Τετάρτη 9 Νοεμβρίου 2011
Jay-Z and Kanye have just made more history
together, and hip-hop will never be the same again. From the projects to
the penthouse, rap has a new home. Get your weight up—not your hate up.
There has never been an album like this. No. Truly. You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far.
Watch The Throne was created by two of our culture’s biggest
stars— truly united in one vision to raise the bar. Set the standards.
Lead hip-hop to uncharted territory. They were in the studio working
together in every moment—from Peter Gabriel’s recording facility in
Bath, England, to New York’s Mercer Hotel—and Jay-Z and Kanye have
delivered an amazing album that celebrates success, excess…and progress.
It’s unfair to dismiss this collection of introspective, celebratory,
angry, intelligent tunes as an out-of-touch collection of big-money
talk at odds with America’s current troubled economic condition. Like
Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith, Shawn Carter and Kanye West are black folk
who have overcome hardship, accomplished great things and grinded to
the top. Why can’t they rap about it? Honest hip-hop. Can they live?
Here’s a news flash: At least one of your favorite rappers is a
multimillionaire. He’s got plenty of money, even if he doesn’t feel
comfortable talkin’ about it. Hip-hop came from poor New York City kids
who wanted to succeed, have nice things. Hip-hop wanted to change that
world, and guess what? It did. For many. Reap the benefits with closed
mouths? Nah, that ain’t our style.
No one recognized us, but we are the best. We say what we feel. We
grab the mic and our dicks and tell you about it. Bragging and boasting.
In our rhymes, we always wanted to get rich—come up. Get large.
Aspiration. Ambition. From The Sugarhill Gang’s “I got a color TV so I
can see the Knicks play basketball” to the Notorious One’s “Birthdays
was the worst days/ Now we sip Champagne when we thirst-ay.” Dream big.
Roll the dice.
Life after Biggie and Pac proved it was possible. The Master Ps and
the Puffys have always had more impact on the culture than the poor
righteous teachers. The point is: A conversation must be had. We’re in
this together—rich, poor or the disappearing middle class. I’m 40 and
can connect to the artistry found on Watch The Throne. I admire the
courage that Jay and Kanye demonstrate on this album. They spit about
deep shit: money, paranoia, women, love, death, family, failed
friendships, failed relationships, politics, crime, blackness. The
future will prove me right—this is the most important album in hip-hop
history.
Two of our biggest winners have overcome their big brother/lil
brother trust issues. Their gift to us? The sharing of truths. To make
our heads bob one minute and think the next. Ignite imagination.
Inspiration. Holy intellect. This record is a reminder that there’s no
ending to the power of hip-hop. Our culture. Our drive. Our reward.
We’re on a mission.
Let’s explore.
“No Church in the Wild”
Main Producer: 88 Keys
Track Murderer : Jay > ’Ye. ’Ye > Jay. Draw.
Main Producer: 88 Keys
Track Murderer : Jay > ’Ye. ’Ye > Jay. Draw.
Watch The Throne commences with a courageous curveball. The opening
track is surprisingly dark, produced by Polo-gear-obsessed producer 88
Keys and led by the soulful punch of Odd Future’s Frank Ocean on the
chorus. “What’s a God to a non-believer?” he asks, which anchors one of
WTT’s most consistent themes: mortality. Jay-Z paints vivid
introspective pictures, Yeezy rhymes about crazy bitches. There’s a
captive congregation, and Mr. Carter is ready to address them: “Jesus
was a carpenter/ Yeezy laid beats/ Hova flow the Holy Ghost/ Get the
hell up out your seats.” To hell with the song’s bizarre bridge lead by
The-Dream, because it comes off as clumsy as his part on Jay
Electronica’s 2010 “Shiny Suit Theory.” Hey, didn’t Jay kill Autotune
already? Anyway, Mr. West sounds agitated. A boisterous bachelor livin’
the rock star life—but it weighs on him. “Sunglasses and Advil/ Last
night was mad real.” Fresh off a crazy night at the club, ’Ye nails the
best punchline, noting that the lady in leopard was “rubbin’ the wood
like Kiki Shepard.” It’s showtime!
