Sunday 28 August 2011
JAY-Z & KANYE WEST WATCH THE THRONE
WATCH THE THRONE (Revised article)
A story of the victory of two kings over the old School and new school of rap, respectively
KEY INFO
§ Artist(s) The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West)
§ Album Title Watch The Throne
§ Metacritic Rating 74/100 (Generally Favorable Reviews)
§ Release Date 08 August 2011 (Digital)
§ Record Label(s) Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation,
Def Jam Recordings
§ Recording Period November 2010 – Mid 2011
§ Genre Urban Hip Hop
§ Number of Tracks 12 Standard (4 additional tracks on deluxe edition)
§ Executive Producers Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter
Kanye West
Kyambo Joshua
Gee Roberson
§ Associate Producers Lex Luger
Jeff Bhasker
Q-Tip
No I.D.
Swizz Beatz
Mike Dean
The Neptunes
88-Keys
And many more…
§ Recording Venue Avex Recording Studio
Mercer Hotel
MSR Studios
Tribeca Grand Hotel
La Meurice
Real World Studios
Barford Estate
And various other locations…
The long awaited collaborative album by Super Rap duo, The Throne (made up of rappers Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Kanye West), Watch The Throne, was officially released for digital download on 08 August 2011 aloof great anticipation leading up to its release.
Rumors of the album being under construction started surfacing as far back as late 2009 after West’s infamous “I’mma let you finish” stunt at the 2009 MTV VMAs, and took full flight after the latter released his 5th Solo LP My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to great acclaim and reception.
Actual recording of album material is said to have started sometime in November 2010 and wrapped around June 2011.
Recording took place in various studios around the world as work had to be facilitated around Carter’s and West’s busy work schedules.
The question on the minds of many will be whether or not this album is worth all the hype that’s been built around it.
Artistic Style & Musical Theme
Many critics feel that the sound of WTT is a lot like that of West’s most recent solo offering, MBDTF, and that WTT lacks its own identity and stature. For me, whether or not that’s true is not the point, the point is that the productive quality of this album is unparalleled and follows a trend that’s been growing in hip hop whereby the music package of rap is no longer just about laying funky metaphors on a rugged beat but is now about having a holistic and much more meticulous attitude towards the sound and musical ambience of an album.
When listening to WTT, one can immediately tell that a lot of work and expertise went into crafting the rhythms, beats, melodies and harmonies of this album. A lot of experimental instruments and styles were adapted into the mixture ant at listen, what you get is a roller coaster ride of aesthetic peaks and valleys which deeply suggest the intense emotions of West and Carter. If all the lyrics were to be taken out of the album and only the instrumentation were left, only then would the average Joe be able to appreciate the grand sound of WTT.
Hit-makers like Q-Tip, Jeff Bhasker, Lex Luger and Swizz Beatz among others prove why they’re so revered in their industry, and without them WTT would definitely not be even half as fierce and precise as it is from a production standpoint.
Somehow, when you add the lyrics, however, that’s when you start noticing cracks and frailties in The Throne’s craft as West and Carter ramble on and on about their wealth, fame, and power, and self-proclaimed supremacy over all their industry peers.
Lyrical Content
From a lyrical stand point, WTT will seem like a limited and redundant piece of music though when going through the same subject matter and reviewing it on a more metaphoric rather than literal level, I find that this album is perhaps not just meant to be another bragging session by the two moguls but it is also meant to inspire and fuel many young men, especially young men of color to overlook their current surroundings, believe in themselves and grind their way to the top as they did.
So in that sense there’s a subliminally inspiring and warm texture to the album’s overall lyrical content.
A number of songs touch on more serious subject such as overcoming racism (Murder to Excellence), parenthood (New Day), and their long road to success through many hardships (Made in America feat. Frank Ocean)
Most of the other songs are mainly about the sweet luxuries that come with wealth, power and fame.
Honestly though, the album's second track, Lift Off (feat. Beyonce) should just not have made the album as it offer very little, and adds no more than overkill and monotony to WTT.
6 Sick lines off WTT
· “I try to teach niggas how to be kings and all they ever wanted to be is soldiers” – Jay-Z
· “A lot of Niggas got money,
So basically Russel ain’t the only Russel.
Russel Brand,
Russel Crowe” – Kanye
· “Ya’ll think Michael Jordan bad?
Nigga I have 5 more rings than Michael Jordan had.” – Jay-Z
· “I play chicken with a Mack Truck,
Ya’ll ma’fuckers would have been moved,
I swam with great whites,
Ya’ll ma’fuckers would have been chewed,
I hustle with vultures late nights,
Ya’ll ma’fuckers would have been food” – Jay-Z
· “I’ve never understood planned parenthood,
Cause I never met nobody who planned to be a parent in the hood.
Taking refills of that plan B pill
Another shorty that won’t make into the family will.
If I can’t make it,
Can’t take it, hope the family will.” – Kanye
· “So Next time you see me on your fallopian,
Know the jewellery’s Egyptian,
And the hunger’s Ethiopian” - Kanye
5 Most impressive songs off WTT
· Made in America (feat. Frank Ocean)
· Why I love you (feat. Mr Hudson)
· Murder To Excellence
· New Day
· Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)
Otis (feat. Otis Redding)Single Cover
2 Least Impressive songs off WTT
· Lift Off (feat. Beyonce)
· The Joy (feat. Curtis Mayfield)
Verdict
All in all Watch The Throne is an album that promises everything, and though it only delivers most of what it promised. It’s in no way the best rap record you’ll ever hear but it’s still a respectable piece of work nonetheless. And it’s inevitable that WTT will be one of those albums that will have as many fans as detractors.
There are songs where Jay’s lyrical prowess threatens to cancel out Kanye’s and times when the album just seems disproportionate and too over the top both lyrically and aestheticalyy but somehow at the end one is made to feel that “the ride was worth it”.
Rating
Track Succession 7/10
Subject Matter 6/10
Lyrical Content 7/10
Lyrical Delivery 7/10
Cohesion 7/10
Production 8/10
Interest 7/10
Featured artists 8/10
Album Art 7/10
Long-term relevance 6/10
Overall Score 7/10
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