One year after the idea was conceived, Kanye West and Jay-Z deliver one of the year's most anticipated albums, "Watch the Throne," today (August 8). At 12 a.m. EST, hip-hop fans turned to iTunes, instead of a Hulkshare page, to download The Throne's collaborative album.
Within an hour, lyrics of "Watch the Throne" flooded timelines and song titles ("Murder of Excellence," "New Day," "Lift Off," and "Made in America") began to trend worldwide. Not only did Kanye and Jay-Z fight and win against the big leak, but they brought a nostalgic vibe by keeping fans waiting to press download.
'Watch The Throne': Jay-Z and Kanye West's 10 Best Collaborations
From the Mercer Hotel in NYC to Australia, Kanye West and Jay-Z lace filthy rhymes over sumptuous soundscapes, this time as one, calling forth producers such as Swizz Beatz, RZA, Hit-Boy, No I.D. and the vocal prowess of Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, La Roux and more.
Which "Watch the Throne" track finds Kanye West and Jay-Z at the top of their game? Here's our Twitter-length track-by-track review of each song.
You be the judge: What do you think of Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne" album? Tweet us your own review at @billboarddotcom (using hashtag #bbwtt). The best tweets will be posted on Billboard.com in the coming days.
Jay-Z and Kanye West: A Bromance Timeline
1. "No Church in the Wild:" The Throne give a taste of sex, drugs & hip-hop. "Last night was mad real," Kanye raps. The-Dream sneaks in mid-way with auto-tuned vocals.
2. "Lift Off:" Although it feels misplaced in between tracks 1 and 3, the "stadium status" track is one to look forward to in seeing performed on the WTT tour.
Kanye West & Jay-Z Hold 'Watch the Throne' Listening Party at Planetarium
3. "Ni**gas in Paris:" Kanye steals the show on the Hit-Boy produced club anthem. A snippet of Will Ferrell's line from "Blades of Glory" is tucked in between.
4. "Otis:" Jay-Z & Kanye West spit dirty rhymes on champagne living, a theme through out the album ("Ni**as in Paris"), over an Otis Redding classic.
5. "Gotta Have It:" The Neptunes revamp James Brown's "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" for Throne to brag on and shout out hometowns. "Racks" reference.
6. "New Day:" The Throne rhyme what they will and will not do to better raise their unborn sons. Ye recalls his doings and Jay won't let history repeat itself.
7. "That's My B**ch:" Similar to the leaked version, only Jay adds brown skinned actresses into the mix. Ye: "About to go dumb, how come? yeah, that's my b**ch."
8. "Welcome to the Jungle:" Kanye and Jay-Z shed light to the darkness of their lifestyle. Swizz Beatz production reminds me of Diddy's "All About the Benjamins."
9. "Who Gon Stop Me:" The Throne throw the middle finger to haters and hardships of the past. "Til I die/ I'mma f***in ball," West raps. Perfect song for wildin'.
10. "Murder to Excellence:" The Throne speak on black on black murder. Ye' compares Chi-town's murder rate to Iraq's. "Cause ain't nothin on the news but the blues."
11. "Made in America:" Frank Ocean's soulful vocals that soothe start and close the cut. Jay and Kanye rhyme on their "come up" over Shame "Sak Pase" Joseph beat.
