Never saw that anybody started this topic on here... but I have already done a review elsewhere. The important thing to keep in mind is that hip-hop has grown so much recently that it has multiple approaches: Radio hip-hop, conscious hip-hop, Waka Flocka type hip-hop that is just supposed to make you wild, and this luxurious sounding hip-hop that is shared by Kanye, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and others. There are other forms of hip-hop but that's not really what I'm getting at. The thing is you can't listen to this album and expect to hear amazing lyricism because Kanye and Jay-Z are not in that stage right now... and who knows if they'll ever return. Right now, Kanye is producing some of the most complicated and grandiose beats that rap has ever heard and providing forgettable lyrics that basically just allow him to get his shallow feelings out. If you're a big Kanye fan, don't get mad at me for saying that... Kanye is actually currently my favorite rapper.
Anyway, here is my review that I wrote a couple days after purchasing the album... As somebody who prefers conscious rap I left by bias at the door and went in with no expectations other than to be entertained.
(This review was done with a lot of research and a few listen-throughs ahead of time just to get a feel for what I'm talking about... but the description of each song is my actual thoughts while listening and intending to review... just to explain the poor grammar, misspelled words if there are any, and just overall Bill Simmons style of writing.)
Album Review
WATCH THE THRONE
Kanye West & Jay-Z (The Throne)
Overall: 64/80 --- 128/160 --- 80/100
Grade: B
1. No Church in the Wild (Ft. Frank Ocean & The Dream)
****1/2
Excellent hook by Frank Ocean, Kanye’s Beat is quite good, Kanye and Jay come on strong with good verses, Awesome synergy between beat progression and verse progression.
2. Lift Off (Ft. Beyonce)
*
Triumphant/strong beat by Kanye, Beyonce’s hook is trash, Kanye’s verse is bad, I don’t see why the majority of twitter thinks this is the best song on the album, Jay’s verse is bad too… not a good song.
3. ____ in Paris
*****
Amazing beat by Hit-boy, Strong verses by Kanye and Jay, Hook is good, Blades of Glory reference is quite funny… just a very good song, really should have been longer though because it’s so good.
4. Otis (Ft. Otis Redding)
****1/2
Love this song, great beat by Kanye, Otis Redding sample is good although it can be overbearing and may distract you from the lyrics, Excellent verses by Jay and Kanye, They rap cohesively on this song better than any other probably.
5. Gotta Have It
****1/2
Sounds too similar to “Otis” to follow it, James Brown sample is nice, The Neptunes beat is very good, If this was longer this could easily be my favorite song on the album. Kanye and Jay rap together again… the album is at its strongest when they rap like this.
6. New Day
****1/2
One of like 4 songs on the album that are actually meaningful or thought provoking, Amazing RZA beat with a Nina Simone sample reminiscent of his “While the heart gently weeps” beat, Kanye and Jay rap about their hypothetical sons and how they would raise them to have better, simpler, easier lives than them. Still only 4 and half stars… just realized there may not be any 5 star songs on this album.
7. That’s My ____ (Ft. La Roux)
***
This beat is a cluster of bad sounds… I’m shocked that Q-Tip is responsible for it. The percussion is nice… reminiscent of ATCQ, but then the screaming sample, horrible synths, and La Roux hook is added… it’s just way too much. Lose the synths and keep the percussion and this would be a little better. Kanye’s verse is pretty good. Male choral part sounds like Robert from Day 26… so that’s pretty good (This may actually be Justin Vernon, which makes it more impressive). Jay’s verse is mediocre… then the song just ends… kind of weird.
8. Welcome to the Jungle
***1/2
Fairly average song, Good beat by Swizz Beats, I hate Swizzy’s voice though so I wish he didn’t provide any vocals on here. Good verses by Jay, Kanye is mediocre on this one.
9. Who Gon’ Stop Me
****
Sham Joseph’s dubstep beat is pretty cool, Jay’s part of the hook is cool… Kanye’s part of the hook is eh, Verses are dope by Kanye and Jay. Jay takes over at the end and absolutely destroys the song… it’s extremely impressive. Kanye doesn’t have any moments like this on the album; Jay has a few… all towards the end, as if he wants everybody to know that he is still the king.
10. Murder to Excellence
*****
Acoustic guitar, gun sounds, and children singing “Lalala’s” make the beat for ‘Murder’ by Swizz Beats… this is awesome. Excellent verses by Kanye and Jay… Meaningful song number 2… Beat changes eventually to ‘Excellence’ by S1… Extremely cool concept by everybody involved. Kid Cudi sneaks some vocals in here… probably wouldn’t be the best song on the album if a few songs were longer, but it seems as if it is.
11. Made in America (Ft. Frank Ocean)
****1/2
This is a beat reminiscent of The Blueprint III made by Sham Joseph… sounds like something out of ‘A Clockwork Orange’. This is meaningful song number 3. Frank Ocean is much better on this song than he is on ‘No Church in the Wild’. Jay and Kanye both with amazing verses.
12. Why I Love You (Ft. Mr. Hudson)
****
Meaningful song number 4… Mr. Hudson is awesome on the hook. Mike Dean’s beat is pretty [dang] good. Jay is ridiculous… another one of those takeover moments by Jay (No pun intended). Kanye pledges his loyalty to Jay. Kanye just doesn’t rap on this song… kind of takes away from the feeling.
13. Illest ______ Alive
*****
Southside beat is awesome… no nod in the credits to the ‘Chariots of Fire’ sample… but it clearly is a ‘Chariots of Fire’ sample, longest song on the album… Kanye provides probably his best verse on the album on this song… and this song didn’t even really make the album… only the deluxe version. This whole album just makes Jay look better than Kanye… kind of strange. Jay provides a great verse on this song too. Some Kid Cudi vocals sneak in again… nice! Is it a coincidence that Kid Cudi is involved in two of the three 5 star songs on the album?
14. H.A.M
****1/2
Lex Lugor and Kanye West’s beat is still amazing after all this time, verses are still awesome, I’m still not very fond of the yelling… so this still doesn’t get 5 stars.
15. Primetime
**1/2
No ID’s beat is probably the worst on the album sadly. Very lazy song… hard to even focus on the lyrics which seem to be fairly mediocre anyway.
16. The Joy (Ft. Curtis Mayfield)
****
This song dropped so long ago during G.O.O.D Friday’s. Pete Rock’s beat is pretty good as is the Mayfield hook. Kanye sounds like the Kanye of ‘College Dropout’ – ‘Graduation’. Jay sounds like early Blueprint Jay… it’s kind of a lazy song though, not a very good way to end the album. Some more Kid Cudi on here though… good stuff.