Music News

Kanye West scores fifth consecutive No. 1 debut

By Patrick Luce Dec 1, 2010, 17:13 GMT

14-time Grammy-winner Kanye West made a triumphant return to NBC\'s Saturday Night Live in October, delivering breathtaking performances of his anthem "Power," and his newest single, "Runaway," from his highly anticipated new album MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY. MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY includes Nikki Minaj, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on the smash street single "Monster" and Pusha T on "Runaway" ...more

Kanye West has returned to the top with his fifth consecutive No. 1 debut for ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.’

The album moved more than 496,000 copies in its first Soundscan week to become Kanye’s fourth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and his 5th consecutive No. 1 on the R&B album chart.

The album has also scored big with music critics including positive write ups from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and Pitchfork.

In a press release, Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid stated: “Kanye has delivered another classic. Great music and great art always win. Kanye has showed us, once again, that he belongs amongst the greats, the giants in our industry and our culture. The way he has elevated his own creativity and the entire art form along with it is truly astounding.”

‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ is the long-awaited follow-up to ‘808’s & Heartbreak,’ which was released November 2008. 808’s was famously recorded in three weeks of minimalist sessions in Honolulu, Kanye’s first excursion to the island.

‘Late Registration’ and Kanye’s 2004 solo debut, ‘The College Dropout’ generated a total of five Grammy Awards, including consecutive wins for Best Rap Album of 2004 and 2005, as well as Best Rap Song (songwriters’ award) of 2004 (“Jesus Walks”) and 2005 (“Diamonds From Sierra Leone”), and Best Rap Solo Performance for 2005 (“Gold Digger”). 

‘Graduation’ went on to generate another three Grammys for Kanye, including Best Rap Song for 2007 (“Good Life”), and then in 2008, Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance (“Stronger”).

In addition to these, Kanye has shared multiple Grammy Awards with a number of artists over the years, including Alicia Keys (Best R&B Song for “You Don’t Know My Name,” 2005); fellow Chicago rapper Common (Best Rap Performance, Duo/Group for “Southside,” 2008); Estelle (Best Rap/Song Collaboration for “American Boy,” 2009); T.I., Jay-Z, & Lil Wayne (Best Rap Performance, Duo/Group for “Swagga Like Us,” 2009); and Jay-Z & Rihanna (Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Song Collaboration for “Run This Town,” 2010).