Released online as financial markets took a historic plunge, the full-length collaboration between Jay-Z and Kanye West revels in self-described “luxury rap.” Two of hip-hop’s biggest stars tell us in rhyme form that even in this economy, they can afford fine art, haute couture, even top-tier German home appliances. If you can forgive these self-satisfied rap titans their name-checking though, “Watch The Throne” has more on its mind. Celebration of the high life is undercut by regrets, loneliness, and snatches of mournful social commentary. Watch us on top, they seem to say, but know that we don’t always like what we see from here — both looking outward and in.
“Murder to Excellence” encapsulates the theme in a two-parter that shifts beats halfway through. West begins by quoting an old Jay-Z line — “I’m from the murder capital, where they murder for capital” — to decry black-on-black violence in his hometown of Chicago. Jay-Z then describes ascending to “the new black elite” with Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey. “Only spot a few blacks the higher I go … that ain’t enough. We gon’ need a million more,” he raps.
| LISTEN UP |
| ‘Watch The Throne’ |
| » Artist: Jay-Z and Kanye West |
| » Label: Def Jam |
| » Price: $13.99 |
Isolation infuses the Swizz Beats-produced “Welcome to the Jungle,” where West drinks away his struggles: “Just when I thought I had everything, I lost it all. So que sera. Get a case of Syrah, let it chase the pain.” Jay-Z places himself in the shoes of fellow musicians at their lowest points, linking Eminem, Michael Jackson, Pimp C, 2Pac and more through coded couplets that reward repeat listening.
“Throne” is sometimes guilty of failing to let its lyrics breathe, as West and other producers drown out the duo’s rhymes with distracting vocal samples or ever-escalating arrhythmic electro beats. “Who Gon Stop Me” is an ambitious but ultimately failed rap-dubstep mashup. The playful wordplay of “Gotta Have It” gets lost in the Neptunes’ multiple James Brown samples. Beyonce showcase “Lift Off” wants to be a successor to West’s regal, star-studded “All of the Lights” but feels incomplete, like it was ripped from an engineer’s hands to beat a deadline.
Not including Jay-Z’s R. Kelly collaborations — and really, the less said the better — these hard-working rhyme partners have touched on their genre’s familiar aspirational themes repeatedly over the course of a combined 16 solo albums. On top, done counting their Basquiats and all-black Maybachs, they’re left to assess: What else is there?
