These days, Kanye West is clearly not the hero that everyone wants to cheer on. After a slew of politically incorrect statements and actions over the past few years, West promptly retreated out of the spotlight when the public turned against him, instead redirecting his focus and reevaluating his career.

The result of this self-imposed isolation is an absolutely genius fifth album that even West’s strongest opponents cannot deny is exceptional. Yes, West knows and acknowledges that he is a “jerk-off,” but “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” proves that he’s a jerk-off that produces fantastic music.

“Fantasy” delivers exactly what its name insinuates – a haunting album that delves right into the heart of Kanye West’s thoughts. And at a time where much of the world is rooting against him, West wisely decided to produce a work that skips the superficial themes that many of his peers construct entire albums around. Instead, West is eager to push every boundary, spill every secret and tell listeners about every last part of his convoluted mind so they can finally get his side of the story.

In just over an hour, “Fantasy” includes tracks that touch on topics as diverse as racism (“Gorgeous”), women (“Hell of a Life”), uncertainty (“Lost In The World”) and his favorite subject: how good of an artist he is (just about every song). Never fear, West is still West – he actually goes as far as to call himself a “superhero [who needs] his theme music” – but part of his success in “Fantasy” comes with his determination to jump right into controversial issues that many artists wouldn’t come within 20 feet of.

For instance, one of the most powerful tracks is the closing one, “Who Will Survive in America,” which is not so much a song as it is a sermon about the two-sided nature of America. West calls the country inhospitable to the common man, urging, “Build a new route to China if they’ll have you/Who will survive in America?” West’s boldness to speak his mind – whether anyone agrees with it or not – is one of the many elements that make him stand out from the crowd.

Another of these elements is West’s appreciation of art, and this manifests itself in “Fantasy” as a synthesis of myriad musical genres. Although some of his past work, particularly his 2008 album “808s & Heartbreak,” dabbled in modern styles like synth, “Fantasy” takes a broad approach, flawlessly unifying dichotomous techniques such as choirs, ‘90s grooves, African drums and orchestra-driven beats. This synthesis also extends itself to featured artists, as well. For example, the fifth track, “All of the Lights,” somehow manages to successfully incorporate Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Kid Cudi and Fergie, while still delivering powerful lyrics.

And as far as lyrics are concerned, West is arguably the best in the industry. Forgoing the designer name-dropping that many hip-hop artists create meaningless songs out of, West is a master at telling stories within a four-minute period. For instance, the slow, piano-heavy track “Blame Game,” featuring John Legend, tells the tale of a failed relationship between an aloof star and a woman who couldn’t handle the spotlight. West laments, “We’ve become public enemies/We walk away like strangers in the street gone for eternity.”

With multiple strengths helping it along, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is an album that will have West rightfully anticipating that elusive “Album of the Year” Grammy Award that he so desperately wants. As far as listeners are concerned, there should only be one conclusion to logically come to: Buy this album. Seriously.