August 07, 2011

Watch the Throne (Album Review)

So about 1 hour and 19 mins ago, the greatest album to hit the music landscape in 2011 dropped, and let me tell you...it did not disappoint.  I sat on Facebook like a cracka and reviewed each track for people who probably don't even like me, much less care about my reactions to the tracks on WTT.  Oh well, the following are my initial reactions to each track (except Otis):

1.  No Church in the Wild (f/ Frank Ocean): Thought provoking...certainly gonna raise some eyebrows with the content lyrically. To each his own, watch the throne. Grade: B
2.  Lift Off (f/ Beyonce):  Kanye semi-singing...Beyonce adds the beautiful touch to this track. This one you can bump without ever hearing Jay or Ye. The piano and the synths are amazing. The drums are pretty powerful. Very Beyonce "Countdown"-ish. "we gonna tak...e it to the moon/take it to the stars/too many scars/bout to take this thing to Mars." Mission command brings it back to the chopped hook. Very "grown folks" type music. It'll certainly be a fave if you love poppy tracks. Grade: B-
3.  N***as in Paris: Interesting beat selection. Very Southern rapp-ish. Jay goes in referencing the holy trinity of Mikes...Jackson, Tyson and Jordan. Haven't heard Jay go in this hard since his Vol. 3 album. Not feelin it much, but it'll grow. Kanye: "Prince william ain't do it right if you ask me/he shoulda married (Mary) Kate and ASHLEY" Sick...the end of the track the beat switches up. And Kanye says "don't let me get in my zone..." Grade C+ (the last fifteen seconds, B+)
4.  Gotta Have It: Start out with white America talk by Kanye...I love it. This beat is also very UGK-ish (peace Pimp C). The sample is interesting. Haven't check the credits to see who produced this one yet. Lovin it, very hip hop. Lots of "sound raps" in this one. "I remain Chi-town, Brooklyn til I die." They split the bar. They split the bar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sick. Jada and Styles style. Grade: B
5. Otis: Not Reviewed
6.  New Day:   Produced by the RZA. Oh man, this is some deep Kanye. Very introspective. He wants his son to have an easy life. "and I never ever let him hit a strip club/I learned the hard way, that ain't the place to get love." Oh man, tear drop ri...ght there, no lie. These lyrics are heart-wrenching. If you hated pompous Kanye West, you have to listen to this song. Period. Jay in on verse 2. No hook. More introspective raps. Both emcees are speaking to their unborn sons. Wow. Jay closes it out with something that 75% of minorities can relate to...missing fathers. Including myself. Oh man, what a great track. Super emotional. The RZA gave us a 90's feel type beat. Gotta love it. "it's a new life for me..." Grade B+
7.  That's My B**ch: This one has the best lyrical prowess. Contrary to the tone of the title, there are some very high regards for women in this one, particularly to Beyonce, "now back to my Beyonces" Kanye wyles out no doubt. This song was leaked months ago, so nothing exciting here. Grade B-
8.  Welcome to the Jungle:  Swizz Beatz produced (thumbs down) but the tone of the song isn't bad. Jay calls himself "Black Axl Rose." Introspective lyrics from Jay. Kanye lets the world know how he felt when his life fell apart. Jay is killin this one. Awesome, too bad I hate Swizzy. Basically all Jay. Awesome. Grade B+ (only cuz of Swizz).
9.  Who Gon Stop Me?:   Interesting beat. Love it. The power here is sick. Think about all thos old bass CDs you'd bump (Booty Bass Vol. 9 for example) and this is the feel of the beat. But with Jay and Ye. Hahaha, Jay killin it. Kanye goin Pig Latin...hahah...ahah. LOVE IT, my favorite song of the whole album (to this point). Tempo switch about half way. Jay and Ye goin in "I show up in all white, no socks" ahhahaha, #drugreference. OH man, JAY IS GOING IN AT THE END>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>​>>>>>>>>>>>>> Grade: A
10.  Murder to Excellence:   I'm pumped for this one. Starts out with Jay singing, "bloody murder." Kanye singin about black on black murder. Jay spittin bout black man murdered in the streets. Acoustic guitar on the track, love it. 41 souls murdered in 50 hours......Kanye the stat man. This is epic. KRS-One and Public Enemy EPIC. For yall old schoolers that hate these two, this is the song for yall...takin it back to hip hop. I am in love with this song. Also, do your research on the murder rates in Chicago. Bout HALF WAY through the song, "excellence" sets in and Jay starts rappin to the kids about how he made it. "only spot a few blacks the farther I go." Kanye comin in now. Both talkin about how they represent the black community. Sounds like the dopest black after school special message ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grade: A+++++++++++++++++++++++++ (social awareness is always perfect in my book)
 

