"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.

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".

[2] The intention was to release a free new song every Friday for a few months, and the weekly tracks generally featured various rappers from his label, GOOD Music, and other artists he usually collaborated with.

[3][4][5] West's announcement failed to surface however, and the song actually appeared on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and was released as the album's third single.

[3] Following some media controversies, West chose to record his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in a reclusive manner in Oahu, Hawaii.

[12] Vernon described the process as highly artistic, stating that the fourteen-hour day recording schedule allowed for a lot of fun and creativity.

"[5] Considered a horrorcore song,[13] "Monster" has been described as brooding, disturbing, creepy and the "weirdest A-list event-rap posse cut in recent memory.

[3] In a deep voice, Ross asserts the lines "bitch, I'm a monster, no good bloodsucker, fat motherfucker, now look who's in trouble," over the eerie production featured during the beginning.

[14][17][18] Following the introduction by Ross, West then provides the song's hook, singing "everybody know / I'm a motherfuckin' monster" in a heavily distorted manner.

[17] During his verse, Jay-Z references several different horror characters, including the Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, the Loch Ness Monster, goblins, ghouls and zombies.

[19] Pitchfork's Tom Breihan summarized the content of the song, writing: Rick Ross drops by to say hi, keeping his appearance so brief that I can't help but wonder what he's even doing here.

Justin Vernon inexplicably bookends the thing, pushing his falsetto into Antony range on the outro and muttering befuddling lyrics that have nothing to do with the rest of the song.

All this over the straight-up funkiest beat Kanye West has made in years, a rippling electro push-pull that adds an effortless strut to his recent progged-out chilliness.

[...] She's a whirlwind of energy, showing her full repertoire of nutso voices and kicking the living f*ck out of the beat, sounding like she's having an absolute blast the whole time."

[15][20] The beat of "Monster" has been described as a "hyperventilating death rattle" by The Washington Post's Chris Richards, commenting that the song was permeated with dark, urgent-sounding moans.

[18] Chris Ryan of MTV positively reviewed West, Jay-Z and Minaj as the stand out rappers in the song, stating "on car stereos, computers and in clubs all over, nothing got more burn than 'Monster,' his new beastly posse cut.

"[24] Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal reported that Minaj gave the verse of her life, and applauded the contributions by Ross, who added a "hallucinatory tone" to the song.

[25] Another Pitchfork writer, Tom Breihan mused that the track contained the "straight-up funkiest beat" West has made in years, while commenting that Minaj was the best in show.

"[26] Alex Denney of NME mused that the track "proves a riotous bit of respite" and features West "sending up his rep with a self-mocking diatribe about drowning his pain in a blizzard of blow jobs and mass adulation while Nicki Minaj sets the dials to 'ridiculous' with a fire-breathing, raga-inflected verse.

"[27] Embling of Tiny Mix Tapes felt that with "super-sized cipher cuts" like "Monster" and "So Appalled", West balanced out some of the darker moments of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and that the song contained heavy "shit-talking.

[30] Robert Christgau of MSN Music stated that West perfectly acknowledged his status as a rapper, and noted that his persona seems to be aware that his "bling-and-sex brag is about to get blown away by padrone Jay-Z's 'all I see is these niggaz I made millionaires/Millin about' and pink-haired Nicki Minaj's 'bitch from Sri Lanka-Willy Wonka-watch the queen conquer' trifecta.

"[36] Dan Vidal of URB stated that West milks the potential of his guest rappers to the most impressive degree, reporting that Jay-Z's generally relaxed performance was "with a fiery growl on" and that it "features Nicki Minaj going even more bonkers with her flow than we're accustomed to.

"[37] Sputnikmusic's Channing Freeman echoed the consensus about Minaj stating that her verse was the most memorable part of the song, though felt that Bon Iver's appearance didn't add up to much.

[48] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 53 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years", with the site's staff stating that while West had a good performance on the song, it was "star turns from Jay-Z (channeling his world-weary hip hop legend who just needed a cuddle) and Nicki Minaj (a show stealing turn from the heir apparent who was battling herself as much as the haters) that took this track over.

"[59] Elsewhere, GQ included it its list of 24 songs that shaped the decade, commenting "Minaj's roaring interrogation of her bubblegum alter-ego stole the show".

[72] On one occasion, West performed the track alongside Minaj on the tour, on August 2, 2011, at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, as a surprise guest.

Barbie reveals her real form; a naturally straight long banged neon pink-haired angel in a white bridal dress.

[84] Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone commented that the video was morbid, comparing it to "Thriller", though noted that "instead of dancing zombies, he gives us undead, barely dressed and occasionally dismembered models".

She dramatizes the jarring dynamic shifts in the clip by appearing as a fanged dominatrix torturing a far more innocent version of herself in a neon pink wig and frilly white dress.