"H•A•M" features additional vocals by Aude Cardona and Jacob Lewis Smith. [97], Watch the Throne received positive reviews from music critics. 03/09/2021 01:38 PM EST. [25] Ocean mused about the project: "I rarely do collabs, so that's just one of the ones you absolutely do. "[21][24] Ocean admitted that Jay-Z has intentionally intimidated him during recording sessions but declared his enjoyment of working with the two. "Run This Town" from Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, and both "Monster" and “So Appalled” from West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. [86][87] "Why I Love You" served as a European-centric single while "Niggas in Paris" was promoted as a domestic single. [45] It references the line "me and the RZA connect" from Raekwon's 1995 song "Incarcerated Scarfaces", which was also produced by RZA. Many critics and publications named Watch the Throne to their year-end best-of lists, including Rolling Stone and The Washington Post. [63] The sales strategy received criticism from other retailers, who accused the labels of giving preferential treatment to iTunes and Best Buy. "[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. [63] Its deluxe CD edition was sold exclusively by Best Buy through August 23, when it became available at other retailers. "[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. [50] A sample from Indiggo's "LA LA LA" can be heard on the song. "[54] "Niggas in Paris" incorporates staccato orchestration and fizzing industrial noise, topping it all off with a menacing beat and icy synthesizer notes. [105] Q ranked the album number six in its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2011. Opener "No Church in the Wild" features a forceful, cinematic and bass-heavy beat. [3] West's early production work on Jay-Z's music helped raise his profile in the music industry. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. [56] Ocean's hook pays tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz and Jesus on one of the album's more serene tracks. 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". 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. "Illest Motherfucker Alive" features additional vocals by Kid Cudi, Bankulli, and Aude Cardona. [145][146]The album peaked at number two on the German Albums Chart the Danish Albums Chart, and at number three on the Scottish Albums Chart. [74], Watch the Throne spawned seven official singles, with varying degrees of success. It would make it sound 100 times better. It's an album of the moment—a point underlined by the presence of Frank Ocean on two tracks—yet it has the substance to endure. [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. [16] Recording artist and producer Ryan Leslie also confirmed his involvement in the recording of Watch the Throne. 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. Size: 149.17 MB Uploaded: 13-07-2019 09:50 Last download: 05-04-2021 13:07. "[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. [50] West's production continues in the sonic vein he introduced in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, lacing the song with rock dynamics, layering the beat with eerie vocal chorales in the style of progressive rock songs. Watching the Throne is the #1 Kanye Podcast with 100,000+ listeners a month. [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. "[20] Pitchfork's Tom Breihan perceives "pure orchestral excess" on some of its songs and describes the album's musical scope as "a tribute to [West's] distinctive taste and sense of style. [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. Jay-Z & Kanye West "Murder to Excellence" (2011) — The 20 Best White Girl Vocal Samples in Rap History", "Indiggo Twins din nou la The Bitter End din New York", "Kanye West and Jay-Z Form New Group! [130] In its second week, the album remained at number one on the chart, selling an additional 177,000 copies. [38][47] The song has been described as an understated soft-pop track with influence from Michael Jackson and his 1985 charity single "We Are the World". 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. Released on January 11, 2011, this was the first single from Kanye West and Jay-Z’s collaborative album, Watch The Throne.The song finds the … 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. The same thing can happen to hip-hop. [20][36] The track contains a "sledgehammer beat" which is built around French house duo Cassius' 2010 single "I <3 U So". 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. [136] As of July 2013, the album has sold 1,573,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [90] By February 2012, it had reached digital sales of two million in the United States. Ocean provides one of the song's hooks. “Primetime” is the second-to-last song on Watch the Throne’s deluxe … [18] Producer and recording artist The-Dream sings a verse on the track using AutoTune. Name: Watch the Throne (Deluxe).zip. [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. "No Church in the Wild" contains samples from "K-Scope", written and performed by, "Niggas in Paris" contains samples of the Reverend W. A. Donaldson recording "Baptizing Scene"; and dialogue between. High quality Watch The Throne gifts and merchandise. [75][76] It charted at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [46], "Otis" samples Otis Redding's 1966 song "Try a Little Tenderness", manipulating it into a rhythm track with Reddington's vocals and grunts. "[104], Watch the Throne was one of the top-ranked albums in year-end lists by music critics and publications. However, a few reviewers found the lyrical content uninspiring. Upload/Download has been moved to the https/ssl protocol. 