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, top of the line productions. Its best moments are among the most vital rap music released in 2011. On “New Day,”
West and
Jay-Z address their unborn sons in equally somber and pointed ways. 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).
Kanye’s autobiographical, rise-to-fame verses in the solemn “Made in America” are among his most riveting to date. 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. [The deluxe edition featured four bonus tracks of pre-album songs not included on
Watch the Throne, including "HAM."] ~ Andy Kellman