Kanye is really hands-on. [14] On July 22, its pre-order was made available on the iTunes Store. It was a landmark project for the recently-launched Apple Music. [63] Its deluxe CD edition was sold exclusively by Best Buy through August 23, when it became available at other retailers. [69] The session premiered the album in its entirety and featured attendance from journalists, models, industry types, and recording artists such as Busta Rhymes, 88-Keys, and Beyoncé Knowles. Most rap fans obviously know this, but "feats" go beyond mere technical credits in hip-hop. No mailing it in". [96] "Gotta Have It" peaked at position 69 on the Hot 100, with "No Church in the Wild" peaking at 72. 03/09/2021 01:38 PM EST. [113] In 2018, Revolt listed the album at number one on their list of the 10 rap collaboration albums. It was also certified quintuple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in November 2020. The album features guest appearances from Frank Ocean, The-Dream, Beyoncéa… "[35] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times writes that its production "can be roughly segmented into three categories," noting "Southern-inflected tracks" such as "Niggas in Paris" and "H•A•M", "moody and harsh numbers" like "Who Gon Stop Me" and "Why I Love You", and "the nostalgia that creeps over much of this album, giving it a sonic through-line and mission statement. [31] Music writer Robert Christgau describes West's production as "a funkier and less ornate variant of the prog-rap of 2010's acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". [129] The album also reached number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and the US Top Rap Albums charts. Watch the Throne. [79][80] Its cover art was created by Riccardo Tisci. With help from Anita Kumar, Erin Banco, Darius Tahir and Renuka Rayasam. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. ‘Watch The Throne 2’ is on the Way, According to One Half of the Throne Kanye West tweeted that a sequel to his collaborative album with Jay-Z is on the way. "[15] While his advice was acknowledged to a degree, he ultimately had very little part in the finished project. [27] However, Mars never appeared on the song and Beyoncé sang several lines during the chorus instead. "[47] Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe observed "an undeniable synergy that they embraced for this project. "[109] Stereogum placed Watch the Throne at number 10 on its list of the "Top 50 albums of 2011"[110] while Pitchfork placed the album at number 21 on its list. "[25], "Lift Off" was recorded in Sydney, Australia. Push intelligence and decadence and all of the above forward in a creative manner. Watch the Throne on the left, What a Time to Be Alive on the right.. Returned for replacement and the replacement had the same issue. "[34] Andy Gill of The Independent was more critical and found their rapping "pretty mediocre", partly because "too often here their complacent, back-slapping laxity leaves tracks floundering. The album also expresses other topics, such as Jay's thoughts on fatherhood, West's reflection on being deemed a social villain, and their success as performers. Welcome! "Primetime" Producers: No I.D. "[13] It apparently sampled Andrea Bocelli's "Con te partirò" and was described as catchy but for unknown reasons, the song never made it onto the album. [3][6][7], During the promotional stages of West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, a remix of the song "Power" surfaced featuring Jay-Z. [35] The sample is used in a way that is reminiscent to past Kanye productions, like the tracks found on his album The College Dropout. [8] Following this, Kanye West announced on Twitter his intention to drop a five-track EP with Jay-Z, titled Watch the Throne. Prior to the release, Jay-Z and West had collaborated on various singles, and with the latter as a producer on the former's work. [11] One of the tracks that was recorded but didn't make the cut for the album was "Living So Italian. [12], Parts of the album were recorded in New York City's Tribeca Grand Hotel. [...] West is more desperate, transparent, awkward, vulnerable. On Watch the Throne, they push each other and have fun doing it, and the result is a stadium-sized event-rap spectacle that still sounds like two … Following West's announcement via his Twitter account, "H•A•M" was officially released as a digital download in January 2011 as the lead single. Over a year in the making and a truly global affair, the duo recorded in London and Bath in the UK, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Paris, and New York City. Jay-Z and West worked with several guest recording artists, including Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, and Mr Hudson. 