“Lift Off”
Main Producer: Kanye
Track Murderer : ’Ye. (Jay doesn’t really rhyme here, though.)
Main Producer: Kanye
Track Murderer : ’Ye. (Jay doesn’t really rhyme here, though.)
This seems more like an album opener. Beyoncé belts, “We gon take it
to the moon/ Take it to the stars/ How many people you know can take it
this far?” in over-the-top Vegas cabaret glory. If you saw that
documentary that prematurely leaked, you know Kanye was pretty geeked
about this tune also. He’s so gassed, he forgot to write rhymes. He
rumbles and stumbles through his verses—reminiscent of the times in
concert when he ad-libs melodies in between his antimedia tirades.
Delightful. Jay pops up briefly, basically to let us know that he knows
other rappers are gonna be “pissed off” when this album drops. The space
shuttle clips make this clunker suck even more. The cool lil tribal
bridge is too little too late. Although not as horrendous as Kingdom
Come’s “Hollywood,” “Lift Off” never leaves the gate.
“Niggas in Paris”
Main Producer: Hit-Boy
Track Murderer : ’Ye.
Main Producer: Hit-Boy
Track Murderer : ’Ye.
He gets his Quincy Jones on—Kanye executive produces the fuck out of
other dude’s beats. I don’t know if he touched up young producer
Hit-Boy’s track, but this is the LP’s best production. An unabashed club
banger 2.0, it will have you standing on a couch with a drink in your
hand in no time. Jay speaks of his Nets ownership and the time he was
fined $50K for visiting the Kentucky Wildcats’ locker room during the
2011 NCAA Tournament (owners aren’t permitted to associate with
collegiate players). But this is an ode to a different type of ballin’.
Word to Jim Jones. Fun and frolicking in France, ’Ye is in party mode
again: “Prince William ain’t do it right/ If you ask me/ ’Cause if I was
him, I would have married Kate and Ashley.” Later ’Ye declares, “Don’t
let me get in my zone,” over the song’s electro-crunch-filled finish.
Makes you feel like you’re already watching the two at a concert
performance. Powerful stuff.
“Otis”
Main Producer: Kanye
Track Murderer : ’Ye. Close, though.
Main Producer: Kanye
Track Murderer : ’Ye. Close, though.
This is more of what people would expect of a Jay-Z/Kanye album.
Donda’s baby boy behind the boards, choppin’ up soul samples the way No
ID taught him. This is The Blueprint 10 years later—but this time, ’Ye
gets to rhyme. Hov stays classy and “photo shoot” fresh, while Kanye is
happy to keep it crass and get in the competition’s ass. YMCMB? Do you
know who we be? “Niggas talking real reckless/ Stuntmen/ I adopted these
niggas/ Phillip Drummon’d them/ Now I’m about to make them tuck their
whole summer in.” This is a back-and-forth, pass-the-mic, tag-team,
vintage Roc-a-Fella Records session shared with the world. The fact that
this song with no hook was presented as the project’s first single
speaks to this dynamic duo’s desire not to abandon our culture’s
foundation.
“Gotta Have It”
Main Producer: Neptunes
Track Murderer : Jay.
Main Producer: Neptunes
Track Murderer : Jay.
The first song of the second quarter of WTT fittingly follows
“Otis”—it finds Shawn and Kanye still sharing the ball like LeBron and
D. Wade (who they namedrop over playful Neptunes-produced bounce). This
is one of three tunes (“No Church in the Wild” and “Otis”) that feature
vocal samples from James Brown’s nifty funk of 1974’s “Don’t Tell a Lie
About Me and I Won’t Tell The Truth on You” to spice up the mix. It’s
needed ’cause the song is really about nothing. But the rhymes here are
nonsensical and clever. ’Ye: “Sorry I’m in pajamas/ But I just got off
the PJ” (private jet). And Jay shows he keeps up with current affairs in
his reference to “plankin’ on a million.” Cash rules!
