This is the perfect snapshot into the record. The albums opens with Nicki Minaj narrating ‘Cinderella,’ a poem by Roald Dahl, in an English accent, before the opulent production kicks in, followed by the beats and introduction of West’s voice. Throughout the 13 tracks, West covers themes of celebrity, excess, escapism, sex, romance, decadence and self-doubt. The result is widely regarded as West’s career-best work. There was a “no tweeting, no talking, no email” rule for those working on the record to avoid its leaking. West would bounce from room to room, working on various songs at a time a rhyme in one room a beat in the next, not sleeping one full night throughout the sessions, but rather taking 90-minute power naps in studio chairs and on couches. He completely booked out Avex Recording Studio and imported an A-List selection of guest musicians and producers.

It was there that West threw himself completely into the next record. Nevertheless, he took a hiatus from public life and retreated to Hawaii. This tarnished his public image majorly and he later cited extreme exhaustion as his reasoning.

One of the best videos of all time!” Remember that famous incident? Kanye’s public storming of the stage following Taylor Swift’s Best Female Video VMAs win for ‘You Belong To Me’ is one of the most infamous pop culture incidents of recent times. “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. The sixth and surely final entry by Kanye West, an artist that has had an incredible run in this list.

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