1 on Billboard 200", "Jay-Z and Kanye's 'Watch the Throne' Keeps Its Billboard 200 Crown", "Game's 'R.E.D.' Watch The Throne Hair is a black Christian owned business that specializes in selling quality hair extensions that are incomparable to others while affordable. [114] In 2019, Billboard named Watch the Throne the biggest collaborative album of all time, asserting, "From the iconic album artwork to the brash, decadent lyrical themes, esteemed guest list, and recording around the globe, the Throne would set the standard for what a pristine rap album should embody at the highest of levels. [132] In its fourth week, the album dropped to number four on the chart, selling 80,000 copies. ", "T.I. [50], "Who Gon Stop Me" features bombastic production and samples Flux Pavilion's 2011 song "I Can't Stop", reinforced with heavy synthesizer and tone shifts. This fun and easy-to-use crossword puzzle app features new, themed puzzles each day.Highly addictive and fun! [50] The track features an unusual sampling of dialogue from the 2007 film Blades of Glory, notably the "we're gonna skate to one song and one song only" line. Watch the Throne ist ein Kollabo-Studioalbum von Kanye West und Jay-Z, das die beiden unter dem Projektnamen The Throne veröffentlichten. Directed by Anna Mastro. [11][29] Swizz Beatz, who produced "Welcome to the Jungle", also provided background vocals to the track, and Kid Cudi contributed additional vocals to "The Joy" and "Illest Motherfucker Alive," bonus tracks on the album's deluxe edition. [51] On the album, the song closes with a segment of Italian avant-prog band Orchestra Njervudarov's 1979 piece "Tristessa", which reappears at the end of several other songs. Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, released on August 8, 2011 by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Jay-Z and Kanye West first worked together on the song "This Can't Be Life", from Jay-Z's 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, produced by West,[2] then on Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint, which showcased West's distinctive style of hip hop production at the time. [13], The album's earlier sessions produced a little material that has made the final cut. [46] Singers Frank Ocean and The-Dream lend their voices to the album's grim opener, which sets the mood with a gnarled guitar sample. [11] The songs "That's My Bitch" and "The Joy" were previously recorded for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as early as July 2010. [116] It lost the former to West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. "[104], Watch the Throne was one of the top-ranked albums in year-end lists by music critics and publications. "[21][24] Ocean admitted that Jay-Z has intentionally intimidated him during recording sessions but declared his enjoyment of working with the two. You just watch how popular music shift, and how hip-hop basically replaced rock & roll as the youth music. Expanding on the dense production style of West's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), Watch the Throne incorporates orchestral and progressive rock influences, unconventional samples, and dramatic melodies in its sound. An audacious spectacle of vacuous pomposity as well as one of tremendous lyrical depth, Watch the Throne is a densely packed amalgamation of what Jay-Z has termed “ignorant shit” and “thought-provoking shit,” with creative productions that are both top of the line and supremely baffling. [1] Production began in November 2010 in England and continued during available times in Jay-Z's and West's schedules at locations in Australia, Paris, Abu Dhabi,[12] New York City, and Los Angeles. Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Club wrote that "exhilarating messiness and go-for-broke spontaneity infect Jay-Z and push him outside his comfort zone and into a realm of intense emotional reflection. "[39] He compares it to Yinka Shonibare's 1998 piece Diary of a Victorian Dandy, "in which the artist luxuriates in all the genteel pleasures of the time. [97], Watch the Throne received positive reviews from music critics. [116] At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in 2013, "Niggas in Paris" won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, and "No Church in the Wild" won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. [40] "Why I Love You" has Jay-Z lamenting betrayal and how his past protégés failed to maintain without him. [36] The song contains haunting backing vocals and an accompanying tambourine with the two rappers trading verses with the vocal riff playing over them. "[10], Recording sessions for the album took place at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii; Barford Estate in Sydney, Australia; Electric Lady Studios; the Mercer Hotel; MSR Studios; and Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York, New York; Le Meurice in Paris, France; and Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England. [46], "Otis" samples Otis Redding's 1966 song "Try a Little Tenderness", manipulating it into a rhythm track with Reddington's vocals and grunts. [26] In early May 2011, rumors arose that "Lift Off" was to feature Bruno Mars who had recorded vocals. WATCH THE THRONE. Meanwhile, Simone, Mateo and Derek fight city council to make Atlanta a sanctuary city in order to get Angel home. [5][3] Jay-Z appeared on Kanye's first two albums as well, and the two frequently collaborated. I had a room where I was cranking out beats, and then I'd go into the main room with Jay and [Kanye] and play beats for them. [3] West's early production work on Jay-Z's music helped raise his profile in