03 Apr 2018 20:48. [79][80] Its cover art was created by Riccardo Tisci. [56] The song utilizes an often experimental, bass-driven and dub-step influenced style of composition, with West forcefully rapping lines like "this is something like the Holocaust". [11] One of the tracks that was recorded but didn't make the cut for the album was "Living So Italian. Sample of "Otis" which features Jay-Z and West trading verses over the riff of the sample. [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. Available in a range of colours and styles for men, women, and everyone. [88][89] "Niggas in Paris" was sent to Top 40/Mainstream radio on November 8. [36] The song contains haunting backing vocals and an accompanying tambourine with the two rappers trading verses with the vocal riff playing over them. [14] He noted difficulties in the recording process, including arguments with West regarding their direction. [...] West is more desperate, transparent, awkward, vulnerable. [50] Jay-Z muses on his drug-dealing past with lines like "our apple pie was supplied by Arm & Hammer", with West's verse describing his conflict with fame. "[49], The opening track "No Church in the Wild" features a cinematic production style. [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. [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. [63] One of the most anticipated releases in 2011, Watch the Throne became one of the few major label albums in the Internet age to avoid a leak. [116] "Otis" was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, winning the former. [12] West had brought a majority of his usual production crew onto the project, the same crew that had assisted in the creation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Five years on, one of the most interesting things about Watch The Throne is the career intersection it now represents for Kanye and Hov. 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. In addition, Watch the Throne peaked at number one on the Norwegian Albums Chart and the Swiss Albums Chart. "The Joy" contains samples of "The Makings of You (Live)", written and performed by, Mike Dean – additional production, cello arrangement, engineer, keyboards, mastering, mixing, musician, producer, Noah Goldstein – engineer, mixing, producer, Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua – executive producer, Anthony Kilhoffer – additional production, engineer, mixing, producer, programming, This page was last edited on 25 March 2021, at 17:05. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart", "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 9/4/2011", "Chart Watch Extra: The Year's Top Albums", "Adele Rules 2011 With Top Selling Album & Song", "Adele Is iTunes' Top Seller in 2011, Foo Fighters' 'Wasting Light' Named Album of the Year by Apple Staff", "Top Selling Albums of the Decade So Far", "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS – Official Retail Sales Chart", "Kanye West Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)", "Adele's "21" crowned ARIA's highest selling album of 2011 LMFAO takes single honours with "Party Rock Anthem, "Decade-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums", "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Albums", Australian Recording Industry Association, "Canadian album certifications – Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne", "British album certifications – Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne", "American album certifications – Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne", Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Watch_the_Throne&oldid=1014182656, Albums produced by Mike Dean (record producer), Albums produced by Southside (record producer), Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Certification Table Entry usages for Australia, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures, Certification Table Entry usages for Canada, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Gotta Have It" features additional vocals by, "That's My Bitch" features additional vocals by, "Welcome to the Jungle" features additional vocals by, "Who Gon Stop Me" features additional vocals by Mr Hudson, Swizz Beatz, and. [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. [...] a portrait of two black men thinking through the idea of success in America. "Primetime" contains samples of "Action", written and performed by Orange Krush. [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. [53] The song contains horns and martial drums as Knowles sings, "We gon' take it to the moon/ Take it to the stars. [38] Sharing the name with a Guns N' Roses track, Jay describes himself as the "black Axl Rose" over a jittery, treble-heavy Swizz Beatz production. Music boss tweeted that Watch the Throne … I didn't really think about any of it. [8] Following this, Kanye West announced on Twitter his intention to drop a five-track EP with Jay-Z, titled Watch the Throne. "[47] Writer Kitty Empire interprets it to be about "black power [...] conceived as a swaggering taunt of achievement, in line with both men's previous works, which routinely double as shopping guides. [18] The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, who had worked on West's previous album,[19] is credited as a producer on the track "New Day". 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. In 2011, Jay … One of the main exceptions was producer No I.D., who felt that the two artists weren't pushing forward enough with the music. [17] Producer 88-Keys reportedly played 20 of his beats to West and Jay, who only eventually used one on the finished album. [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. 