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An audacious spectacle of vacuous pomposity as well as one of tremendous lyrical depth, Watch the Throne is a densely packed amalgamation of what Jay-Z has termed “ignorant shit” and “thought-provoking shit,” with creative productions that are both top of the line and supremely baffling. Its best moments are among the most vital rap music released in 2011. Its worst moments sound like resuscitated discards from Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The lowest point is “Lift Off,” a bombastic mess; West’s stillborn, sung vocal clashes against a triumphant hook from Beyoncé, while the behind-the-scenes cast, including West, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Q-Tip, Pharrell, Don Jazzy, and the duo LMFAO, overcook a regal and rugged, yet ultimately muddled, production -- one that also features the voices of Seal and Mr. Hudson. All of the highlight tracks come with caveats. On “New Day,” West and Jay-Z address their unborn sons in equally somber and pointed ways, yet there’s a distracting vocal flutter throughout -- to be specific, Nina Simone's version of “Feeling Good” chucked through Auto-Tune. (So much for "D.O.A.") The anthemic “That’s My Bitch” rides on rampaging drums, using two of the most common breaks to fresh effect, and effectively incorporates the wildly dissimilar voices of La Roux's Elly Jackson and Bon Iver/Justin Vernon (the latter of which is made to sound like that of the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson), but the b-word from the mouth of a 41 year-old is as awkward as a throwback on someone of the same age. Kanye’s autobiographical, rise-to-fame verses in the solemn “Made in America” are among his most riveting to date, yet the effect is nearly squashed when he stoops to reference a cartoon that mocked him in 2009. The album contains piles of quotables and some of the fieriest pro-black content in decades. The latter, particularly concentrated during the album’s back half -- where the word “black” is used almost as often as it is in Euripides Smalls’ “I’m Black, Y’all” -- should not be lost amid the album’s ruthless flaunting of material wealth and carte blanche industry resources.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Terius Nash, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - JAMES BROWN, ComposerLyricist - Gary Wright, ComposerLyricist - Ken Lewis, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Pat Thrall, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Phil Manzanera, ComposerLyricist - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The-Dream, FeaturedArtist - Jay Z, MainArtist - Frank Ocean, FeaturedArtist - Joseph Roach, ComposerLyricist - Charles Njapa, ComposerLyricist - Om'Mas Keith, Producer - 88 Keys, Producer - Brent Kolatalo, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lonnie Breaux, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Ricardo Lewis, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Bruno Mars, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - SEAL, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Pharrell Williams, ComposerLyricist - Pharrell, Producer, Co-Producer - Jeff Bhasker, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Q-Tip, Producer, Co-Producer - Noah Goldstein, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Beyonce, FeaturedArtist - Anthony Kilhoffer, Mixer, Programmer, StudioPersonnel - Mr Hudson, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Jay Z, MainArtist - LMFAO, Mixer, Programmer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, ComposerLyricist - Pawel Sek, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Hit-Boy, Programmer - Don Jazzy, Producer, Additional Producer, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Bankulli, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Chauncey Hollis, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Producer, Mixer, Additional Producer, StudioPersonnel - Jay Z, MainArtist - Reverend W. A. Donaldson, ComposerLyricist - Hit-Boy, Producer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Kirk Robinson, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Reg Connelly, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Otis Redding, FeaturedArtist - JAMES BROWN, ComposerLyricist - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Harry M. Woods, ComposerLyricist - Jay Z, MainArtist - Joseph Roach, ComposerLyricist - Roy C. Hammond, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Neptunes, Producer - Kanye West, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Pharrell Williams, ComposerLyricist - JAMES BROWN, ComposerLyricist - Fred Wesley, ComposerLyricist - Kid Cudi, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Noah Goldstein, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jay Z, MainArtist - Joseph Roach, ComposerLyricist - Tony Pinckney, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Anthony Newley, ComposerLyricist - Leslie Bricusse, ComposerLyricist - Ken Lewis, Producer, Additional Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Robert Diggs, ComposerLyricist - Jay Z, MainArtist - RZA, Producer - Brent Kolatalo, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Kamaal Fareed, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jeremiah Lordan, ComposerLyricist - Ronald Lenhoff, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - JAMES BROWN, ComposerLyricist - Blair Wells, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jeff Bhasker, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - Q-Tip, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Bobby Byrd, ComposerLyricist - Andrew