the music industry. commented about the project that "you're going to sell, because you're already big. [83] Third single "Lift Off" was sent to US urban radio on August 23 of the same year. August 2011 bei Roc-a-Fella Records, Roc Nation und Def Jam Recordings. Everything should work stable now. "[33] Conversely, Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine finds West's "knack for dramatic, melodically sophisticated tracks [...] channeled away from the Olympian scale" of his previous album "and toward the more commercial vein of Jay-Z's recent work," which he attributes to West splitting production work with several other producers. [107] Chris Richards of The Washington Post ranked it number two on his list and stated, "Instead of blushing over their embarrassment of riches, pop's most intriguing partnership delivered a self-congratulatory opus that was adventurous enough to remind us that they're rap visionaries first, 1 percent bazillionaires second. [140] In Australia, the album peaked at number two on the Australian Albums Chart and number one on the Australian Urban Albums Chart. [35] West and Jay-Z's lyrics frame their rags to riches story on the song. [11], "Made in America" has themes of family life and the American Dream, with Jay-Z and West discussing their respective rises to fame, while acknowledging those who helped and inspired them. Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. "That's My Bitch" contains samples of "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved", written and performed by James Brown; and samples of ", "Who Gon Stop Me" contains samples of "I Can't Stop", written and performed by, "Murder to Excellence" contains samples of "LA LA LA", written and performed by, "Why I Love You" contains samples of "I Love You So", written and performed by. So it's making sure that we put the effort into making the best product so we can contend with all this other music, with dance music that's dominating the charts right now and indie music that's dominating the festivals. [21] "No Church in the Wild", the last song recorded for the album, was conceived by Jay-Z, West, and the song's producer 88-Keys throughout most of June. I say all this to say, Watch the Throne holds that special status as one of my top ten albums of all-time, and quite possibly my favorite rap album ever. High quality Watch The Throne gifts and merchandise. [36] Midway through the song the beat switches up, with Kanye musing over the horrors of black-on-black violence in the first half, and Jay-Z delivering equally meditated comments on black excellence on the more choir heavy second half. 's Paper Trail, "[33] Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker stated, "Weed the album down to a healthy ten, and [it] doesn't become either classic or coherent, but it does work as an entertaining document of two wildly creative, not particularly wound-up friends. [111], In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic albums of the last decade. In an August 2011 radio interview with WEDR Jay-Z shared the meaning behind the album's title; "It's just protecting the music and the culture. [143][144] The album topped the UK R&B Albums Chart for six non-consecutive weeks between 2011-12. [97] Though not released as a single, "Who Gon Stop Me" peaked at 44 on the chart. It's people that's in the forefront of the music. "[46] Claire Suddath of Time ranked it number three on her top-10 albums list and called it "a beautifully decadent album". West and Jay-Z argued for four days about having them included on the Watch the Throne, however West eventually relented and the duo recorded "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America". With Jude Demorest, Brittany O'Grady, Ryan Destiny, Amiyah Scott. "And he was like, 'No those have to go on Watch the Throne,' so we spent four days arguing about those records and I was explaining to him why it wasn't right for this project and I had a whole idea for making this album called Magna Carta... Holy Grail, the "Holy Grail" part of the name came after. Name: Watch the Throne (Deluxe).zip. [116] "Otis" was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, winning the former. "[45] Jon Caramanica writes similarly, "breaking [...] old barriers is a means to acceptance and stability" for Jay-Z, while "West sounds lonely" with his fame, adding that "For Mr. West every flash of Dionysian extreme is tempered by the realization of its hollowness. [64][65], On July 7, 2011, Jay-Z hosted a private listening session at the Mercer Hotel in New York City, previewing the album's songs from his MacBook Pro for a select group of reporters and music journalists. Appearing in works ranging from novels to country songs, grandfathers appear often as kindly protectors, sources of wisdom, and after they’ve passed, figures who are missed greatly. Recording sessions took place at various locations and began in November 2010, with production led by West and a variety of high-profile producers, including Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, Tyler Pase, Pete Rock, RZA, Jeff Bhasker, The Neptunes, and Q-Tip. Talks About 'Swagger Like Us,' Leaked Single