Article Written By:
Nipho Madondo
Jay-Z and Kanye West have worked together for the greater part of the last decade, stemming from as far back as West's soulful production on Jay-Z's The Dynasty: Roc La Familia right through West's entire discography thus far, with Jay-Z being a prominent feature artist and the same can be said about West to Jay-Z ever since. The pair has become among the most successful artists of the current age and naturally, a collaborative effort from the two was bound to be among the most anticipated albums of the year.
The result is a progressive, intelligent and most notably, finely produced album, taking nothing away from lyrical content. At first glance, the album sounds like a typical Kanye West featuring Jay-Z collaboration spread out over 12 songs (16 on the deluxe edition) with Niggas in Paris being the only song being dominated by that Jay-Z swagger, right down to the clip midway. In typical Kanye West featuring Jay-Z fashion however, Jay-Z manages to consistently outperform West. The creative direction of the album can certainly be assumed to have been championed by West, right down to the album sleeve, with Jay-Z coming in to display his lyrical prowess and the feature artists able to keep up with the duo, with Frank Ocean even stealing the show on both Made in America and the standout track No Church in the Wild.
The lyrical content covers a wide range of topics, from your can-be-expected arrogance and bragging on songs such as Otis and Who Gon Stop Me to family and the American dream on Made in America to the slow-paced New Day in which West and Jay-Z addresses their future sons.
West and Jay-Z have certainly managed to live up to the hype and weight their names carry. While Watch the Throne can in no way be compared to either The College Dropout or Reasonable Doubt, it is none the less a wonderful effort.
Final Verdict 7.5/10.