No samples were harmed during the making of this beat.
It is now Tuesday August 9, 2011, and Watch the Throne has officially and exclusively been released through iTunes for over 24 hours now. I was anxiously waiting this release. Fortunately for me I live in Los Angeles, so I actually received the album a few hours early. This was just enough time for me to play on repeat enough times and brag to my friends about how amazing it all is. Jay-Z and Kanye West traveled all over the world to record and create this album. From NY to Australia, Paris, Hawaii, and back to LA, I believe these different locations helped to relieve the pressure of album release and inspire new ideas. The album has a fresh upcoming sound that will be criticized and heavily scrutinized, but what masterpiece wasn’t.
And now I bring to you my track-by-track interpretation of Kanye West & Jay-Z’s “Watch The Throne (Deluxe Edition)”
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No Church In the Wild FT. Frank Ocean
A snare drum is borrowed from the recording of “Sunshine Help Me” by Spooky Tooth. The electronic sounds of a warped guitar riff open up on top of the drums to start the album. First lyrics to appear go a little something like this, “Human being to the mob, what’s a mob to a king, what’s a king to a god, what’s a god to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything”. Odd Futures Frank Ocean delivers powerful word play that can be felt almost immediately. As the song progresses, Jay-Z paints a picture you must hear to understand. “Tears on the mausoleum floor/Blood stains the coliseum doors, lies on the lips of a priest/Thanksgiving disguised as a feast.” Kanye West finally blesses the track with pure poetry. Towards the end of the song there are signature Kanye samples including the bird sounds from ‘808’s & Heartbreaks album, as well as spoken word samples which ‘Ye is known to include in his more recent work. Although it sounds like a Kanye production, he was only a co-producer on this epic intro. 88-Keys, a close friend of Kanye and at one time label mate, serves as the lead producer. Credited as a writer and additional vocalist, is radiokilla himself, The-Dream. Another interesting feature to this record, that is also included throughout the album on specific tracks, is the awkward and inappropriate interludes of an old theme song. I will elaborate and offer a theory later on in the article. This would be another indication of “illuminati”, a power organization that is rumored to include Kanye West & Jay-Z among other high profile celebrities.
Lift Off FT. Beyoncé
The track starts off with a string quartet creating a sound that could serve as an epic ending score to a victorious warrior movie. Samples of ‘NASA countdowns’ are tagged all throughout. Beyoncé gives her two cents to the track on a ghost-written hook, provided by Bruno Mars, who was supposed to be featured as well. At least they gave him writer credit. It looks like a lot of ghost-production was involved not just on this song, but throughout the whole album. Not only did Pharrell Williams & Q-Tip Co-produce this track along with Don Jazzy, but the song was programmed by none other than Party Rock duo, LMFAO.I can only imagine this studio session was filled with looks of champagne popping and good interesting conversations. This is a great cut for the radio, but it feels out of place in the big picture.
Ni**as In Paris
This is one of my favorite records so far. Simply because the beat pumps me up when I wake up in the morning or before I go to work. Another aspect I love about the song is the fact that the intro is a sample from “Blades of Glory”. Will Ferrell is the man. Towards the end of Jay’s verse, he hints to moving the Nets to Brooklyn, “I’m movin’ the Nets to BK.” His lyrics have always been truthful, but rapped in such a subliminal way, I don’t have reason to believe he would lie about this. Next up Kanye comes through dripping swagu all over the verse. “She said Ye can we get married at the mall? / I said look you need to crawl for you ball / Come and meet me in the bathroom stall / And show me why you deserve to have it all / That sh*t crazy”. Dark yelling voices in the background are samples from Reverend W.A. Donaldson recording “Baptizing Scene”. Side note; Listening to this recording at night in the dark is not a good idea.
Otis FT. Otis Redding
I don’t have much to say about this song. I feel it shouldn’t have been included on the album. It is a good song to market before the album release and put on radio to hype album, otherwise it sounds like a lost track from his American Gangster LP. I say this because they released this track and everyone might have expected the album to sound a certain way. The album is released, and hearing it in its entirety, “Otis” just doesn’t fit the album. To give credit the sample that was used, “Try a little Tenderness” is a timeless classic that sounds like “The American Summer Anthem”. Due to recent releases, Official music video, I have different feeling about this record. The visuals were so epic and inspiring, that I have to admit this was a great choice to kick off the album. Synopsis is basically Kanye and Jay getting ready to chop up a Maybach, cut to doing donuts in a remote location with 5 models in the back seat, cut to comedian Aziz Anzari making random cameos.