Featuring Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West", "Kanye West Reveals Which Good Friday Tracks Are On Fantasy", "Kanye West & Jay-Z Said To Release Five-Song EP, "Watch The Throne, "Kanye West and Jay-Z Planning Joint Album", "Jay-Z Talks 'Watch the Throne' & Calls Beyonce 'The Second Coming, "How Jay-Z and Kanye West finally made 'Watch the Throne, "Jay-Z Previews 'Watch the Throne' in New York", "Interview: No I.D. [139] In its second week, the album remained at number one on the chart, selling 15,900 more copies. [32] Music journalist Jody Rosen characterizes the music as "vast, dark and booming," commenting that West "continues in the sonic vein he introduced in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, lacing the songs with rock dynamics, layering his beats with eerie vocal chorales, piling on proggy flourishes. The track is similar to the style of early West productions. [45] It references the line "me and the RZA connect" from Raekwon's 1995 song "Incarcerated Scarfaces", which was also produced by RZA. [...] a portrait of two black men thinking through the idea of success in America. "[102] In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot found the record plagued by Jay-Z and West's "self-regard", writing that "they urge listeners to 'watch the throne,' and gaze in awe on their good fortune. Sample of "Otis" which features Jay-Z and West trading verses over the riff of the sample. [50] Both Justin Vernon and La Roux appear on "That's My Bitch", spitting off hooks over a quick, melodic beat, with West at his most abrasive lyrically. A decade in the making, ‘Watch The Throne found the two titans of hip-hop, Kanye West and Jay-Z, joining up to create hip-hop’s grand spectacle. "[54] "Niggas in Paris" incorporates staccato orchestration and fizzing industrial noise, topping it all off with a menacing beat and icy synthesizer notes. In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 25,000 copies in its first week. The same thing can happen to hip-hop. Tracklist: Kanye West & Jay-Z Watch The Throne (Deluxe Edition) 1. [50] "Murder to Excellence" addresses black-on-black crime and limited social mobility for African Americans. Not worth the $100+ asking price. Shop high-quality unique Watch The Throne T-Shirts designed and sold by artists. [18] Producer and recording artist The-Dream sings a verse on the track using AutoTune. Daily Themed Crossword features the best themes with a wide range of topics and new content everyday. In 2011, Jay … "[20] In his article "Brag Like That" for Barnes & Noble, Robert Christgau comments that "Jay-Z is a grown man and Kanye is not" on the album and elaborates on their lyrics, stating: Both co-kings flaunt their arrogance even by the standards of a genre where braggadocio is the main event, and neither is shy about pretending that the line of succession from Otis Redding and Martin Luther King is paved with their gold. Watch the Throne is a shared studio album discharged on August 8, 2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings by the American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. However, a few reviewers found the lyrical content uninspiring. Many critics and publications named Watch the Throne to their year-end best-of lists, including Rolling Stone and The Washington Post. Es erschien am 8. I realized that it was not just about urban music and dance but rather a multimillion dollar industry that has a significant influence on fashion, automotive industry, television programming, sports, mass media marketing, and advertising. [34] On the songs' structure, Cole states, "every track eschews the standard verse-hook-repeat format in favor of more dynamic material. It reached the top ten in 11 other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom. He displays levels of unequaled audacity. [141][142] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart. [13] In an interview for Rolling Stone, Jay-Z discussed their insistence on recording in person and attributed it to the delay in releasing the album, stating "If we were gonna do it, we were gonna do it together. [...] One could venture that maybe Watch the Throne divvies up the way it does for rhetorical purposes—that one king plays the hero and the other the hedonist, two equally royal hip-hop archetypes. I would come in with a beat and he'd be like, 'Take this out, slow it down.' 2011 studio album by Jay-Z and Kanye West. Das Album wird dem Genre Hip-Hop zugerechnet. Prior to the release, Jay-Z and West had collaborated on various singles, and with the latter as a producer on the former's work. Jay-Z and West embarked on the Watch the Throne Tour for promotion that spanned from October 2011 to June 2012 and became the highest-grossing hip hop concert tour in history. [2] While originally only viewed as a producer, West eventually was seen as both a viable rapper and producer thanks to the success of his debut album The College Dropout and its singles. 1", "Spike Jonze to direct Kanye & Jay-Z's "Otis" video", "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles – Issue Date: August 27, 2011", "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more! [4] West continued to be one of Jay-Z's main producers on subsequent albums such as The Black Album and Kingdom Come. