My Take On "Watch The Throne"

So it finally dropped...after months of hype and no pre-release track leaks (further proving that Jay-Z is in the Illuminati), Kanye and Jigga finally released their joint project Watch The Throne.  I've heard many different opinions on the project, ranging from "OMG!! This album changed my LIFE!!" to "Man...it's whack...they didn't go hard enough" and everything in between.  I really dig the album...although I feel like it could have been so much more with the talent present at EVERY studio session, it was by no means whack.  It has substance in places and gets personal on a couple of tracks...here are some of my thoughts on the album overall.

-I've heard/read multiple times but I feel like it's worth repeating:  this album feels/sounds like a Kanye album that's featuring Jay-Z rather than a collaborative effort.  Most of that is due to Kanye producing almsot every track on the album...it has his distinct sound with heavy soul sampling.  Now that's not to say that Jay-Z isn't good and doesn't have his moments, but Ye definitely outshined his Big Brother on this one.  Maybe it's payback for the Diamonds remix?

-Why is that whenever Charlie Wilson features on a track, he can never just be on one song?  Not that it's a bad thing, but it seems like whenever he lays some vocals down he's outside the booth asking "do you need anything else? Another hook?"  From UGK's Underground Kings to Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Uncle Charlie is gonna give you your money's worth with the background vocals.

-Does Beyonce make Jay-Z put her on Roc-A-Fella songs?  The track that she's on doesn't seem to mesh well with the rest of the album.  She was on a bonus track on Ye's last album too...and you know Uncle Charlie was on the hook too belting out them Gap Band goat notes.

-I really like the track "New Day"...we're used to Kanye sharing his feelings (about anything really) but it was refreshing to hear Jay talk how he's sorry to his unborn children for having the papparzzi follwing them already.  If they could get cameras in to Beyonce's uterus I'm sure they would...damn vultures.  That track is in the running for my favorite on the album, but my favorite name has to be "Niggas in Paris."  How you can NOT like a song with that name?  There are going to be many Facebook photo albums with that name soon...

-I know it's been out for a while but HAM is my new cooning out song.  That song gets you turnt up for no apparent reason.

-And what was that 3 minutes of silence about at the beginning of Illest Motherfuckers Alive about?  Furher proof that Ye is too cool for school.  Placing long pauses all willy nilly...had me confused as hell.

Solid album front to back.  I would encourage you all to go buy it...but I'm sure there are many download links on the innanets so...just give it a listen.

-Dub