Gotta Have It
This next song starts off with a catchy collage of James Brown elements, from the classic “My Thang”. Samples of his voice and music can be found on almost every record. Kanye then does the cliché; turn my headphones up, phrase. Then jumps right into powerful lyrics claiming that white America killed his image, “Hello, Hello, Hello, white America, assassinate my character.” Jay jokes with the internet sensation of ‘planking’ in his verse. “I’m planking on a million.” This record is produced by The Neptune’s and is Co-produced by Kanye West. Going almost completely unnoticed on the track, giving his signature background vocals is none other than Kid Cudi. Another eerie an awkward sound clip concludes this track.
New Day
“Me and the RZA connect”, are the opening lines. Co-production is credited to Wu-Tang clan leader, RZA, who popped up on several tracks this year while Kanye was promoting his G.O.O.D Friday’s campaign. This record takes us through conversations with the rappers unborn son’s. “And I’ll never let my son have an ego, he’ll be nice to everyone wherever we go.” Kanye explains how he would never want his son to be a part of telethons, subliminally indicating his actions and consequences from the Hurricane Katrina Telethon. “And I’ll never let ‘em ever hit the telethon / I mean even if people dyin' and the world ends.” An emotional sample from Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”, sets the mood well on chorus. The crazy thing about this song is they put the original sample through an autotune, which brings so much raw emotion to the track. Next on Jay-Z’s verse, it seems like he hints to his wife, Beyonce Knowles being pregnant, rapping, “Sorry junior, I already ruined ya / Cause you ain’t even alive, paparazzi pursuin’ ya.” Just a theory, don’t hold me to it. This song definitely brings power and inspiration to your ears.
That’s My Bitch
This next Q-Tip-produced track served as a promotional leak back in November and is now included on the official album. Bon Iver’s, Justin Vernon brings exactly what the funk this track needs while La Roux’s front-girl, Ely Jackson equips the hook that keeps the party going all the way through until the end. Kanye West is not only a rapper among other things, but a true artist. With every project he progresses his style and intellect. I tie that into this song because his verse shows true growth. He takes is 2011 aggressive swag out on this track, but manages to incorporate an 80’s slick rick style story telling experience. Don’t sleep on Jay-Z’s verse as he opens up about ‘hypothetically’, Beyonce. I came to this conclusion because the title of the song is about the women in their lives and im sure that is the only woman in his life. “Go harder than a ni**a for a ni**a, go figure / Told me keep my own money if we ever did split up”. Yeah you read it right; he calls her that suggestive word that nobody is supposed to use. It gets better. “How could someone so gangsta be so pretty in pictures / Ripped jeans and a blazer and some Louboutin slippers / Picasso was alive he woulda made her / That’s right ni**a, Mona Lisa can’t fade her”. It is as if he is taunting America. Jay-Z’s lyrics have always been quite intelligent if you read them on paper. He then goes into a little black history and finally concludes his flow with more love to “B”. This song is a personal favorite. A friend of mine had recently showed me classic Incredible Bongo Band break entitled, “Apache”. This song proves that break-beats can prevail.
Welcome To The Jungle
It had to happen. We knew Swizz Beatz would be a part of this album from the early on when the album was still a blueprint, no pun intended. He brought the hype, head-nodding jam that was expected from this super-producer. Swizz was also featured on numerous tracks during the G.O.O.D Friday’s promotions, including the Remix to “Power” and the smash hit “Start It Up”. The rapid organ riff pumps up the double-time drumbeat from behind the curtains. Throughout the song rappers acknowledge how their fame can be misconstrued. Not only is life possibly harder than the average American struggling in today’s society, but Jay-Z even talks about being depressed. “I look in the mirror / My only opponent / Where the f**k is the press? / Where the f**k is the Pres? / Either they know or don’t care / I’m f**king depressed/”. Despite all the hype and the swag these two portray, they work hard on this song to bring us a sense of empathy. At times you can find them even sounding indistinctly humble. I respect artists who can put their egos aside for a moment to reflect on their life struggles.