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. [27] It was reported that the song would be released as the lead single from the album. [106] Rolling Stone named it the second-best album in its year-end list, commenting that "What could have been a crash-and-burn anticlimax turned out to be as fun as any record in a dog's age. [14] Jay-Z announced that it was unlikely that the track would ultimately make the album. [33], Watch the Throne was released by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings,[60] Jay-Z's and West's respective record labels. [20] The track incorporates a sample of Nina Simone's 1965 song "Feeling Good" through an Auto-Tune voice processor. "[44] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone felt that "on a record this ambitious, this sonically bold, it's a shame two of music's greatest storytellers don't extend their gaze beyond their own luxe lives. "[14] On August 1, Jay-Z and West held a listening session for the album at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City's American Museum of Natural History. [68] Benjamin Meadows-Ingrim of Billboard, who attended the session, said of the previewed material, "The songs were dramatic and boastful, with Jay-Z often taking the lead lyrically, and the collection showcased the differences between the two artists – Jay-Z, the technical marksman, and Kanye, the emotive chest beater. They Are Now Called 'The Throne' and Confirm the Most Anticipated Album & Tour of the Year: Watch the Throne", "Watch Out: Jay-Z and Kanye West Collabo Could Fall Short", "Kanye West and Jay-Z Offer 'Watch the Throne' Pre-Order", "Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne' Exclusives Have Retailers Up in Arms", "Jay-Z & Kanye West Miraculously Manage to Keep Watch the Throne Leak-Free", "Jay-Z and Kanye West Avoid 'Watch the Throne' Leak", "Jay-Z Unveils "Watch The Throne" At Exclusive Listening Session", "Details Emerge On Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Watch the Throne, "Jay Z Holds Watch the Throne Listening Party, Reveals Album Cover and Other Details", "Jay-Z And Kanye West Unleash 'Watch The Throne' At The Museum Of Natural History", "Jay-Z and Kanye West Perform 'Otis' on 2011 MTV VMAs: Watch", "Jay-Z, Kanye West Announce Watch The Throne Release Date, Tour", "Kanye West and Jay-Z Confirm New North American Watch the Throne Tour Schedule with an Overwhelming Response to Presale Tickets", "Kanye Reveals First Jay-Z Watch the Throne Single", "Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Debuts Atop Hot 100", "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases | R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates", "Watch The Throne's "Otis" Cover Art Also Creative Directed By Riccardo Tisci", "Britney Spears Bounds Into Hot 100's Top 10, LMFAO Still No. Bows at No. "[48] Claire Suddath of Time views the rappers' "bacchanal celebration of the finer things in life" as secondary to the theme of "two men grappling with what it means to be successful and black in a nation that still thinks of them as second class. It also features vocal contributions from Kid Cudi, Seal, Justin Vernon, Elly Jackson, Connie Mitchell, Charlie Wilson and Pete Rock, among others, and samples of vocals by soul musicians Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield. [25] Ocean mused about the project: "I rarely do collabs, so that's just one of the ones you absolutely do. The braggadocio lyrics exhibit themes of opulence, fame, materialism, power, and the burdens of success, as well as political and socioeconomic context. [91] The song was promoted with a music video directed by West himself, featuring concert footage. [61] On July 4, 2011, it was made available to pre-order on Life + Times, Jay-Z's lifestyle webzine, which redirected to Island Def Jam's website that featured the deluxe version available for $16.99, standard CD for $13.99, a deluxe digital version for $14.99, and standard digital album for $11.99. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. It looks like we could be getting a new Watch the Throne album after all—at least according to Kanye West.Today (Sept. 8), out of nowhere, the G.O.O.D. The last thing on my mind was working with artists who I've held in high esteem for years. "[100] Kitty Empire of The Observer stated, "Some find this sort of branded gloating distasteful, but at their best both rappers can still make you laugh. They originally sought to record a five-song EP together, but the project eventually evolved into a full-length album. "[31] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman called it "an audacious spectacle of vacuous pomposity as well as one of tremendous lyrical depth. [20] Watch the Throne was mastered by producer and engineer Mike Dean at the Mercer Hotel.[11]. Presented by Intel. [74], Watch the Throne spawned seven official singles, with varying degrees of success. Losing hope that there’s a quality version of it out there. "[115], Watch the Throne received nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Recording Package at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 42 reviews.