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. On our website you will find all the today’s answers to Daily Themed Crossword. [45] Redding's vocals are chopped up so thoroughly that his voice serves as a mere melodic riff on the track, with both rappers promptly rapping over it in a braggadocio fashion. The longtime friends and music innovators inspired each other to new heights with their collaboration on Watch The Throne, recorded at various locations around the world. "[43], Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole was less impressed, believing West had contributed a "powerhouse production" but that the album "requires you to tolerate the artists' self-mythologizing and put up with their sometimes awkward attempts at experimentation. Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. [150][151][152][153][154][155], Credits for Watch the Throne adapted from liner notes.[11]. Watch the Throne. [116] It lost the former to West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. [84] The track peaked on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at position 6. [111], In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic albums of the last decade. 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. I would come in with a beat and he'd be like, 'Take this out, slow it down.' 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! "[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. [92], The sixth single was "Gotta Have It", which impacted Urban radio on December 6, 2011,[93] and Rhythmic radio on January 31, 2012. But you guys are important to push this forward. [147][148][149] It also debuted within the top ten on the Belgian Albums Chart, the Dutch Albums Chart, the French Albums Chart, the Irish Albums Chart, the Russian Albums Chart and the New Zealand Albums Chart. 2011 studio album by Jay-Z and Kanye West. 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. Jay-Z and West worked with several guest recording artists, including Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, and Mr Hudson. It's like a no-brainer. [97] Though not released as a single, "Who Gon Stop Me" peaked at 44 on the chart. [34] On the songs' structure, Cole states, "every track eschews the standard verse-hook-repeat format in favor of more dynamic material. [9] He said in the interview that they planned to record in the south of France.[9]. The album features guest appearances from Frank Ocean, The-Dream, Beyoncé and Mr Hudson. Please report any encountered bugs. Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by Jay-Z and Kanye West. 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. "[41] Robert Christgau notes "regal grandiosity" and "glory" as primary themes on the album. [81] "Otis" reached number 12 on the Hot 100. [50] Over the rock-centric, rolling production, both rappers muse over familiar themes of loyalty, sexuality and maternal solidarity. 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. "[47] Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe observed "an undeniable synergy that they embraced for this project. [99] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. "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. Talks Def Jam, Kanye West, & How He Affected "Watch The Throne" (Page 3)", "Jay-Z, Kanye Get To Work In Watch The Throne Studio Pics", "Ryan Leslie Explains Work On Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Watch The Throne, "88-Keys Talks the Making of 'Watch the Throne' Track, 'No Church in the Wild' – The Juice", "The Clipse Hint At Kanye West Collabo: Mixtape Monday", "Merging Empires – Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne, "Kanye & Jay-Z Confirm 'Watch The Throne' Release Date", "Beyonce Shares Her Love For Frank Ocean, Kanye West", "Frank Ocean talks Odd Future, Jay-Z & Watch the Throne Tour", "Album review: Watch the Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West", "Beyoncé, Bruno Mars record collaboration", "Jay-Z, Kanye West reveal 'Watch The Throne' deluxe tracklisting", "Jay-Z Says Kanye West Wanted "Holy Grail" & "Oceans" On "Watch The Throne, "Kanye West and Jay-Z share the spotlight on 'Watch the Throne, "Brag Like That – The Barnes & Noble Review", "Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch the Throne – review", "Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Watch the Throne' (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Roc Nation)", "Listen Up: Jay-Z and Kanye West raise the bar with 'Throne, "Watch the Throne: Uneasy Heads Wear Gaudy Crowns -- Vulture", "The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West), Watch the Throne", "Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch the Throne (staff review)", "Watch the Throne review; Jay-Z and Kanye West album reviewed", "50 Best Albums of 2011: Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Watch the Throne, "Album review: Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne, "Watch the Throne Review: A Gold-Plated Luxury Vehicle, with a Message", "Kanye West and Jay-Z's 'Watch the Throne': A Track-by-Track Breakdown", "Album: Watch The Throne, Watch the Throne (Mercury) – Reviews, Music", https://www.whosampled.com/album/Jay-Z/Watch-The-Throne/, "Kanye West and Jay-Z's 'Watch the Throne': Read the EW review", "New Music: Jay-Z x Kanye West f/ Beyoncé – 'Lift Off, "Gotta Have It by Kanye and Jay-Z Review", "18. 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. Das Album wird dem Genre Hip-Hop zugerechnet. Gigi and Alex face off to see who will be number one at the label. "[36], The album features themes of opulence, fame,[37] materialism,[38] power, and the burdens of success. "[49] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised West's "attention to detail" and found their "wit and absurdity [...] entirely suited to the epic scale of productions.