12. "Why I Love You:" Jay-Z goes off on those who, though once close, turned away or against him. "But I'm bullet proof, b**ch you can't get nothin' past me." #shots
This effort finds both of the hiphop titans at the top of their game as if they had something to prove as when jordan came back after the first retirement and won three more championships. The album is ridiculous, its hiphop not just a bunch of songs thrown on a disk and packaged for sell. Jay and Kanye went all the way in on this project its clearly one of the best hiphop albums of 2011, excuse me the best hiphop album of 2011 so far by far
So Haters......Sit Back and "WATCH THE THRONE"
"I 100 percent agreed with the comments that [Kanye] made, because again ... it felt like it was being done to black people," Jay-Z said in an interview. "Like all you saw on the news was black people with help signs and all this stuff, and then you have this picture of the commander in chief, who we all rely on, just flying by...Just the fact that he thinks that the worst thing that happened to him is Kanye saying something about him. Like, what? That alone shows you where his mind is. Are you kidding me?" (Associated Press)
Bush's admission that West's Hurricane Katrina rant was the low point of his presidency struck Jay-Z as odd. "First, I find it strange, like everyone else should, that one of his lowest points was somebody talking about him," Jay-Z said of Kanye's infamous "George Bush doesn't care about black people" comment. "He's the president. People should insult him a lot. That's part of the job description." He went on to reiterate an excerpt from "Decoded" in which he talks about how the mishandling of the rescue/relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina affected him. "It didn't feel like a natural disaster; it felt like it was happening directly to blacks, and immediately those images of people in suits getting beaten, sprayed with hoses, beaten on the bridge at Selma, all these emotions were going on inside of us," Jay said. "Kanye really spoke what everyone else felt." (MTV)
"Me, I'm Pusha, I don't give a f*ck about what George W. Bush's lowest point was, ever. I don't care what he thinks," Pusha told SOHH. "And if Ye was his lowest point, then that says a lot about him. The president of the United States of America, I don't care how he feels emotionally. Listen man, people be getting it f*cked up, man, a lot of what's said comes from a very honest place and at the end of the day, if anything Ye said made Bush feel some type of way, then you sort of have to look at stuff in its whole perspective. You have to look in the mirror and say, 'What the f*ck was I doing wrong to make this guy say this and so many people agree with it?'" (SOHH)
(sohh)
Kanye's latest opus continues his string of hit number one albums on the billboard's charts. "My Twisted Dark Fantasy" sold over a half a million units in its debut week besting runner up Nikki Minaj's highly anticipated "Pink Friday". Lil Wayne's protege' sold nearly 400,000 units her debut week, she's definetely on her way to becoming the first female to go platinum many years in the hiphop/rap genre. DefJam/Island Music Group has six of the top ten albums in the country chart wise and sales wise this week.
[With Kanye West's much-anticipated comeback nearing fruition, "So Appalled" collaborator RZA recalls contributing to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.]
Kanye West is a focused artist. He invited out a lot of classic hip-hop producers to come and rock with him for his album. I think [it's] a real positive thing to reach back, and what I like about him is he has the capability to do it all by himself. He doesn't need no help in what he do but I think with him reaching out, it shows the unity of hip-hop which is kind of missing.
[With] a lot of artists who make it, the bigger they get, the further way they get away from the roots of things. I'm proud with him being one of the biggest artists in the world, still reaching back to the root of things. [Kanye's] got a lot of the dope emcees that's out today, he's got classic producers, classic emcees, he did something that hip-hop needed.
What hip-hop needed was to show the balance from both generations. Even though we only worked together a few times, he's always given me big ups and he would always be in the articles bigging up RZA, Ghostface and all of us who inspired him through our early work and helped mold him to the style that he developed.
RZA is one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan and a renowned producer/rapper. The music veteran was recruited by Kanye West to work on his new album and contribute to multiple G.O.O.D. Music Friday releases.(SOHH)
I always felt that Kanye breathed new life into the game when he entered, he wasn't afraid to push the envelope, he's never afraid to display different aspects of himself and of the genre.( THA CHILL ONE)
Dear Kanye... An Open Letter By Russell Simmons......(GLOBALGRIND)
Dear Kanye,
I have early recollections of Damon Dash calling me and forcing me to put you on Def Poetry Jam. I knew your record, "Through The Wire," but I didn't know much more. When you took the stage on Def Poetry Jam that night, and spit those genuine, heartfelt words, I witnessed your specialness that Damon had emphatically told me about.
From that moment on, you became a poet who has inspired the poets. I have proudly watched your career since then, and in case someone has missed the obvious, you are making a historical impact on music. Your life story took a tough turn with the passing of your mother. Although we grieved with you, we never really knew how much pain you were in. We witnessed your moment at the MTV Music Awards and many of us dismissed it as, "oh that is just Kanye being Kanye." The hard part of all of this, is that we have all had moments in our lives that have been challenging, painful and hard to overcome, however most of us just hide our emotions and never deal with that inner-struggle that we face on a daily basis. As an artist, Kanye, you have always looked inside for your inspiration...always exuding emotions that are in us, but that we never expose. That is what artistry is about...to look inside for what is unique. With your journey towards a higher level of consciousness, a journey that we all are on, you have shown through your art a commitment to greatness.