“New Day”
Main Producer: RZA
Track Murderer : Draw.
Main Producer: RZA
Track Murderer : Draw.
Playtime is over. Jay and ’Ye take a page out of Tupac’s book and pen
verses to their unborn children. Mr. West warns the young lad not to
follow in his steps and draws from his public scandals: the 2005 Katrina
telethon and the Taylor Swift clash at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
He draws from his relationships: dumping his college girlfriend and
getting into a relationship with a former stripper. The most moving part
is Kanye’s reference to his deceased mother: “I’ll never let his mom
move to L.A. knowing she couldn’t take the pressure, now we all pray.”
Strong and sentimental stuff, but Shawn follows strongly. “Sorry,
junior, I already ruined ya,” he snaps, detailing how he’d be the strong
father figure he never had. “Look a man dead in his eyes so he know you
talk truth when you speak it/ Give your word, keep it.” The almost
G-Funk groove produced here by the Wu-Tang leader is infectious, as is
the refrain by each MC, enough to make any rap nerd crack a Kool-Aid
smile: “Me and the RZA connect.” Bong!
“That’s My Bitch”
Main Producer: Q-Tip
Track Murderer : Kanye.
Main Producer: Q-Tip
Track Murderer : Kanye.
Return to the celebration. It ain’t safe in the city, because Mr.
West is on the hunt for late-night lovelies over a romping Q-Tip track
that incorporates classic hip-hop breakbeats, like the Incredible Bongo
Band’s “Apache.” “Too $hort called, told me I fell in love with her,” he
jokes and drops the killer line: “My dick worth money/ I put Monie in
the middle.” If you really wanna party with ’Ye. Hov tackles the topic a
different way, wondering why he sees so few beautiful, iconic images of
women of color: “Put some colored girls in the MOMA/ Half these broads
ain’t got nothing on Willona?/ Don’t make me bring Thelma in it.” Man,
good times. And before the song closes, the elephant in the room gets
addressed “Now, shoo children, stop lookin’ at her tits/ Get your own
dog, ya heard/ That’s my bitch.” What up, B!
“Welcome to the Jungle”
Producer: Swizz Beatz
Track Murderer : Jay. (‘Ye doesn’t really rhyme here, though.)
Producer: Swizz Beatz
Track Murderer : Jay. (‘Ye doesn’t really rhyme here, though.)
In a parade of production stars, Kaseem Dean shines. He’s solely
credited here and delivers the hooks—and the ad libs (right…oh!). From
1998’s “Money Cash Hoes” to 2009’s “On to the Next One,” Swizz has shown
his ability to get the best out of Shawn. The opposite of “Lift Off,”
’Ye takes a backseat and lets Hov shine. Jay lyrically blacks out over
the tinkering thump: eulogizing the losses of his uncle, his father, his
nephew and Michael Jackson (“Rest in peace to the leader of the Jackson
5”). Yup, Gloria’s warrior is having a bad day. “Mama, look at ya son/
What happened to my smile?” It’s a great vocal performance.
Unfortunately, after Shawn pours out his soul, things abruptly end. No
Kanye verse. Swizz’s final refrain, “Goddamnit,” is pretty fitting.
“Who Gon Stop Me”
Main Producer: Sak Pase
Track Murderer : Jay.
Main Producer: Sak Pase
Track Murderer : Jay.
The most ambitious track on the album finds the Throne rhyming over
dubstep. This is some Speed Racer rap shit, and you almost wish SC would
flash back to his double-time rhymin’ roots with Jaz- O. His new rhyme
partner, ’Ye, is still gettin’ freaky like Marv Albert, but once again
Hov flourishes. Jay gets so locked in the pocket, he instructs engineer
Noah Goldstein to put some more beat on it as he declares a “middle
finger to my old life.” The Kanye-led chorus is also sure to shake
things up: “This is something like the Holocaust/ Millions of our people
lost.” Referring to the internal conflict in the African-American
community, Jay keeps a black strap with an I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude.