Who Gonna Stop Me
Club music, dubstep in particularly, has taken over 2011 and this ‘Flux Pavilion’ sample of “I Can’t Stop” creates a whole new acceptable subgenre of DubRap. The original song was remixed by a group called “Chiddy Bang” which sufficed for the time being, but the redirection of the song brings a fresh sound to this record. Produced by Shama “Sak Pase” Joeseph, one half of the production duo Jugganauts, who got the world’s attention with the island-fresh Rihanna radio hit, Man Down. Kanye gets creative in his first verse, cursing in Pig Latin. “Ni**as talkin, they b**ch made / Ix-nay off my d**ks-nay / That’s pig latin, itch-bay”. Later in the song he pokes fun at critics calling him racist. “Heard Yeezy was racist / Well, I guess that’s on one basis / I only like green faces”. Jay-Z by far shines out of the two on this beat, with his clever wordplay and boss-swag attitude. An elite list of guest vocals appears on this track from Mr. Hudson, Swizz Beatz and one half of Jugganauts, Verse Simmonds, which are quietly placed in the songs background.
Murder To Excellence
Complexity best describes this record. The song is actually broken into two parts. The first part entitled, “Murder”, which happens to be produced by Swizz Beatz, explains black-on-black crime and the scarcity of people of color in the world today. The chilling sample of children harmonizing was derived from a song produced by Quincy Jones off of “The Color Purple” soundtrack. Kanye recites the hook from the classic Jay record Lucifer, which was produced by Kanye West. Could this be a subliminal message? Halfway into the song its smoothly transitions into the second part of the story, entitled Excellence. This part was produced by a producer on Kanye’s label, S1, who also produced Power, which served as 2011’s Theme song. It contains samples from “La La La,” written and performed by Mihaela and Gabriela Modorcea aka Indiggo Twins, ambassadors of the great Romanian tradition. Although I am still unsure of how the sample was used because I have not been able to locate the original recording yet. The story continues with an all black everything ode. “It’s a celebration of Black excellence / Black tie, Black maybachs / Black excellence, opulence, decadence / Tuxes next to the president, I’m present”. In a suggestive verse Jay points out that the higher up he gets, the more he feels alone. “Now please, domino, domino, / only spot a few blacks the higher I go”. Kid Cudi, again provides his signature swag to the record. Cudi is no longer signed to G.O.O.D Music, but stays loyal to his family as an affiliate.
Made In America FT. Frank Ocean
In Frank Oceans second cut on the album, he opens with a beautiful harmony, listing black political figures who have fought and succeeded for what they believe in. “Sweet King Martin / Sweet Queen Coretta / Sweet Brother Malcolm / Sweet Queen Betty / Sweet Mother Mary / Sweet Father Joseph / Sweet Jesus / We made it in America.” Production is credited to Shama “Sak Pase” Joseph, of the Jugganauts. The song has a feel of the late Michael Jackson’s more recent work. Also, all sounds on this record were created from scratch. No samples were harmed during the making of this beat. Nothing more than the shimmering over-excess orchestral symphony.
Why I Love You FT. Mr. Hudson
The name Mike Dean might not sound familiar to you yet, but this American hip-hop producer has been around for 10 years working with artists from Rap-A-lot Records, including the late Tupac. Eventually he took the title of pioneering the “dirty south” sound in the the 90’s. Now he gets to shine on this track, borrowing a club beat “I love you so” from French [house] Dj’s, Cassius. I have looked over the production credits several times and no credit is given to any input from Mr. Hudson aka Benjamin Hudson McIldowie. He does re-record the hook from the original song. This is my favorite track at the moment. The emotion within the beat is so beautifully represented, it gave me goose bumps the first time I heard it. Another aspect that I liked so much was jay’s verse. It resonated with emotions that I have going on in my life today. “Showed love to you ni**as / You ripped out my heart and you stepped on it / I picked up the pieces / Before you swept on it / God damn this sh*t leaves a mess don’t it / Sh*t feelin’ like death don’t it / Charge it to the game / Whatever’s left on it / I spent about a minute / Maybe less on it / Fly pelican fly / Turn the jets on it”. I believe he is indirectly discussing his falling out with Beanie Sigel from The Roc and State Property. That is how I know a song is special, when I emotionally connect with the artist.
Illest Motherf**ker Alive
This has to be the most peculiar track on the album. Not only is it song number 13 on the track list, but for the first 3 minutes you hear nothing but silence. It’s a real drag to fast forward, unless you want to edit your own version. After the silence comes the awkward interlude one final time, then comes the storm. Bricksquad (Gucci Mane’s record label) signed 2 young up and coming producers last year. One goes by the name Lex Luger, responsible for the monumental track H*A*M, featured on the album, and here we have another game changing sound provided by Southside. Fast forward to Jay-Z’s verse, he claims himself, Beyonce Kanye, and Rihanna are the new Beatles. “Elvis has left the building now I’m on the Beatles ass / Ni**as hear Watch The Throne, yeah it’s like the Beatles back / Bey Bey my Yoko Ono, Rih Rih complete the family”. Does this mean a group album is in the works? I’m thinking it is a good idea. It could be another groundbreaking move. This concludes the regular released album review of Watch The Throne. Lucky for you I bought the Deluxe Edition of the album.