11.  Made In America:   Love it. There are a bunch of clowns saying how the Watch the Throne deal is a shot to Jesus and him being king. This song is almost religious in nature. Givin props to black pioneers and the son of God himself. Kanye is telling his sto...ry. I am literally sitting here with tears in my eyes. This song alone was worth the wait. The wait for Watch the Throne. Wow, what a song. and I'm only half way through. Jay is hittin it now. Wow. This song is amazing. Not an A+ but certainly gonna get there the 50th or 200th time I hear it. So I'll let you know next week, hahaa. Grade: A (The most anticipated track next)
12.  Why I Love You (f/ Mr. Hudson):  "I love you so, but why I love you I never know." I could leave it there and you would get it. But this is amazing. There are synths and guitars but no drums in the verses and Jay murders it. I love it. Can do without the Chipmunk sou...nd. Jay is killing this song. Oh man, second verse Jay and Ye trade bars for about six bars and it's amazing. Some 80s feel to this. Verse three is amazing. This song is deep too. The strings. and then POOF, it's over. Grade: A
13.  Illest Mother****er Alive:   For those that got the standard edition, yall won't hear this....but the track begins about 5 miins into it (hidden track style). Beat hittin hard, Ye is killin it. Hahaha, sounds loaded and drunk, which is funny, cuz that's Kanye. Oooh,... it's the Russell Crowe rap from the documentary!!! haha, love it, this thing hits hard. Ye is killing the verse with the cleverness. This song is madness, bananas. And just when I thought Ye had Jay...JAY COMES THROUGH WITH THE MEANEST VERSE OF THE ALBUM.....................​.........WOW :) Wow, the ending with the fat lady singing is amazing. Chills, I got chills three different times in this song. CHILLS. Grade: A
14.  Primetime:  This beat is mean, the kind of ish you're gonna hear on Second Serving, piano heavy. Oh man this track is sick, very different sounds on the beat. I love it, the beat is soooooooooooooo sick. 'Dropout' KANYE!!!!!!!!!!! I just got taken ...back to Feb 2004....This beat is sick did I mention that?!?!?!?! I don't think I did. Hahaha, oh man, get the deluxe version just for this track. SICK. Grade: B+ (lyrical content a little shallow after the first four bars of Jay's verse)
15.  The Joy:  This song's been out for a long time, back to 2010's "G.O.O.D. Friday" releases by Kanye. The beat is Pete Rock and is one of the sickest beats in hip hop history. Again, very introspective Ye and Jay, talking about kids they never had....deep stuff. Not too excited here because it's been out almost a year now. Grade: B
16.  H.A.M. : The "first" single off the album....hard criticism from many...I like the song. The Kanye verse is on point while the Jay verse is EVEN MORE on point. The song infuses some opera singing and its production is amazing. Very hard hitting..but most critics hated it, but it def is one of the better tracks on the album...just listen to Jay's verse. Grade: B
SUMMARY:   The album has lived up to its hype. Of course I am biased in every which way, but I tried to be as honest as possible with the song grades, as I know that I would have otherwise graded everything "A." I love this album. I can already fee...l the controversy, the love/hate, and the emotion that it will invoke amongst many people. I personally LOVE the album. I love hip hop. I live for times like this. I shared my thoughts as I got my first listen of Watch The Throne and I hope someone will read them, at least give em a shot. I will be posting these comments on my blog as well so we can get at these linearally. If you haven't done so, go cop your personal copy on iTunes and remember...these are the two kings of hip hop, so WATCH THE THRONE.
 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

good review

Anonymous said...

Great review bro. I agree 100 percent.

Anonymous said...

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