This is Erica from San Francisco. I sort of formulated my thoughts on Kanye when a friend of mine was expressing some hesitation

about being a Kanye fan before going to the life of Pablo Tour last year, which is totally valid. It was a tough time to be a Kanye fan. He was going through a rough patch and we weren't really sure what was going to happen. But I turned to him and I looked him in the eye and I said, I don't care what the world thinks. Kanye West is the most important artist of our generation. We are beyond lucky to be growing up with him, to be witnessing how he changes hip-hop and music as a whole with every album release.

And I've been preaching this gospel for a while, but season two of Dissect has just solidified that for me and just how amazing Kanye West truly is. Hi, this is Ben from Portland, Oregon. I first heard my twisted dark fantasy as a sophomore in college. I wasn't a huge Kanye fan then and hadn't grown up listening to graduation or college dropout. I was coming off a big Kid Cutty phase and hearing Cutty on Gorgeous really intrigued me. However, it was the power ballads of runaway and monster, Nikki's verse, of course, that got me hooked.

Those tracks teleported me to places marked by clever braggadocio and rawness, nostalgia without memory, and sorrow. Those feelings mixed with a newfound appreciation for the rapper producer, elevated Kanye in my mind from pop culture figure to vanguard creator. Scott here, quick Kanye story. I was listening to the radio when through the wire had just come out. And the radio station was doing a top 10 at 10. And Kanye gets on to do a little drop. And he says, this is Kanye West.

You're listening to WPGC Radio, top 10 at 10. And I want all 10 songs to be Kanye West songs. I just think that says so much about him from Earth. early in his career. He just wanted to take over and had incredible passion to do so. This is Caroline in Montana. Twisted Fantasy and Kanye West taught me that it's okay to be ugly and skewed. You can make towering beauty out of that. As someone who grew up with preoccupied parents, Kanye West and Twisted Fantasy played a huge role in my upbringing. He taught me the importance of self-awareness and sensitivity, feeling honestly, and sharing your emotions, and that if you're

real with the world, things will somehow fall into place. Kanye shows us that it's a lot of fucking cool to care. Thank you to anyone and everyone, and thanks to Colette Dysect for caring about good shit. I hope you all enjoyed those as much as I did. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their thoughts. And if you didn't submit a clip, I'm going to give you your 30 seconds now. Be it a particular song, a memorable moment, a theme that's presented. Wherever you are now, take a moment and consider your biggest takeaway from Kanye West, my beautiful dark twisted fantasy. Thanks, everyone. This season has been a beautiful, life-changing experience.

I'll talk to you next season, where we'll fully submit ourselves to another musical masterwork, because great art deserves more than a swipe. Dysect is written and produced by me. If you enjoy Dysect this season, please tell a friend, family member, co-worker, or anyone you might think would enjoy the show. And if you haven't already,

please rate and review Dysect on Apple Podcasts. It takes just 30 seconds, and it really helps others discover the show. If you want to stay up to date on Dissect Over the Break, subscribe to the newsletter at dissectpodcast.com. And if you'll indulge me for a moment, I'd like to say thank you to a few people who help make this podcast possible.

First, a big shout out to Beirocratic for letting me use this track as the Dysect theme music. You can hear more of this stuff at Berocratic.Bancamp.com. Thanks to the team at Rocky Clark Clothing for the amazing season to apparel. We'll be making our donation to Donda's house in the coming days

with the funds generated from this line. Thanks to Hannah Sellers for the incredible book she created based on my analysis of The Blacker the Berry. You can still purchase that book at blackerberry dashbook.com. A special thank you to my mom, dad, and sister for always supporting everything that I do. An extra special thank you to my wife and daughter for letting me spend way too much time on dissect this year.

I'd also like to acknowledge a few invaluable resources on Kanye West and Twisted Fantasy. First, there's a Noah Callahan Beaver piece that documents his time spent in Hawaii at the Twisted Fantasy sessions. Definitely check that out. Also, there's a 33 and a third book on Twisted Fantasy by Kirk Walker Graves, a must-own for any Kanye fan. Lastly, the podcast Watching the Throne, a song-by-song analysis of Kanye West Catalog. You can find links to all these great resources in the show notes. Finally, a huge thank you to all my Patreon supporters out there.

With your contributions, I was recently able to purchase a whole new studio setup, including a new microphone, monitors, and a bunch of other stuff that's going to make the show sound really great next season. I truly can't convey how humbling and surreal it is to find so much support from you all. An extra special thank you to my diamond-level supporters, Montana DeBash, Patrick Moet, Quentin Samuels, R. Hudson, Raymond R. Hudson, Raymond R. Lansberg, Sam and Chaudry, Sasha Flick, Scrivel Studios, Stuart Cornelius, Ted Hosman, the 3-1 crew, Theo Mills, Wendy Ware, Wigberto Oastacio, Exander Pollock, Zach Moses, Zan O'Ronowitz, ZM, Ami Lee, Arturo Messias, Bryn Masters,

Claire Murphy, Colin Carrier, Daniel Billick, Daniel Wagner, Danny Park, David By Toe, David Drummond, Doc Parsons, Grant Jenkins, Greg Cervini, Gene Tannis, Jeff Phillips, Jonathan Hardyway, Judy Kushna, that's my mama, Kevin Winn, Logan Barlet, Michael Nourke, Michael Nourner, Novak and Mike Jolla. Seriously, your generosity is really appreciated. And finally, I'd like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for listening. You helped me realize a dream. So seriously, thank you. I'll talk to you all next season.