Monster (Kanye West song)

"Monster"
Single by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver
from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Released	October 23, 2010 (2010-10-23)
Recorded	2010
Genre	Hip hop horrorcore hardcore hip hop[1]
Length	6:18
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Kanye West Shawn Carter Mike Dean William Roberts II Onika Maraj Patrick Reynolds Justin Vernon
Producer(s)	Kanye West Mike Dean Plain Pat
Kanye West singles chronology
"Runaway" (2010) "Monster" (2010) "Start It Up" (2010)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Hot Tottie" (2010) "Monster" (2010) "H.A.M." (2011)
Rick Ross singles chronology
"All I Do Is Win" (2010) "Monster" (2010) "Swagger Right" (2010)
Bon Iver singles chronology
"Skinny Love" (2008) "Monster" (2010) "Fall Creek Boys Choir" (2011)
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Right Thru Me" (2010) "Monster" (2010) "I Ain't Thru" (2010)

"Monster" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the third single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features rappers Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj, along with indie folk group Bon Iver. All five credited acts have writing credits on the posse cut, with the production handled by West and Mike Dean. The instrumental is atmospheric and drum-heavy, and the lyrics reflect influences from horror films, creating an eerie composition which drew critical comparisons to the Michael Jackson track "Thriller".

Originally released through West's GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free music giveaway he started to promote My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, "Monster" was later confirmed to be featured on the album, and was released as a digital download on October 23. It was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics, with Minaj's verse receiving widespread acclaim, and West's production being well received. However, critics were mixed in their assessing of who had the better verse between West and Jay-Z. The song was listed amongst the best tracks of 2010 by publications, with NME placing it at number 53 on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". The song debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 18.

"Monster" was promoted with a music video directed by Jake Nava. The video featured atmospheric cinematography and extensive horror imagery, including zombies and decapitated corpses, as well as visual references to classic horror films. Critics described the content of the video as weird and disturbing, and it drew criticism for its portrayal of women. The controversy resulted in a ban from MTV.