Kanye West

=== 2010–2012: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', ''Watch the Throne'', and ''Cruel Summer'' ===

{{Main|My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy|Watch the Throne|Cruel Summer (GOOD Music album)}}

Following the highly publicized incident, West took a brief break from music and threw himself into fashion, only to hole up in Hawaii for the next few months writing and recording his next album.<ref name="Bever" /> Importing his favorite producers and artists to work on and inspire his recording, West kept engineers behind the boards 24 hours a day and slept only in increments. Noah Callahan-Bever, a writer for ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'', was present during the sessions and described the "communal" atmosphere as thus: "With the right songs and the right album, he can overcome any and all controversy, and we are here to contribute, challenge, and inspire."<ref name="Bever">{{cite web|first=Noah|last=Callahan-Bever|date=November 2010|url=http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/kanye-west-project-runaway|title=Kanye West: Project Runaway|website=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|accessdate=November 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228123251/http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/kanye-west-project-runaway |archive-date=December 28, 2010 }}</ref> A variety of artists contributed to the project, including close friends Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and [[Pusha T]], as well as collaborations with artists including [[Justin Vernon]] of [[Bon Iver]] and [[Gil Scott Heron]].<ref>Hermes, Will (October 25, 2010). [https://web.archive.org/web/20101228174246/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/lost-in-the-world-20101025 Lost in the World by Kanye West feat. Bon Iver and Gil Scott-Heron | Rolling Stone Music]. ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved May 2, 2011.</ref>
[[File:Kanye West SWU Music & Arts Festival 2011 (crop).jpg|thumb|right|upright|West at the [[SWU Music & Arts]] Festival in Brazil in 2011]]

''[[My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy]]'', West's fifth studio album, was released in November 2010 to widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom considered it his best work and said it solidified his comeback.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Fastenberg|first=Dan|date=December 9, 2010|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2035319_2035313_2035394,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212233453/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2035319_2035313_2035394,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 12, 2010|title=Kanye's Beautiful, Dark Twittered Fantasy—The Top 10 Everything of 2010|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|location=New York|access-date=September 18, 2012}}</ref> In stark contrast to his previous effort, which featured a minimalist sound, ''Dark Fantasy'' adopts a maximalist philosophy and deals with themes of celebrity and excess.<ref name="Sheffield" /> The record included the international hit "[[All of the Lights]]", and ''Billboard'' hits "[[Power (Kanye West song)|Power]]", "[[Monster (Kanye West song)|Monster]]", and "[[Runaway (Kanye West song)|Runaway]]",<ref name="Hot100">[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kanye west|chart=all}} Kanye West Album & Song Chart History—Hot 100]. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. Retrieved November 30, 2010.</ref> the latter of which accompanied a [[Runaway (2010 film)|35-minute film of the same name]] directed by and starring West.<ref name="BillboardPremiere">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/954875/kanye-west-premieres-35-minute-long-runaway-video-in-london|title=Kanye West Premieres 35-Minute-Long 'Runaway' Video in London|date=October 7, 2010|first=Mariel|last=Concepcion|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]], Inc|access-date=January 16, 2018|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713200936/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/954875/kanye-west-premieres-35-minute-long-runaway-video-in-london|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, West initiated the free music program [[GOOD Fridays]] through his website, offering a free download of previously unreleased songs each Friday, a portion of which were included on the album. This promotion ran from August to December 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Reiff|first=Corbin|url=https://www.avclub.com/cataloging-g-o-o-d-fridays-kanye-west-s-beautiful-dar-1798286945|title=Cataloging G.O.O.D. Fridays: Kanye West's beautiful dark twisted promotional campaign|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=November 22, 2015|accessdate=December 28, 2022|archive-date=December 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228084021/https://www.avclub.com/cataloging-g-o-o-d-fridays-kanye-west-s-beautiful-dar-1798286945|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Dark Fantasy'' went on to go platinum in the United States,<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=KANYE+WEST&ti=MY+BEAUTIFUL+DARK+TWISTED+FANTASY|title=Searchable Database|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA)|at=Search: Kanye West|access-date=February 18, 2012|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819013927/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=KANYE+WEST&ti=MY+BEAUTIFUL+DARK+TWISTED+FANTASY|url-status=live}}</ref> but its omission as a contender for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] at the [[54th Grammy Awards]] was viewed as a "snub" by several media outlets.<ref>{{cite web|last=Abebe|first=Nitsuh|url=https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/12/grammy-nominations-breakdown.html|title=Explaining the Kanye Snub, and Other Thoughts on the Grammy Nominations|work=New York|date=December 1, 2011|access-date=January 31, 2012|archive-date=January 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122085427/http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/12/grammy-nominations-breakdown.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

2011 saw West embark on a festival tour to commemorate the release of ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' performing and headlining numerous festivals including; [[SWU Music & Arts]], [[Austin City Limits Music Festival]], [[Øyafestivalen|Oya Festival]], [[Flow Festival#2011|Flow Festival]], [[Live Music Festival#2011|Live Music Festival]],
[[The Big Chill (music festival)#Past line-ups|The Big Chill]], [[Essence Music Festival#2011|Essence Music Festival]], [[List of Lollapalooza lineups by year#2011|Lollapalooza]] and [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival|Coachella]] which was described by ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' as "one of greatest hip-hop sets of all time",<ref>{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Jeff|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/kanye-west-delivers-one-greatest-179408|title=Kanye West Delivers One of Greatest Hip-Hop Sets of All Time at Coachella|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=April 18, 2011|access-date=July 1, 2013|archive-date=February 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227030143/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kanye-west-delivers-one-greatest-179408|url-status=live}}</ref> West released the collaborative album ''[[Watch the Throne]]'' with Jay-Z in August 2011. By employing a sales strategy that released the album digitally weeks before its physical counterpart, ''Watch the Throne'' became one of the few major label albums in the [[Internet age]] to avoid a [[Music leak|leak]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gissen|first=Jesse|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/08/jay-z-kanye-west-miraculously-manage-to-keep-watch-the-throne-leak-free/|title=Jay-Z & Kanye West Miraculously Manage to Keep Watch the Throne Leak-Free|work=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]|publisher=Harris Publications|date=August 8, 2011|access-date=August 12, 2011|archive-date=August 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816204001/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/08/jay-z-kanye-west-miraculously-manage-to-keep-watch-the-throne-leak-free/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Perpetua|first=Matthew|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jay-z-and-kanye-west-avoid-watch-the-throne-leak-20110808|title=Jay-Z and Kanye West Avoid 'Watch the Throne' Leak|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=August 8, 2011|access-date=August 12, 2011|archive-date=September 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919061629/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jay-z-and-kanye-west-avoid-watch-the-throne-leak-20110808|url-status=dead}}</ref> "[[Niggas in Paris]]" became the record's highest-charting single, peaking at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="Hot100" /> The co-headlining [[Watch the Throne Tour]] kicked off in October 2011 and concluded in June 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Doherty|first1=Maggie|title=Jay-Z & Kanye West Tease 'Watch The Throne' Tour Set List: Watch|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/465433/jay-z-kanye-west-tease-watch-the-throne-tour-set-list-watch|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=January 16, 2018|date=October 28, 2011|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510051151/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/465433/jay-z-kanye-west-tease-watch-the-throne-tour-set-list-watch|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, West released the [[compilation album]] ''[[Cruel Summer (GOOD Music album)|Cruel Summer]]'', a collection of tracks by artists from West's record label GOOD Music.