But the sentiment here harkens back to “Niggas in Paris”: Ball ’til you
fall. Ride ’til the wheels fall off.
“Murder to Excellence”
Main Producers: Swizz/S1
Track Murderer : Jay.
Main Producers: Swizz/S1
Track Murderer : Jay.
Currency doesn’t replace consciousness. These two rap superstars
can’t save the world, but they are concerned with the ills of it.
Black-on-black crime is addressed in the first half of this two-part
song. On “Murder,” Jay acknowledges the senseless slaying of student and
star athlete Danroy Henry, and West reminds us his hometown is the
U.S.A.’s murder capital and compares the deaths in his city to the
number of soldiers lost in Iraq. Hov informs us his birthday is the day
Fred Hampton was murdered in a 1969 Chicago police raid. Hov’s message
remains: The success of Shawn Carter should be an inspiration to his
people. The “Excellence” portion is about pride and achievement. Hov
namedrops fellow elites Will Smith and Oprah and observes, “That ain’t
enough, we gonna need a million more.” Kanye drives the point further
that he and Jay are rich, blessed but stressed just like everyone else.
“Made in America”
Main Producer: Sak Pase
Track Murderer: Kanye.
Main Producer: Sak Pase
Track Murderer: Kanye.
It gets blacker as Frank Ocean returns with an earnest chorus that
name-checks MLKJR, Malcolm X—and God. Seriously, this song could play at
the NAACP Image Awards. This is hip-hop a black kid could play his
grandfather. Kanye speaks of his mother again, and how she was so
instrumental in his career and his fellow Throne partner’s: “Niggas
hustle every day for a beat from ’Ye/ What I do? Turn around and give
them beats to Jay/ And I’m rappin’ on the beats they were supposed to
buy/ I guess I’m gettin’ high off my own supply.” SC returns to BK and
his grandma’s banana pudding. But he still can’t knock the hustle. “I
pledge allegiance to the scramblers/ This is the Star-Spangled Banner.” A
tad sappy but still spine-tingling, this track connects another one of
the album’s central themes: black excellence.
“Why I Love You”
Main Producer: Mike Dean
Track Murderer: Jay.
Main Producer: Mike Dean
Track Murderer: Jay.
Jay and Kanye are the last two standing triumphantly from the
Roc-a-Fella Records era, so you knew that legacy, old partners and
friends had to be addressed. You don’t know the pain Hov feels: “I tried
to teach niggas how to be kings/ And all they ever wanted to be was
soldiers.” Is he talkin’ about outspoken former artists like Beanie
Sigel or his former partner, Dame Dash? It’s probably both. “Fuck you,
squares/ The circle got smaller/ The castle got bigger/ The walls got
taller.” Ouch! “Wasn’t I a good king?” Jay asks rhetorically as Kanye
serves as his hype man, cosigning their allegiance all the way through
to the awkwardly brilliant last verse. Who woulda thought? The kid with
the pink Polo was the heir to the throne.
“Illest Motherfucker Alive”
Main Producer: Southside
Track Murderer: Jay.
Main Producer: Southside
Track Murderer: Jay.
There’s a painful three-minute-long silence break before this song
begins on WTT’s deluxe edition. Guess the Throne wanted the sentiment of
“Why I Love You” to really sink in. The broke and bitter aren’t gonna
like this one. Kanye got staples on his dick ’cause he’s fuckin’
centerfolds and wearing $1,000 Lanvin Ts with no logos. King Hov
compares his 11 number-one albums to Bill Russell’s 11 NBA Championship
rings. And no, Jay didn’t say that he, ’Ye, Beyoncé and Rihanna are the
new Beatles, did he? Ha! With an audacious classical backdrop, the
Throne don’t let up on detailing their glamorous life. Every day is like
a video shoot.
“H.A.M.”
Main Producer: Lex Luger
Track Murderer: Jay-Z.
Main Producer: Lex Luger
Track Murderer: Jay-Z.
It’s the return of WTT’s first offering. The critically panned Lex
Luger concoction was the album’s non-starter—it dropped back in January.
