It’s hard to know how to frame a record like Watch the Throne. Set against the backdrop of Top 40 hip-hop, increasingly defined by the hegemonic dominance of a small group of rappers, and the long-outdated single-centric album campaign formula, it’s startingly adventurous and experimental. Taken as the latest chapter in either of Jay’s or Kanye’s formidable catalog, it feels pretty uneven and disjointed, though occasionally thrilling.
Putting aside context, it’s a jumble of ideas, some brilliant and others not quite as well fleshed-out. But to consider a project like Watch the Throne, as somehow independent from its creators, is to ignore exactly what makes it work. What it lacks in cohesion, it makes up for with sheer grandiosity and personality– the kind only these two are really capable of bringing to the table. If at times it feels unnecessarily gaudy or inarticulate, it’s at least unified by a ridiculous amount of starpower.
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By now, I feel like most of us are coming to appreciate Watch The Throne for what it is. Two artists, arguably at the top of their industry, coming together to make music. Is it classic? I suppose only time will tell. Although when you’re walking down the street and you hear “H.A.M.” and “No Church” coming out of two different cars in the same three block radius, it’s hard deny the influence these two artists have. Last night the duo dropped visuals for “Otis”, much to the delight of bloggers and hip hop fans worldwide. Jovial in essence, it seems like Jay and Yeezy aren’t worried about too much these days. And that’s the way it should be.
If you were to tell me Hov and Ye were about to go in over a loop of Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness”, you wouldn’t have too much convincing left to do. With the highly anticipated Watch the Throne a few weeks away, the first real leak emerged last night, basically consisting of an extended exchange of bars between the two legends, set to a minimal backdrop that leans pretty heavily on the song’s even-more-legendary namesake. For all the hype — gaudy cover art, the over-the-top ridiculousness of H.A.M. — the chest-thumping is probably warranted. Even if the album was just an excuse for these two to talk shit, it’s hard to imagine two people more suited to the task.
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The Jay and Yeezy is extra epic. The Ducktails is super settled. James Blake gave me the chills with “Wilhelm’s Scream”, and Wayne went in on “Roman’s Revenge”. And if you, like me and everybody else, think of “Spottieottiedopalicious” as something not to be fucked with, give Nacey’s remix a minute to grow on you. It’s actually pretty dope. By the next time we drop a Leftovers installment, it will have been a year since we dropped the first one, which gives me some perspective. Having a platform is cool. When you’re a music nerd, it’s even cooler to be able to share music with folks with open ears and minds. So thanks for listening.
Getting inspired is the shit. Every once in a while you get lucky enough to have a week or so where things are just rolling creatively, and whatever it is you’re into at that point in time just speaks to you. At the moment, the music is doing that for me, so what better time to drop some new shit than right now. Jams on deck from Nipsey, Gorillaz, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and J. Cole, among others. Aside from that, I don’t have much to say except thanks as always for reading, engaging and showing love. It’s more than appreciated.
Personally, there’s not a lot of people on the planet who have impacted my thinking more than Shawn Carter and Cornel West. Yeah, I’m a hip-hop head and a philosophy major, go figure. At this point, we’ve all heard the legend of Jay-Z rehashed a million times. Raised in the pro-jects roaches and rats, and Hov sold crack, so hopefully you won’t have to go through that. But as American mythology goes, I think his story is an important one, and when Mr. Carter sits down with Brother West, one of the premier contemporary philosophers out there, I’m inclined to believe we should be listening. Close. In discussing Decoded, Jay’s recently released memoir and lyrical anthology, West, Hov and Paul Holdengraber of the New York Public Library touch on a lot. This isn’t just hip-hop. We’re talking hustler as freedom fighter. Poetry, philosophy, storytelling. Okay, I’m inspired.
Who knows what a record deal really even means anymore? From the fan’s perspective, it almost seems like a bad look. Which I guess is why my first thought when I heard about Jay Electronica signing with Roc Nation was “damn, I hope we don’t have to wait two years to hear an album”. On the other hand, Hov just made a power move, signing every indie blogger’s favorite rapper (guilty), and one of the most talented cats doing it right now. So with the announcement comes “Shiny Suit Theory”, which hopefully is a sign of things to come. Riding a sample first dug up by Pete Rock, Hov and Jay Elect join forces, accompanied by The Dream doing his best sampled-soul impression. Can’t complain about much here.
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Saturdays are already pretty cool. But when Ye drops a new joint over a Pete Rock beat, sampling Curtis Mayfield, with Hov on it, on a sunny ass Saturday morning? I mean damn. “This beat deserves Hennessy, a bad bitch and a bag of weed, the holy trinity”. Sorry, but you gotta just let me gush on this one. Cole, Hyphen, Mars, Amanda, I see you. If I had to guess, I’d say this is headed for Watch the Throne, which recently turned into a full-length album. Of Jay and Yeezy tracks. Just saying. Hope this Saturday’s treating you extra pleasantly. We’re winning out here.