H*A*M
When this song released back in January, nobody was sure how to perceive it. It was something so new; I don’t think critics were ready for it. Now the album has come out and it finally makes sense. I think this song defines the album making it something extraordinary. 19-year old Bricksquad producer, Lex Luger has taken over as the spokesperson for tough, hard-hitting anthems, hence “Hard As A MotherF**ker.” Known originally for his club bangers, such as “Hard in the Paint”, Snoop Dogg’s “Platinum” and coming to a club near you Jay-Z and Kanye’s, “H*A*M”. Kanye predicted it right in his opening line. “It was all good just a week ago / Ni**as feel theyselves and then Watch The Throne drop / Ni**as kill theyselves / What ni**as gon do Hov? / This a new crack on a new stove”. Kanye closes his verse with, “A million out the door, I’m about to go HAM,” claiming Watch The Throne will sell 1 million records in its first week. I think that is an accurate and educated guess. Jay-Z seems to take a shot at Cash Money CEO, Birdman, in his verse, claiming half a million dollars is “Baby” (another name for birdman) money. Birdman told press he makes the most money in the industry. “I’m like really half a billi ni**a / Really you got baby money / Keep it real with ni**as / Ni**as aint got my lady money”. This is another beat with no samples. The opera vocals are current recordings provided by Aude Cardona and Jacob Lewis Smith. If this track isn’t swag enough, the duo got Riccardo Tisci for creative direction. Tisci is Creative Director for Givenchy and also designed the albums artwork.
Primetime
“Primetime beat by Dion.” How can 4 simple words have a double meaning? First off “Primetime” was originally NFL star Dion Sanders nickname and also Dion is the real name of the songs producer, No I.D. Fresh from releasing his internet-buzzed mixtape with Cocaine 80’s, No I.D. was Kanye West first mentor and manager in his music career. They met as teenagers in their hometown of Chicago. If you’re familiar with No I.D. you can hear how his style coincides with Kanye’s sound. If not, get familiar. More specifically listen to Death of Autotune off of the Blueprint 3. The song includes sped up vocal sound clips from the song “Action”, performed by Orange Krush. Another sound that sets the tone for the track is the piano riff, played by legendary music engineer Ken Lewis. This is a story of both rappers being in the prime of their career and even their life at this time.
The Joy FT. Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield closes Watch The Throne with his live recording of “The Makings of You”, which was sampled. R&B veteran, Charlie Wilson adds his signature sound to the chorus as well. Other samples used were from the 1967 hit “different strokes” performed by Syl Johnson, and can most apparently be heard in the background of people laughing. Even Kid Cudi provides a short, but sweet jingle at the end of the 5 minute record. Hall of Famer Pete Rock was in Hawaii with Kanye to produce this sound. You can hear his spoken words tagged throughout the song. This is a timeless classic. Tags can also be heard throughout the song. This album was fit for a king and had the guest list to prove it.
Synopsis:
I believe this album, Watch The Throne delivers just what music fans need right now. It takes you on a journey through issues we deal with today Americans, greed, racism, politics, war etc. Although this is a collaborative album, the real driving force behind the duo is clearly Kanye West. His unique samples and chops used throughout the album make this some of his greatest work to date. In relation to Kanye’s new sound, Jay-Z steps up to the plate with this project and knocked it out of the park. Both rappers seem to be coming from a more humble as well spiritual place. I mentioned earlier about the interludes awkwardly placed throughout the album. They coincidently appear on tracks 1, 6, 8, and 13. Here’s something odd, on the last page credits, Jay-Z has mysteriously removed the hyphen from his name. Could this be another illuminati gimmick at work? Another strange fact is that the interlude comes in at the end of these songs except for lucky number 13. On this one there is 3 minutes of silence before a clip of this strange music appears. One theory is that it is the cartoon network theme song to “Dexter’s Laboratory”. The numbers must be a date and if I deciphered it right the date should read 08/16/2013. Not sure what this date represents, but I will be adding it on my future calendar. Congratulations to Kanye West and Jay Z for living up to the hype as well as everyone’s expectations. History has been made. “You are now watching the throne, don’t let me get in my zone, I’m already in my zone”.
