Editor’s Note: Kanye West is one of the biggest names in popular music today — with the talent and ego to match. We felt a single review wouldn’t do his latest album justice.

Kanye West
“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”
Roc-A-Fella
Released: Nov. 22

In 2000, Radiohead unleashed “Kid A.” It was not only innovative, provocative and enjoyable, but it would set the bar for the rest of the decade. Kanye West has accomplished the same thing 10 years later.

West hit the nail on the head with the album title; it’s beautiful (“Runaway”), dark (“Power”), twisted (“Monster”) and the sort of fantasy that could only come from his mind.

He packs in surreal moments like most bands pack in filler.

The bar has been set, and Kanye is about the only person poised to topple it. Rating: 10/10

— Joshua Boydston, psychology junior

Say what you will about Kanye West the person, but Kanye the musician has released the album of the year. The record is captivating, innovative and exciting. West has progressed boldly with each album, making new strides and experimenting. Every track is excellent. The beats are stirring, and the lyrics are more personal than ever before.

This album is epic genius from the first moment on. Kanye is back in a big way. Rating: 9.9/10

— Annika Larson, professional writing junior

Full disclosure: I’m not a rap guy. That said, this is not a bad piece of work. Assuring the rest of the world that he is modern music’s madman, Kanye West is all over the place with this album. It’s a work that is balanced, yet chaotic, and it’s musically sound, which is hard to say about most hip-hop.

Taken as a whole, this album may not be one of the best albums of all time (obligatory MTV Video Music Awards joke), but West could have done a lot worse for his genre. Rating: 7.8/10

— AJ Lansdale, professional writing senior

This is a magnificent record — simultaneously a gritty depiction of and a severe indictment of American excess.

But I’m still not obligated to love it.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed it very much, in all of its epic proportions. However, at the risk of sounding like a moralist, I don’t enjoy hearing Kanye’s hedonistic personal philosophy, that “pussy and religion is all I need,” as he professes in “Hell of a Life,” when I can enjoy the beauty a younger West created with “Hey Mama” from “Late Registration.”

I realize Kanye is objectively perfect, and that’s fine with me, but he’s also become a soulless pop mega-star. Poor guy. Rating: 10/10

— Matt Carney, professional writing senior

One of the best things about “Fantasy” is Kanye’s lack of fear in acknowledging his problems, and this is perhaps shown best by the song he rocked everyone’s world with at the VMAs — “Runaway.”

Yes, here’s a toast to the douchebags indeed, Mr. West. He may fit the douchebag role well, but that doesn’t take anything away from his artistic ability. It’s almost definitely the best hip-hop album of the year, and to call it great is almost an understatement. Rating: 9.8/10

— Ryan Querbach, journalism junior

Kanye has always been a different breed of rapper. His cockiness and penchant for Dolce & Gabbana are signature rap postures; what makes ‘Ye different is his lyricism and the fact that he is the smartest rapper in the game.

Kanye’s last two albums have been dark, reflecting the depressed funk that he seems to still be in since the death of his mother. His latest album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” doesn’t deviate from that trajectory.

The album is beautiful and fun to listen to, but it lacks the joy that the pre-“808s & Heartbreak” albums contained.

Let’s hope for Kanye’s and his fans’ sake that as he ages, life will bring happiness to the troubled rapper, and by default, happier raps to our iPods. Rating: 8.5/10

— Janna Gentry, English junior

One word for “Fantasy” is explosive; the style is different than anything Kanye has made. He continues to play with Auto-Tune and more instruments.

Who else could make an album with a mix of artists including Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Elton John, Justin Vernon and a monologue from Chris Rock? West not only mixes these eclectic artists, but he makes it work, without doubting himself for a second.

With this latest work, Kanye gets out of his comfort zone and enters into a new realm of music. Rating: 9.7/10

— Leesa Allmond, advertising sophomore