Anyone who knows me, knows how BIG a fan I am of Jay-Z & Kanye West. The idea of a joint album, however, came with mixed feelings. The reason I was concerned was because those that remember “Best of Both Worlds” know that project was supposed to be what this one has shaped up to be: two heavyweights going back and forth creating classic tunes. Despite the fact that both artists were in the respective primes, Jay and Kells didn’t see eye 2 eye and the project went downhill from there. It had also been estimated that the pair left over tens of millions on the table for abandoning the project. #ANYWAYDOE, “Watch The Throne” comes with big hype behind it, as the two hip-hop behemoths collide to create one of the magical moments hip-hop has in 2011. Neither needs an introduction, so here goes my review of the album:
Hits: “Primetime”, “Murder to Excellence”, “Who Gone Stop Me“, “Gotta Have It”, “N*****s in Paris”
Misses: “Lift Off”, Not much more to critique, lol.
One of the top albums of 2011, "WTT"
This album really raised the bar for the competition. It has been reported that Jay and ‘Ye recorded in Bath, England as well as in Paris. The highlight of the album, “Murder to Excellence” shows the versatility of the duo, who rap back and forth about a young kid named DJ Henry who was killed as a result of police brutality. How many MC‘s do you know who would feature a current event on their album that has nothing to do with cars, women or jewelry???? These guys do exactly that. On “Who Gone Stop Me”, they experiment with the electric Dub-step, which has been made popular in England as the new wave in music. Another standout on the LP, “Gotta Have It”, features both rappers dueling back and forth over a smooth Neptunes track that samples James Brown. Production wise, how many artists could get RZA (“New Day”) and Q-Tip(“That’s My B***h”) on the same album? Not many.
The power duo....
Most hip-hop albums these days feature a number of other artists, but this album only has features from Beyonce’, Frank Ocean (of Odd Future fame) and Mr. Hudson. I almost have a gripe with just about every album and this one is no exception. I wished the album featured more of the soul samples that are heard from past Roc-A-Fella days. I guess I need to just go back and listen to those records, lol. Despite it all, the two artists teamed up for what could be quite possibly one of the best records we have heard all year and that’s good enough for me.
Continue to check 4 my blog, I will feature a different album every week from now until…..
One Love,
JT
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