The thirty minute film you most recently made was beyond brilliant. Brilliance is not a word that can even begin to describe your ability to paint vibrant, vivacious, colorful yet muted paintings of poetry, music, costume, art, design and
most important, passion. The passion you put into your new album is why I stayed up all those nights in the early 80's trying to get DJs and radio stations to play our records. I knew this day would come. Actually, maybe I didn't know, but I really, really hoped it would. I didn't work this hard when I was your age to watch the culture go the wrong way. And you, my friend, just took us to another level. I am simply in awe.
With this power, as you know, comes great responsibility. I am saying nothing you haven't heard before. When you spoke about President Bush during the Katrina telethon, it was not the particulars of your words that mattered, it was the essence of a feeling of the insensitivity towards our communities that many of us have felt for far too long. It was the image of the President, our President, the President of the United States Of America, peering out the window of an airplane, as the people on the ground were drowning, that hurt us the most. For centuries, our people have relentlessly tread water as hard as they could to stay afloat, and here we were, literally drowning, and it felt like the President was insensitive. There is no need to apologize, Kanye. You spoke from your heart and that is all we will ever ask from you. Don't be afraid of the press, as your art
is your blueprint, thanks to Jay-Z, your big brother, we will always carry our destiny in our own hands. You are are an artist whose art is masterful. You are a servant to this world who no matter how hard it gets, keeps on giving. Giving gifts that inspire us, challenge us and motivate us to be better family and friends.
Keep on, Kanye. Keep on. We love you. We cherish you. And we will always have your back.
-Russell Simmons
George Bush says Kanye West's comment that he "doesn't care about Black people" was the worst moment in his Presidency.
Kanye West may have thought that he mended old bridges he stomped on, but ex-president George Bush says he's still hurt.
In an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer for the upcoming interview on the Matt Lauer Reports , George Bush recalls that dreadful day in 2005 when Kanye West boldly proclaimed in front of millions the truth statement that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
“He called me a racist,” Bush said in the interview. “And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now. It's one thing to say, ‘I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another thing to say, ‘This man's a racist.' I resent it, it's not true.”
It seems that Bush was so upset about the proclamation that he wrote about it in his memoirs Decision Points.
“Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust. I faced a lot of criticism as president. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low.'George Bush Responds To Kanye Post Katrina Criticism: "That Was The Most Disgusting Thing I've Ever Heard" [Video]
» by tffhthewriter November 3, 2010, 13:24pm
George Bush says Kanye West's comment that he "doesn't care about Black people" was the worst moment in his Presidency.
Kanye West may have thought that he mended old bridges he stomped on, but ex-president George Bush says he's still hurt.
In an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer for the upcoming interview on the Matt Lauer Reports , George Bush recalls that dreadful day in 2005 when Kanye West boldly proclaimed in front of millions the truth statement that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
“He called me a racist,” Bush said in the interview. “And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now. It's one thing to say, ‘I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another thing to say, ‘This man's a racist.' I resent it, it's not true.”
It seems that Bush was so upset about the proclamation that he wrote about it in his memoirs Decision Points.
In an excerpt read by Lauer, Bush states:
“Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust. I faced a lot of criticism as president. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low.'
Bush who states that although minorities were criticizing his choices in business, he felt his "race relations record" was strong.
"My record was strong, I felt, when it came to race relations and giving people a chance." Bush said. "[That moment on the telethon] was a disgusting moment.”
Bush states that although the Kanye diss was the most disgusting moment during his presidency, he was deeply affected by the Hurricane that devastated Louisiana. Bush goes on to say that although he doesn't care...about critics. He wanted to shed the true light on how the incident affected him personally.
"I make it clear [in my book] that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There's a lot of tough moments in the book. And [the incident with Kanye West]was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.”
To see the full interview of Matt Lauer Reports with ex-President George Bush, tune in to NBC on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m
In an excerpt read by Lauer, Bush states:
Kanye recently spoke t MTV's Sway about his plans for his next big tour.