It is now Tuesday August 9, 2011, and Watch the Throne has officially and exclusively been released through iTunes for over 24 hours now. I was anxiously waiting this release. Fortunately for me I live in Los Angeles, so I actually received the album a few hours early. This was just enough time for me to play on repeat enough times and brag to my friends about how amazing it all is. Jay-Z and Kanye West traveled all over the world to record and create this album. From NY to Australia, Paris, Hawaii, and back to LA, I believe these different locations helped to relieve the pressure of album release and inspire new ideas. The album has a fresh upcoming sound that will be criticized and heavily scrutinized, but what masterpiece wasn’t.
And now I bring to you my track-by-track interpretation of Kanye West & Jay-Z’s “Watch The Throne (Deluxe Edition)”
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No Church In the Wild FT. Frank Ocean
A snare drum is borrowed from the recording of “Sunshine Help Me” by Spooky Tooth. The electronic sounds of a warped guitar riff open up on top of the drums to start the album. First lyrics to appear go a little something like this, “Human being to the mob, what’s a mob to a king, what’s a king to a god, what’s a god to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything”. Odd Futures Frank Ocean delivers powerful word play that can be felt almost immediately. As the song progresses, Jay-Z paints a picture you must hear to understand. “Tears on the mausoleum floor/Blood stains the coliseum doors, lies on the lips of a priest/Thanksgiving disguised as a feast.” Kanye West finally blesses the track with pure poetry. Towards the end of the song there are signature Kanye samples including the bird sounds from ‘808’s & Heartbreaks album, as well as spoken word samples which ‘Ye is known to include in his more recent work. Although it sounds like a Kanye production, he was only a co-producer on this epic intro. 88-Keys, a close friend of Kanye and at one time label mate, serves as the lead producer. Credited as a writer and additional vocalist, is radiokilla himself, The-Dream. Another interesting feature to this record, that is also included throughout the album on specific tracks, is the awkward and inappropriate interludes of an old theme song. I will elaborate and offer a theory later on in the article. This would be another indication of “illuminati”, a power organization that is rumored to include Kanye West & Jay-Z among other high profile celebrities.
Lift Off FT. Beyoncé
The track starts off with a string quartet creating a sound that could serve as an epic ending score to a victorious warrior movie. Samples of ‘NASA countdowns’ are tagged all throughout. Beyoncé gives her two cents to the track on a ghost-written hook, provided by Bruno Mars, who was supposed to be featured as well. At least they gave him writer credit. It looks like a lot of ghost-production was involved not just on this song, but throughout the whole album. Not only did Pharrell Williams & Q-Tip Co-produce this track along with Don Jazzy, but the song was programmed by none other than Party Rock duo, LMFAO.I can only imagine this studio session was filled with looks of champagne popping and good interesting conversations. This is a great cut for the radio, but it feels out of place in the big picture.
Ni**as In Paris
This is one of my favorite records so far. Simply because the beat pumps me up when I wake up in the morning or before I go to work. Another aspect I love about the song is the fact that the intro is a sample from “Blades of Glory”. Will Ferrell is the man. Towards the end of Jay’s verse, he hints to moving the Nets to Brooklyn, “I’m movin’ the Nets to BK.” His lyrics have always been truthful, but rapped in such a subliminal way, I don’t have reason to believe he would lie about this. Next up Kanye comes through dripping swagu all over the verse. “She said Ye can we get married at the mall? / I said look you need to crawl for you ball / Come and meet me in the bathroom stall / And show me why you deserve to have it all / That sh*t crazy”. Dark yelling voices in the background are samples from Reverend W.A. Donaldson recording “Baptizing Scene”. Side note; Listening to this recording at night in the dark is not a good idea.
Otis FT. Otis Redding
I don’t have much to say about this song. I feel it shouldn’t have been included on the album. It is a good song to market before the album release and put on radio to hype album, otherwise it sounds like a lost track from his American Gangster LP. I say this because they released this track and everyone might have expected the album to sound a certain way. The album is released, and hearing it in its entirety, “Otis” just doesn’t fit the album. To give credit the sample that was used, “Try a little Tenderness” is a timeless classic that sounds like “The American Summer Anthem”. Due to recent releases, Official music video, I have different feeling about this record. The visuals were so epic and inspiring, that I have to admit this was a great choice to kick off the album. Synopsis is basically Kanye and Jay getting ready to chop up a Maybach, cut to doing donuts in a remote location with 5 models in the back seat, cut to comedian Aziz Anzari making random cameos.