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I don’t know about you, but for me personally, the lyrics of Shawn Carter has a serious influence on how I saw the world coming up. On a sheerly aesthetic level, the dude just put words together like nobody else. But more importantly, it was the story that inspired me. From slangin on the corner to rubbing elbows with billionaires. From Marcy Projects to the top of the world. With Decoded, Jay takes the opportunity to share some of the reasoning behind his songwriting, exploring the words to 36 of his favorites from a storied catalog of songs. Featuring Andy Warhol’s Rorschach inkblot image on the cover, Decoded is available November 16th from Random House. Should be a dope read.
First off, can we just take a minute to consider the fucking lineup on this track? Yeezy, Hov, Rozay and Nicki would be crazy already. But guest vocals from Bon Iver and Uncle Charlie? Fresh off the news that he and Jay are set to drop a five-track album soon, Ye dropped off the first official track tonight, via Twitter. “Monster”, also the first installment of Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music Fridays, is as varied, and maybe even as weird as the guest list looks on paper. It’s six minutes plus, and Ye went in. Nicki too. There’s a lot going on here, but at it’s best moments “Monster”, lives up to it’s name.
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If Jay’s ridiculous verse on “Free Mason” somehow went over your head last week, do yourself a favor and let that one ride out first. My apologies if we’ve been a little Ross-heavy lately (no pun intended), but Teflon Don is looking serious. As far as the rest goes, highlights include some settled Dam Funk, the latest from Cudi and Ye, and a Mayer Hawthorne video full of bad ones. And don’t trip. There’s a plenty of even more obscure indie shit too. Watch the Edward Sharpe if you’re feeling adventurous. Much love to the fam. Last weekend was one for the books.
A few weeks ago, The New York Times Magazine ran a piece by Lynn Hirschberg, who turned her interviews with M.I.A. into a pretty fascinating piece of journalism. The story was a detailed look at Maya’s life, work and political ideology, with a focus on her unique place in global pop culture, and some of the contradictions that seem to arise from it. On one hand, she’s part of an oppressed group from a war-torn country, and her music lends valuable perspective on the kinds of sociopolitical issues of we face in a globalized world. On the other, she’s a massive pop icon, being pushed by major corporations to make money. If “Born Free” was M.I.A. at her most overtly political, “XXXO” falls somewhere on the other end of the spectrum. Either way, it’s growing on me, and a Hov feature on the remix doesn’t hurt either.
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For much of this year and last, Drake’s given us much of the music we celebrate to. Guaranteed we’ll be celebrating to him tonight… Almost as if it was out of thin air, Drake’s become a household name, and a person my Mom asks me about. While the ascension to the pinnacle of hip hop might have transpired in what seems like a single night, I can’t help but believe that the hype is warranted. In what seems like a deliberate stream of consciousness, Drizzy and Jay take turns on the track highlighting their rise to fame, while providing food for thought for those on their own journey. From acting on Noggin, to duets with Jay-Z. If nothing else please use Drake as inspiration, because anything’s possible.
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From where I’m standing, life has been kind of hectic lately. I get the feeling that folks around me are lightweight stressed. Fortunately, today is what a lot of folks celebrate as the national holiday for trees. Why exactly we need a special day to smoke weed is beyond me, but I’m not one to argue with it. Without getting too corny here, I think what’s more important is just to take some time out of your day to chill out, remove yourself from the bullshit you’re wrapped up in, and put things in perspective. Some things happen that are really crucial, but the rest of them are only as crucial as you make them. If burning helps you come to that realization, then by all means, do what you do. Okay, that’s all I got for today. Here’s some slaps for your 420 playlist. Rest In Peace Guru.
I think as far as the background story goes, we’ve heard most of this before. Jay discussing the influence of his parents’ collection of classic soul, his love of New York, what it means to perform at Madison Square Garden. I think what’s crazy though is how the context of the conversation keeps changing. What makes Hov’s career so important to hip-hop is the experience of seeing just how far he can really take it. Every time we see him, the collabs are bigger, the imagery is more iconic and the story becomes more legendary. NY-Z, a collaboration with Absolut and director/photographer Danny Clinch is just the latest example, giving us a unique look at his September 11th concert at the Garden, and as always, some valuable perspective from the man himself. Clinch just killed it with this one.
![Jay-Z Decoded](:http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/wineandbowties/New%20Default/Jay-Z-Decoded-450x563.jpg")