"I would definitely like to bring Nicki Minaj on tour, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi... I'd like to do different tours," 'Ye told MTV News' Sway in an interview following yesterday's Runaway premiere. His big brother Jay-Z and Lil Wayne could also be potential tourmates on his first trek since 2008's "Glow in the Dark." "I'd like to do a tour with me and Jay. I think that's an obvious winner right there," shared Yeezy. "A tour with me and Wayne, maybe me, Wayne, Jay, and Drake. One thing though that I'mma do, especially with my tour this time, is I'mma keep it very, very, very hip-hop." (Rap-Up)
Kanye West has given fans some extended (and sometimes unsettling) glimpses inside his psyche lately, from his decadent Dalí-esque video for "Power" to the pristine troupe of ballet dancers who surrounded him during his recent performances on "Saturday Night Live." So it's only fitting that the title of his next album should reflect the summation of his alternately playful and twisted soul: the record will be called "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Mr. West wrote Tuesday morning on his Twitter account. Mr. West said the first song on the album would be "Dark Fantasy," a track produced by RZA and co-produced by No I.D. and Mr. West, and the next single to be released would be a song called "All of the Lights." (New York Times)
Kanye says he is clueless about the connection between the illuminati and celebrities via his twitters below:
"I've got question about "the illuminati" ... what is it exactly ???... and why do people think pop stars have a membership???!!! LOL
"I am down with Cluemanotti though, that's my boy ... @therealdjclue"
"Is illuminati and devil worshipping like the same thing... do they have a social network that celebs can sign up for?"
"What's better for devil worshipping Iphone or the Droid... Does lucifer return text... is he or she on Skype? Don't wanna be sexist" (Kanye West's Twitter)
In modern times it is also used to refer to a purported conspiratorial organization which acts as a shadowy "power behind the throne", allegedly controlling world affairs through present day governments and corporations, usually as a modern incarnation or continuation of the Bavarian Illuminati. In this context, the Illuminati are believed to be the masterminds behind events that will lead to the establishment of a New World Order. (Wikipedia)
Remember when Vigilant Citizen proposed that Lady Gaga was a member of the Illuminati? Well, they're at it again, this time pointing to Jay-Z's video for "On to the Next One" as positive proof that the hip-hop star has a strong connection with secret societies. According to their report, the occult imagery contained in the clip includes Jay-Z making himself look holy by shining some flashing lights behind his head. Here's Vigilant Citizen to explain further: "The one who refers to himself as "HOV" or "Jay-Hova" (a reference to Jehovah, the proper name of God in Abrahamic religions) might be sending the message that he is a god in a LeVeyan satanism kind of way rather than the "black gods" of the Five-Percenters." (Prefix Mag)
(SOHH)
November 22nd. "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" Album Tracklist:::
1. Dark Fantasy
2. Gorgeous Featuring Raekwon & Kid Cudi
3. Power
4. All Of The Lights
5. Monster Featuring Jay Z.,Rick Ross,Nikki Minaj,& Bon Iver
6. So Appalled Featuring Jay Z.,Pusha T.,RZA,Swizz Beatz, & Prynce
Cy Hi
7. Devil In A Dress
8. Runaway Featuring Pusha T.
9. Hell Of A Life
10. Blame Game Featuring John Legend & Pusha T.
11. Lost In The World
12.See Me Now
Kanye West X Access Hollywood: “Could You Imagine Waking Up To Tweets That Say “Die N***a Die”?
Kanye West sat down with Access Hollywood and spoke about his film, “Runaway,” and upcoming album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” which will be in stores November 22. He also discussed the media’s ability to create the enemy and whether his songs are directed towards anyone in particular. Here are a few excerpts
Do you ever feel like went away or were you soul searching?
Yeah definitely, soul searching. It’s difficult…could you imagine waking up one day, today 2010 where Barack Obama is president and literally there’s millions of tweets that say, “Die n*gga, Die!”? Could you imagine?
Something that wasn’t racially charged at all, it was more…okay this is right and this is wrong. To be thrown in the box of being a racist. Where literally, it would be white girls that say “Hey, I thought you didn’t like us!” Like I hate all white people now. The way the media tries to create the enemy wrestler, the Russian wrestler. They create these characters and you’re not even like a real person or have any dynamics..basically an enemy
It’s really stupid and harsh but the only thing about the media and that….I have the internet and I have my music and my voice is going to be louder and I’m going to WIN. I’m going to prevail and the right is gong to prevail. For the honesty, the truth, the creativity, and the person I am…a good person with good intentions with everything I do. If you look at it, it’s still good intentions maybe bad timing but regardless good intentions and it’s going to prevail.
Are songs directed to certain people and events on the “Runway” album?
It’s very direct and very extremely emotional. The “Runaway” piece at the end, it’s like my voice is being changed into a guitar. When I did that I was tearing up. Just humming the abstracted notes, I was crying just humming notes. And the notes were more expressive than the words.