Gotta Have It
This next song starts off with a catchy collage of James Brown elements, from the classic “My Thang”. Samples of his voice and music can be found on almost every record. Kanye then does the cliché; turn my headphones up, phrase. Then jumps right into powerful lyrics claiming that white America killed his image, “Hello, Hello, Hello, white America, assassinate my character.” Jay jokes with the internet sensation of ‘planking’ in his verse. “I’m planking on a million.” This record is produced by The Neptune’s and is Co-produced by Kanye West. Going almost completely unnoticed on the track, giving his signature background vocals is none other than Kid Cudi. Another eerie an awkward sound clip concludes this track.
New Day
“Me and the RZA connect”, are the opening lines. Co-production is credited to Wu-Tang clan leader, RZA, who popped up on several tracks this year while Kanye was promoting his G.O.O.D Friday’s campaign. This record takes us through conversations with the rappers unborn son’s. “And I’ll never let my son have an ego, he’ll be nice to everyone wherever we go.” Kanye explains how he would never want his son to be a part of telethons, subliminally indicating his actions and consequences from the Hurricane Katrina Telethon. “And I’ll never let ‘em ever hit the telethon / I mean even if people dyin' and the world ends.” An emotional sample from Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”, sets the mood well on chorus. The crazy thing about this song is they put the original sample through an autotune, which brings so much raw emotion to the track. Next on Jay-Z’s verse, it seems like he hints to his wife, Beyonce Knowles being pregnant, rapping, “Sorry junior, I already ruined ya / Cause you ain’t even alive, paparazzi pursuin’ ya.” Just a theory, don’t hold me to it. This song definitely brings power and inspiration to your ears.
That’s My Bitch
This next Q-Tip-produced track served as a promotional leak back in November and is now included on the official album. Bon Iver’s, Justin Vernon brings exactly what the funk this track needs while La Roux’s front-girl, Ely Jackson equips the hook that keeps the party going all the way through until the end. Kanye West is not only a rapper among other things, but a true artist. With every project he progresses his style and intellect. I tie that into this song because his verse shows true growth. He takes is 2011 aggressive swag out on this track, but manages to incorporate an 80’s slick rick style story telling experience. Don’t sleep on Jay-Z’s verse as he opens up about ‘hypothetically’, Beyonce. I came to this conclusion because the title of the song is about the women in their lives and im sure that is the only woman in his life. “Go harder than a ni**a for a ni**a, go figure / Told me keep my own money if we ever did split up”. Yeah you read it right; he calls her that suggestive word that nobody is supposed to use. It gets better. “How could someone so gangsta be so pretty in pictures / Ripped jeans and a blazer and some Louboutin slippers / Picasso was alive he woulda made her / That’s right ni**a, Mona Lisa can’t fade her”. It is as if he is taunting America. Jay-Z’s lyrics have always been quite intelligent if you read them on paper. He then goes into a little black history and finally concludes his flow with more love to “B”. This song is a personal favorite. A friend of mine had recently showed me classic Incredible Bongo Band break entitled, “Apache”. This song proves that break-beats can prevail.
Welcome To The Jungle
It had to happen. We knew Swizz Beatz would be a part of this album from the early on when the album was still a blueprint, no pun intended. He brought the hype, head-nodding jam that was expected from this super-producer. Swizz was also featured on numerous tracks during the G.O.O.D Friday’s promotions, including the Remix to “Power” and the smash hit “Start It Up”. The rapid organ riff pumps up the double-time drumbeat from behind the curtains. Throughout the song rappers acknowledge how their fame can be misconstrued. Not only is life possibly harder than the average American struggling in today’s society, but Jay-Z even talks about being depressed. “I look in the mirror / My only opponent / Where the f**k is the press? / Where the f**k is the Pres? / Either they know or don’t care / I’m f**king depressed/”. Despite all the hype and the swag these two portray, they work hard on this song to bring us a sense of empathy. At times you can find them even sounding indistinctly humble. I respect artists who can put their egos aside for a moment to reflect on their life struggles.