Dawson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Connie Mitchell, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Justin Vernon, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jay Z, MainArtist - Christopher Soper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Christian Mochizuki, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gaylord Holomalia, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ely Jackson, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Kasseem Dean, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Mixer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Swizz Beatz, Producer, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Ken Lewis, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jay Z, MainArtist - Brent Kolatalo, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Acapella Soul, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, Additional Producer, ComposerLyricist - S. Joseph, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Swizz Beatz, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Mr Hudson, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Jay Z, MainArtist - Joshua Kierkegaard, ComposerLyricist - Verse Simmonds, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - M. Simmonds, ComposerLyricist - Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph, Producer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Kasseem Dean, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Swizz Beatz, Producer - Kid Cudi, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Caiphus Semenya, ComposerLyricist - A. Chambliss, ComposerLyricist - Jay Z, MainArtist - Matthew Arnold, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Caleb McCampbell, Additional Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Mihaela Modorcea, ComposerLyricist - Gabriela Modorcea, ComposerLyricist - Larry Griffin Jr., ComposerLyricist - S1, Producer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, Additional Producer, ComposerLyricist - S. Joseph, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jay Z, MainArtist - Frank Ocean, FeaturedArtist - Om'Mas Keith, Producer - Lonnie Breaux, ComposerLyricist - Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph, Producer - Laura Escudé, Violin, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - Mike Dean, Producer, Mixer, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Tony Camillo, ComposerLyricist - Kanye West, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Noah Goldstein, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anthony Kilhoffer, Producer, Mixer, Co-Producer, StudioPersonnel - Mr Hudson, FeaturedArtist - Jay Z, MainArtist - Matthew Arnold, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Philippe Cerboneschi, ComposerLyricist - Hubert Blanc Francard, ComposerLyricist - Chris "Hitchcock" Chorney, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Mary Ann Sawyer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2011 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC.
Album review
An audacious spectacle of vacuous pomposity as well as one of tremendous lyrical depth, Watch the Throne is a densely packed amalgamation of what Jay-Z has termed “ignorant shit” and “thought-provoking shit,” with creative productions that are both top of the line and supremely baffling. Its best moments are among the most vital rap music released in 2011. Its worst moments sound like resuscitated discards from Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The lowest point is “Lift Off,” a bombastic mess; West’s stillborn, sung vocal clashes against a triumphant hook from Beyoncé, while the behind-the-scenes cast, including West, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Q-Tip, Pharrell, Don Jazzy, and the duo LMFAO, overcook a regal and rugged, yet ultimately muddled, production -- one that also features the voices of Seal and Mr. Hudson. All of the highlight tracks come with caveats. On “New Day,” West and Jay-Z address their unborn sons in equally somber and pointed ways, yet there’s a distracting vocal flutter throughout -- to be specific, Nina Simone's version of “Feeling Good” chucked through Auto-Tune. (So much for "D.O.A.") The anthemic “That’s My Bitch” rides on rampaging drums, using two of the most common breaks to fresh effect, and effectively incorporates the wildly dissimilar voices of La Roux's Elly Jackson and Bon Iver/Justin Vernon (the latter of which is made to sound like that of the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson), but the b-word from the mouth of a 41 year-old is as awkward as a throwback on someone of the same age. Kanye’s autobiographical, rise-to-fame verses in the solemn “Made in America” are among his most riveting to date, yet the effect is nearly squashed when he stoops to reference a cartoon that mocked him in 2009. The album contains piles of quotables and some of the fieriest pro-black content in decades. The latter, particularly concentrated during the album’s back half -- where the word “black” is used almost as often as it is in Euripides Smalls’ “I’m Black, Y’all” -- should not be lost amid the album’s ruthless flaunting of material wealth and carte blanche industry resources.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:46:12
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Jay Z Kanye West
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Roc Nation - RocAFella - IDJ
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 2011 Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC/Shawn Carter ℗ 2011 Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC/Shawn Carter
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