Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne

Release date: August 8, 2011
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, Def Jam

Tracklist

  1. No Church in the Wild (feat. Frank Ocean)
  2. Lift Off (feat. Beyoncé)
  3. Niggas in Paris
  4. Otis (feat. Otis Redding) [MV]
  5. Gotta Have It
  6. New Day
  7. That’s My Bitch (feat. Elly Jackson)
  8. Welcome to the Jungle (feat. Swizz Beatz)
  9. Who Gon Stop Me
  10. Murder to Excellence
  11. Made in America (feat. Frank Ocean)
  12. Why I Love You (feat. Mr Hudson)

Jay-Z and Kanye West join forces and release Watch The Throne, a debut collaboration album from both rappers and including guest collaborations from Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, Elly Jackson (La Roux), Swizz Beatz and Mr. Hudson.

Considering that Watch The Throne mainly features two big names like Kanye and Jay-Z, you would think that great things can come out of a collaboration. But after giving the album a listen, I think that it’s pretty overhyped. Don’t get me wrong, the production value for Watch The Throne is really great, but most of the tracks aren’t really spectacular by any means, with a few exceptions.

The track including Beyoncé (Lift Off), while radio-friendly, made me feel embarrased for listening to it. However, Otis sounds really amazing thanks to both rappers killing it greatly while sampling “Try a Little Tenderness” from Otis Redding. To quote Kayne on Otis:

It sounds so soulful! Don’t you agree?

Watch The Throne is actualy a good album as a whole, but let’s be honest: both Jay-Z and Kanye West have done better before.

Best tracks: Otis and Gotta Have It.

Rating: ★★★¼☆ 

Preview it on Xiami.com | Like it? Buy it on Amazon.com or iTunes

Rodrigo

YAM Magazine contributor, has a B. Sc. degree in Science/Pharmacy and is a very lazy person.

8 Responses

  1. Julili says:

    Woah that was fast! Do you think that this is an album that will grow on you the more you liste to it?

    • Rodrigo says:

      @Julili, Some of the tracks might grow on me. But I’m actually looking forward to the video of Otis, which is being filmed at the moment – I love that song.

  2. JapanCinema says:

    I usually have nothing but great things to say about Y.A.M. but this was an awful review. You didnt tell us ANYTHING about the album, more of a general opinion of the album as a whole. How was the production from RZA, A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip also did the production, how does it compare to their earlier work? Are the bonus tracks any good? (there is indeed 4 bonus tracks).

    You can’t just say, this track…they killed it…this track…nope sucked. Thats not really a review….

    I’m a huge fan of YAM, and an even bigger fan of hip hop and I this is just constructive criticism. This album could be like angels singing from heaven with God whispering positive thoughts in your ear and it STILL wouldn’t live up to expectations. People set the bar higher than anyone could ever reach because they get spoiled by Ye and Jay all the time with how great they’ve been in the past. Honestly, anyone who criticizes this is just setting the bar at an unreachable place and or is just a typical hater. In my opinion, its a good 9/10 or 9.5/10 if you rate it on scale with all music, but people are underrating it because they had some magic bar that was absolutely ridiculous.

    • Rodrigo says:

      @JapanCinema, Thanks for your comment. I’m actually glad that you enjoyed the album, more power to you.

      First of all, I disagree with your score for Watch The Throne. Personally, I found the album to be overhyped, despite the massive praise it’s getting on many places. And for the bonus tracks you mention (you have to buy the deluxe edition version of the album to get those), we only review the album with the original tracks – if “Primetime” and “The Joy” had been part of the album instead of deluxe edition tracks, my score for the album would have been higher. You can’t go wrong with a track including Curtis Mayfield.

      So what is so special about the album? There are some nice messages on some tracks and a few cool songs, but most of the album to me was pretty much Jay-Z and Kanye West bragging about being rich and on top as well as some bullshit lines – not to forget some inconsistence through the entire album and being one-sided at times.

      A better hip-hop than WTT? Bad Meets Evil’s EP (Hell: The Sequel) is greater than WTT. And on a global music scale in 2011, WTT would never top Foo Fighters’ recent album (Wasting Light).

      In no way I hate them or put a insanely high bar… if there was a high bar placed, it was placed by both rappers.

      • JapanCinema says:

        @Rodrigo, This is what I am talking about. You say Foo Fighters album, or Bad Meets Evil is better. But Why? Why is it better. You’re a reviewer yet you don’t expand upon your reasons. Your reviews sound more like message board comments then an actual review.

        For instance here is a review excerpt for Watch The Throne:

        ‘Over a handful of piano chords and a haunting soundscape from the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Jay-Z and West hypothetically address their unborn sons. There is a poignant undertow, as they own up to missteps and disappointments. West gets off the album’s most darkly humorous lines, when he addresses his nationally televised remarks chastising President George W. Bush after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005: “I might even make him be Republican, so that everyone know that he love white people,” he says of his unborn child.’

        That pararaph alone tell me more then your whole review. I know the mood of the song, and the direction the song is going in. Without hearing the song I know the wordplay is addressing serious issues and they have something they want to say. I am not arguing whether Watch the Throne is a good album or not, I am saying if I came into this review cold, I wouldn’t know what this album was all about based on your ‘this is good, but this isn’t’ review. Thats just my 2 cents, i’ll leave this issue alone now.

  3. Dani says:

    I actually really liked this album, especially the songs Frank Ocean featured on. Though I think that he shines more in his own and OFWGKTA work

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