Who Gonna Stop Me
Club music, dubstep in particularly, has taken over 2011 and this ‘Flux Pavilion’ sample of “I Can’t Stop” creates a whole new acceptable subgenre of DubRap. The original song was remixed by a group called “Chiddy Bang” which sufficed for the time being, but the redirection of the song brings a fresh sound to this record. Produced by Shama “Sak Pase” Joeseph, one half of the production duo Jugganauts, who got the world’s attention with the island-fresh Rihanna radio hit, Man Down. Kanye gets creative in his first verse, cursing in Pig Latin. “Ni**as talkin, they b**ch made / Ix-nay off my d**ks-nay / That’s pig latin, itch-bay”. Later in the song he pokes fun at critics calling him racist. “Heard Yeezy was racist / Well, I guess that’s on one basis / I only like green faces”. Jay-Z by far shines out of the two on this beat, with his clever wordplay and boss-swag attitude. An elite list of guest vocals appears on this track from Mr. Hudson, Swizz Beatz and one half of Jugganauts, Verse Simmonds, which are quietly placed in the songs background.
Murder To Excellence
Complexity best describes this record. The song is actually broken into two parts. The first part entitled, “Murder”, which happens to be produced by Swizz Beatz, explains black-on-black crime and the scarcity of people of color in the world today. The chilling sample of children harmonizing was derived from a song produced by Quincy Jones off of “The Color Purple” soundtrack. Kanye recites the hook from the classic Jay record Lucifer, which was produced by Kanye West. Could this be a subliminal message? Halfway into the song its smoothly transitions into the second part of the story, entitled Excellence. This part was produced by a producer on Kanye’s label, S1, who also produced Power, which served as 2011’s Theme song. It contains samples from “La La La,” written and performed by Mihaela and Gabriela Modorcea aka Indiggo Twins, ambassadors of the great Romanian tradition. Although I am still unsure of how the sample was used because I have not been able to locate the original recording yet. The story continues with an all black everything ode. “It’s a celebration of Black excellence / Black tie, Black maybachs / Black excellence, opulence, decadence / Tuxes next to the president, I’m present”. In a suggestive verse Jay points out that the higher up he gets, the more he feels alone. “Now please, domino, domino, / only spot a few blacks the higher I go”. Kid Cudi, again provides his signature swag to the record. Cudi is no longer signed to G.O.O.D Music, but stays loyal to his family as an affiliate.
Made In America FT. Frank Ocean
In Frank Oceans second cut on the album, he opens with a beautiful harmony, listing black political figures who have fought and succeeded for what they believe in. “Sweet King Martin / Sweet Queen Coretta / Sweet Brother Malcolm / Sweet Queen Betty / Sweet Mother Mary / Sweet Father Joseph / Sweet Jesus / We made it in America.” Production is credited to Shama “Sak Pase” Joseph, of the Jugganauts. The song has a feel of the late Michael Jackson’s more recent work. Also, all sounds on this record were created from scratch. No samples were harmed during the making of this beat. Nothing more than the shimmering over-excess orchestral symphony.
Why I Love You FT. Mr. Hudson
The name Mike Dean might not sound familiar to you yet, but this American hip-hop producer has been around for 10 years working with artists from Rap-A-lot Records, including the late Tupac. Eventually he took the title of pioneering the “dirty south” sound in the the 90’s. Now he gets to shine on this track, borrowing a club beat “I love you so” from French [house] Dj’s, Cassius. I have looked over the production credits several times and no credit is given to any input from Mr. Hudson aka Benjamin Hudson McIldowie. He does re-record the hook from the original song. This is my favorite track at the moment. The emotion within the beat is so beautifully represented, it gave me goose bumps the first time I heard it. Another aspect that I liked so much was jay’s verse. It resonated with emotions that I have going on in my life today. “Showed love to you ni**as / You ripped out my heart and you stepped on it / I picked up the pieces / Before you swept on it / God damn this sh*t leaves a mess don’t it / Sh*t feelin’ like death don’t it / Charge it to the game / Whatever’s left on it / I spent about a minute / Maybe less on it / Fly pelican fly / Turn the jets on it”. I believe he is indirectly discussing his falling out with Beanie Sigel from The Roc and State Property. That is how I know a song is special, when I emotionally connect with the artist.
Illest Motherf**ker Alive
This has to be the most peculiar track on the album. Not only is it song number 13 on the track list, but for the first 3 minutes you hear nothing but silence. It’s a real drag to fast forward, unless you want to edit your own version. After the silence comes the awkward interlude one final time, then comes the storm. Bricksquad (Gucci Mane’s record label) signed 2 young up and coming producers last year. One goes by the name Lex Luger, responsible for the monumental track H*A*M, featured on the album, and here we have another game changing sound provided by Southside. Fast forward to Jay-Z’s verse, he claims himself, Beyonce Kanye, and Rihanna are the new Beatles. “Elvis has left the building now I’m on the Beatles ass / Ni**as hear Watch The Throne, yeah it’s like the Beatles back / Bey Bey my Yoko Ono, Rih Rih complete the family”. Does this mean a group album is in the works? I’m thinking it is a good idea. It could be another groundbreaking move. This concludes the regular released album review of Watch The Throne. Lucky for you I bought the Deluxe Edition of the album.