Read more: Kanye West X Access Hollywood: “Could You Imagine Waking Up To Tweets That Say “Die N***a Die”?
Who is the song directed to?
In a way it’s funny. The songs just sound like they’re talking about a girl. It can also be talking about my relationship with society or my relationship with the fans or anyone who I let down. Or people that had to defend me or really love me or everything. I like leaving songs ambiguous a little bit, where it could be about other people or it could be about yourself. It can be a man’s anthem, but its a woman’s anthem also..let’s have a toast to the douche bags.
Read more: Kanye West X Access Hollywood: “Could You Imagine Waking Up To Tweets That Say “Die N***a Die”? |
Who is the song directed to?
In a way it’s funny. The songs just sound like they’re talking about a girl. It can also be talking about my relationship with society or my relationship with the fans or anyone who I let down. Or people that had to defend me or really love me or everything. I like leaving songs ambiguous a little bit, where it could be about other people or it could be about yourself. It can be a man’s anthem, but its a woman’s anthem also..let’s have a toast to the douche bags.
Read more: Kanye West X Access Hollywood: “Could You Imagine Waking Up To Tweets That Say “Die N***a Die”?
Various reports are surfacing that Kanye West cancelled his interview and performance on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" at the last minute via email. Sources told In Touch Weekly she was incensed and very unhappy about the last minute cancellation. If its true,so what, Kanye can do whatever the hell he wants thats not going to make or break his career period. Oprah has never been a fan or advocate to hip hop through out the years. She get a few kudos for having Jigga on there but other than that she can continue to interview the peole she been interviewing for 25 seasons. It'll blow over if it hasn't already,they'll both be fine especially Oprah. If I had a Billion dollars the whole damn country could be mad at me and I'd get through it,I'd manage,lol,lol.
By now the whole world knows about Kanye's infamous rant at last years VMAS against Taylor Swift receiving an award beating out Beyonce' even though by most people's standards Beyonce' should have won, the way that West handled the situation interupting Taylor's speech was ill-timed and unprofessional indeed. Kanye had instantly become the poster boy for blogs and talk show host across the country ripping him on every givin occassion but he bounced back strong and solid recently this summer with blazing music lead by his monster single "Power" and its scorching remix featuring Jay Z. and Swizz Beats. Taylor Swift on the other hand career continued to soar to astronomical heights and the country continued to sympathize with her over the top since the Kanye debacle. They had never come face to face again until Sunday night's MTV VMA'S in LosAngeles, Ca backstage at the Nokia Theater where they reportedly met in her dressing room privately according to my various inside sources. The meetings details will remain between the both of them according to inside sources. Whats for certain,they both seem to basically perform songs Sunday night alluding to one another , first Swift sang "Innocent" and later in the show Kanye closed the show with his new single "Runaway". Big ups to Kanye.
By now most people have tweeted, FB status updated, and just say the chorus of Kanye West's new song "Toast To Douchebags"..The chorus goes:
peep the vid for more...The CHILL ONE“I always find something wrong/ You've been putting up with my sh*t just way too long/I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most/So I think it's time that we have a toast/ Let's have a toast for the douche bags/Let's have a toast for the assholes/Let's have a toast to the scumbags/ Every one of them that I know/ Let's have a toast for the jerk offs/ That'll never take work off/ Baby I got a plan/ Runaway as fast as you can.”
We all know about the Kanye VMA incident, and we all know what happened. He did it, got played by the media, went on a hiatus, and came back harder than ever! Now that he has his own twitter page, he has broken his long awaited silence about the whole event....shout out to SOHH for the story...
"Man I love Twitter... I've always been at the mercy of the press but no more... The media tried to demonize me," Ye tweetedyesterday (September 4th).
"They wanted yall to believe I was a monster in real life so you guys wouldn't listen or buy my music anymore."
"I feel like they were waiting for the opportunity to go in all the way on me and when it came they beat me to a pulp"
"With the help of strong will, a lack of impathy, a lil alcohol and extremely distasteful & bad timing ... I became George Bush over night"
"How deep is the scar... I bled hard.. cancelled tour with the number one pop star in the world ... closed the doors of my clothing office"
"Had to let employees go... for the first time I felt the impact of my brash actions ... I felt the recession from an ownership side"
"People booed when I would go to concerts and the performer mentioned my name."source
-The CHILL ONE-