Why did it not exactly light up the rap stratosphere? Kanye’s unsure
and clumsy verse provides some answer. He’s snarling with all swag and
no substance. Hov’s contribution has way more bite. He snaps, “Fuck
y’all mad at me for?” and proceeds to put his Timbo up his peers’ asses:
“You got baby money/ Keep it real with niggas/ Niggas ain’t got my
lady’s money.” Royal family rap. Mike Dean’s churchlike symphony at the
song’s bridge almost makes the tune something special—but almost doesn’t
count.
“Primetime”
Main Producer: No ID
Track Murderer : Draw.
Main Producer: No ID
Track Murderer : Draw.
It was a big mistake omitting, in the final hours, this song from the
non-deluxe album’s main track list. This is the sensational sleeper of
the disc, as Hov flourishes on his opening verse, which revolves around
numbers. The “40-year-old phenom” effortlessly glides and guides you
through his journey: “Started in ’88/ Got warm in ’92/ I landed in ’96,
that’s the year I came through.” He also promises that at “42 he’ll be
better than 24.” Get SC’s b-day card ready for December 4. Ha! ’Ye holds
his own and is still lady-chasin’ starlets. Why must an angel be his
centerfold? “Well, Adam gave up a rib, so mine better be prime,” he
reasons. Plus, he provides some philosophy: “I never live in fear/ I’m
too out of my mind.” Who was crazy enough not to recognize this gem?
Sorry, Dion.
“The Joy”
Main Producer : Pete Rock
Track Murderer : Kanye
Main Producer : Pete Rock
Track Murderer : Kanye
A vibrant leftover from Kanye’s Good Music Friday releases, this is
the Throne once again showcasing a legendary producer. Pete Rock leads
this (Curtis Mayfield–sampled) soul ride as the album’s emotive ride
comes to a close. Kanye is the star of this show as he dissects
fatherhood (“Don C just had a shorty, so it’s not that bad/ But I still
hear the ghosts of the kids I never had”) and his career comeback from
Swift-Gate (“You know the demo/ Your boy act wild/ You ain’t get the
memo/ Yeezy’s back in style”). With ’Ye havin’ two verses, Hov’s
appearance comes off as a feature. But his endorsement is monumental as
he proclaims, “Pete Rock make the needle drop,” and delves into his
childhood—and sippin’ his pop’s Miller nips. Pause. Kid Cudi’s refrain
at the end is prophetic: “Don’t let them take your fire.”
OUTRO
I’m anxious to see where The Throne’s musical marriage goes next. WTT
is the close of a trilogy of a true creative partnership. Kanye used to
make beats for Jay in the early 2000s. Now they truly compose music
together. Lest we forget, Kanye shaped the direction of Jay’s 2009
Blueprint 3, and Hov’s presence was abundant with great guest turns on
Kanye’s 2010 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. All three discs are the
sound of the expansion of hip-hop. Follow the leaders. An A-level rapper
and producer, Kanye has always been clear about his goal to be a
cultural icon. Jay-Z, the GOAT MC, has grown into that. They’re not
businessmen. They’re businesses, man. Walking, breathing, global brands.
Ask Steve Stoute. It’s no shock that their sound has changed. If you
want their old shit, buy their old albums. From BK to Brixton, from
Chicago to Copenhagen, they want to move the masses. WTT’s production
stretches hip-hop’s boom-bap aesthetic and embraces electronic dance
music in an organic way without losing its—our—edge.
Longevity. Legacy. Stadium status. How many five-star albums can Mr.
West make? Hov beat Elvis, but can he really knock out eight more
number-one albums and beat The Beatles? If you still don’t enjoy the
album, are you really not gonna go to a show on the tour? Ha! This is an
important moment in hip-hop. It’s okay to savor it. Get inspired!
Kanye West Feat Jay Z - Otis (OFFICAL VIDEO)
Producer by : Kanye West
Directed by : Spike Jonze
Artwork : Riccardo Tisci
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