H*A*M
When this song released back in January, nobody was sure how to perceive it. It was something so new; I don’t think critics were ready for it. Now the album has come out and it finally makes sense. I think this song defines the album making it something extraordinary. 19-year old Bricksquad producer, Lex Luger has taken over as the spokesperson for tough, hard-hitting anthems, hence “Hard As A MotherF**ker.” Known originally for his club bangers, such as “Hard in the Paint”, Snoop Dogg’s “Platinum” and coming to a club near you Jay-Z and Kanye’s, “H*A*M”. Kanye predicted it right in his opening line. “It was all good just a week ago / Ni**as feel theyselves and then Watch The Throne drop / Ni**as kill theyselves / What ni**as gon do Hov? / This a new crack on a new stove”. Kanye closes his verse with, “A million out the door, I’m about to go HAM,” claiming Watch The Throne will sell 1 million records in its first week. I think that is an accurate and educated guess. Jay-Z seems to take a shot at Cash Money CEO, Birdman, in his verse, claiming half a million dollars is “Baby” (another name for birdman) money. Birdman told press he makes the most money in the industry. “I’m like really half a billi ni**a / Really you got baby money / Keep it real with ni**as / Ni**as aint got my lady money”. This is another beat with no samples. The opera vocals are current recordings provided by Aude Cardona and Jacob Lewis Smith. If this track isn’t swag enough, the duo got Riccardo Tisci for creative direction. Tisci is Creative Director for Givenchy and also designed the albums artwork.
Primetime
“Primetime beat by Dion.” How can 4 simple words have a double meaning? First off “Primetime” was originally NFL star Dion Sanders nickname and also Dion is the real name of the songs producer, No I.D. Fresh from releasing his internet-buzzed mixtape with Cocaine 80’s, No I.D. was Kanye West first mentor and manager in his music career. They met as teenagers in their hometown of Chicago. If you’re familiar with No I.D. you can hear how his style coincides with Kanye’s sound. If not, get familiar. More specifically listen to Death of Autotune off of the Blueprint 3. The song includes sped up vocal sound clips from the song “Action”, performed by Orange Krush. Another sound that sets the tone for the track is the piano riff, played by legendary music engineer Ken Lewis. This is a story of both rappers being in the prime of their career and even their life at this time.
The Joy FT. Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield closes Watch The Throne with his live recording of “The Makings of You”, which was sampled. R&B veteran, Charlie Wilson adds his signature sound to the chorus as well. Other samples used were from the 1967 hit “different strokes” performed by Syl Johnson, and can most apparently be heard in the background of people laughing. Even Kid Cudi provides a short, but sweet jingle at the end of the 5 minute record. Hall of Famer Pete Rock was in Hawaii with Kanye to produce this sound. You can hear his spoken words tagged throughout the song. This is a timeless classic. Tags can also be heard throughout the song. This album was fit for a king and had the guest list to prove it.
Synopsis:
I believe this album, Watch The Throne delivers just what music fans need right now. It takes you on a journey through issues we deal with today Americans, greed, racism, politics, war etc. Although this is a collaborative album, the real driving force behind the duo is clearly Kanye West. His unique samples and chops used throughout the album make this some of his greatest work to date. In relation to Kanye’s new sound, Jay-Z steps up to the plate with this project and knocked it out of the park. Both rappers seem to be coming from a more humble as well spiritual place. I mentioned earlier about the interludes awkwardly placed throughout the album. They coincidently appear on tracks 1, 6, 8, and 13. Here’s something odd, on the last page credits, Jay-Z has mysteriously removed the hyphen from his name. Could this be another illuminati gimmick at work? Another strange fact is that the interlude comes in at the end of these songs except for lucky number 13. On this one there is 3 minutes of silence before a clip of this strange music appears. One theory is that it is the cartoon network theme song to “Dexter’s Laboratory”. The numbers must be a date and if I deciphered it right the date should read 08/16/2013. Not sure what this date represents, but I will be adding it on my future calendar. Congratulations to Kanye West and Jay Z for living up to the hype as well as everyone’s expectations. History has been made. “You are now watching the throne, don’t let me get in my zone, I’m already in my zone”.
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