My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on November 22, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. It followed a period of public and legal controversy for West, who retreated to a self-imposed exile in Hawaii in 2009 and recorded at Honolulu's Avex Recording Studio in a communal environment involving numerous contributing musicians and producers. Additional recording sessions took place at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California, and at Electric Lady Studios and Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City.