Album Review: Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch the Throne

7.5 out of 10

As if we really needed a joint album to tell us that Kanye West and Jay-Z own the hip-hop throne.  But here we have Watch the Throne, which only solidifies this fact, but what do Kanye and Jay have to prove, and who are they trying to prove it to?

I’m just going to put it out there that this is a Kanye album where Jay happens to guest on every track.  From the production style to the “skits” (dialogue from Blades of Glory that end up being more distracting than funny) to the musical interludes between some tracks to the album art by Riccardo Tisci, this is a Kanye project.  Some may argue that Kanye even has the upper hand on most of the verses, although Jay surprises and even trumps his partner in some instances.  But this isn’t a Kanye album, and so it has to be judged on the fact that this was a joint project, and after an initial listen, it’s a little disappointing.

Those expecting to be blown away by which should have been like, the ultimate marriage in hip-hop talents coming together to just make a blow out affair should, well, not expect that.  Watch the Throne is nuanced and is even serious for a majority of the running time.

Tracks take musical twists and turns – there are dubstep breakdowns (I think this is now just a requirement for all music in 2011) and beat shifts which are oft the best moments of the album.  While “Lift Off” is a guaranteed big radio hit thanks to Beyoncé, it’s the last minute of the song where it gets really musically interesting, and this is the minute most likely to be cut during the radio edit.  We hear pure horns; Beyoncé’s vocal is remixed with an added in “Jump!” and then hand drums come in to stir everything to perfection.  It’s a wonderful moment, and could have been the base for an entire track.

Same goes for “Ni**as in Paris.”  The main track is entertaining enough – who doesn’t like to hear Jay rap about his Rolex and Vuitton and Kanye mentioning Margiela over a straight balling track?  I mean it’s sick.  Yet again, with this track it’s the last minute that really seals the deal.  We get a very Kanye-esque melancholy chorus in the background as piano chords accentuate the fact that both Kanye and Jay are definitely in their zones.

The lighter tracks are the fun that you would have expected from a Kanye/Jay album, but have some problems of their own.  “That’s My Bitch” starts out with Kanye impersonating the part where Alicia Keys calls her café love in “U Don’t Know My Name,” before turning into a party jam, but really doesn’t offer anything that we haven’t heard from Kanye or Jay before.  “Otis” is…well, Otis.  And while probably not considered a lighter track by the majority, “Made in America” just can’t be taken seriously by me, Frank Ocean’s “Sweeeet Queen Corettaahhhhhaaahhh” is just too giggle inducing.  It’s just trying damn hard, even if the versus from Kanye and Jay are heartfelt.

The more emotional tracks continue to be the standouts, with “New Day” being one of the highlights of the album as Kanye and Jay tell their unborn children to learn from the mistakes they have made over a flowing vocal sample of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”  “Murder to Excellence” follows in this same emo vein where we can hear a hand-strummed guitar while the two artists muse on “black on black murder.”  And “Welcome to the Jungle” has Swizz Beatz returning in fine form, where minor electric keys make for another emotional moment.

And while Kanye and Jay’s verses are more often traded back and forth seemingly independent from one another, it finally all comes together with the excellent “Why I Love You.”  Whoever made the genius decision to lift Cassius’  “I Love You So” as is, simply adding a more hard-hitting bass line, should be applauded. While Jay owns the majority of the song, it’s near the end when Jay and Kanye go back and forth mid-sentence, trading statements and finally rapping on top of each other as the track dissolves into strings (that should have lasted another minute) as they declare “for these ni**as not know what they do, ooh.”

I mean the thing is though, both Kanye and Jay do indeed know what they’re doing, together on this album and independently from each other.  That’s why it comes as a surprise that this album is a grower and has its weak moments.  Both men tend to aim for immediacy with their work, however Watch the Throne requires multiple listens before it can be fully digested.

In “Why I Love You,” Jay asks, “Wasn’t I a good king?” as Kanye answers “Maybe too much of a good thing, huh?” I just want to know – for being so self-assured throughout this whole affair, what are they so nervous about?

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