Jun 17, 2025 at 11:41 AM

297. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne (2011) [June17th, 2025]

For some reason, Kanye communities really seem to underrate Watch the Throne, which is really f---ing dumb in my opinion.

Sometimes I like to envision Watch the Throne as the middle part of a trilogy that also includes MBDTF and Cruel Summer. This whole era just radiates excess and wealth, and WTT might be the best example of this. In regards to Jay's career, WTT is set right in the middle of the decent Blueprint 3 and the terribly mediocre Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jay and Ye had already proven themselves to be an incredible duo, but that doesn't always guarantee that the record would be good (looking at you h---: the Sequel )

Thankfully though, WTT is a great record. "No Church in the Wild" is a very good intro, and the whole vibe of the record is set up from the getgo. "Lift Off" is eh, the first half is good, but the latter half is a bit boring for me. "n----s in Paris" is a classic, and it's iconic for a reason. That beat is still so f---ing hard.

"Otis" is great, but I can never hear it without thinking about Funk Flex's premiere for it lmao


The beat for "Gotta Have It" is very odd, but I still like it. The album's thematic core really starts around "New Day" which is a great song, with boy Ye and Jay delivering some deep verses over a great Nina Simone sample ("me and the RZA connect!"). "That's My b----" and "Who Gon' Stop Me" are so f---ing hedonistic, that I can't help but love them. Also,

This is something like the Holocaust
Millions of our people lost


"Murder to Excellence" and "Why I Love You" are some pretty good closing tracks, but I've never liked "Made in America", It's just like, meh for me. In regards to bonus tracks, I think they're all pretty d--- good, and "H.A.M." is OVERHATED.

Watch the Throne's themes are also very interesting. The clear divide between excessive tracks like "n----s In Paris" & "That's My b----" and slower, darker songs like "New Day" and "Murder to Excellence" is definitely intentional. I saw this theory from someone else years ago, but the little musical interlude at the end of deeper songs like "No Church In The Wild" and "Welcome to the Jungle" might serve as a commentary on how black entertainers often have to play up these hedonistic "circus-like" roles to be able to succeed, which is represented by the fact that the interlude is almost always followed by the less thoughtful tracks. I'm not black, so I can't really speak on the whole black excellence theme that's presented throughout the album, but there's definitely a lot to dive into. I still enjoy Watch the Throne a lot, and I can't wait for the sequel (It's coming....right?)

 

Jun 17, 2025 at 11:43 AM

Also, I can't believe we have like 80 versions of Hurricane, but we still don't have this grail