Watch the Throne
by Kanye West
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Aug 12, 2011
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 766 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 625 out of 766
  2. Mixed: 71 out of 766
  3. Negative: 70 out of 766
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  1. somaontv
    Jul 18, 2023
    0
    For someone like me who does not really like rap did i think i would like this album absolutely not but it's probably one of my favorite rap albums to be honest favorite track Lift Off
  2. Skeledon
    May 22, 2023
    8
    Crazy good collab album, some misses tho I still love it. Favorite song: New Day
  3. Blonisco
    Jan 26, 2023
    8
    这张在关于kanye的讨论中貌似存在感很低，但我觉得这张很优秀。凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数凑字数
  4. hiphopplatinum
    Oct 2, 2022
    7
    this had the potential to be a near-perfect album and even though it is a great album with many great songs like dudes in Paris, Otis, no church in the wild & ham but I feel they didn't use all the power they had between both of them and were kinda sloppy with their work here
  5. All_ButTrU4
    Jul 1, 2022
    4
    Watch the Throne is more notable for its general lack of impact. Neither as compulsively neurotic as Eminem, as languidly characterful as Snoop Dogg, nor as furiously articulate as Nas, the raps here represent a pretty mediocre, cardboard kind of throne, truth be told
  6. JamesJennings
    May 9, 2022
    8
    Not much to say about it, one of my favorite collaboration albums ever. No church in the wild, Otis, Two dudes in Paris, Murder to Excellence, and gotta have it are all great tracks. Welcome to the jungle is a total miss though just skip that one.
  7. narolo
    Mar 30, 2022
    8
    goodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgood
  8. garfield7081
    Mar 25, 2022
    8
    feels like the rap version of fall out boy's american beauty/american psycho: amazing music connected by mediocre filler
  9. Arcadde99
    Mar 4, 2022
    5
    The first half is amazing then after Otis the quality of the songs drop a lot, murder in excellence the only good song of the second half
  10. ISETAEME
    Jan 10, 2022
    6
    Este álbum me parece algo repetitivo y parece que sobran canciones.
    Hay muchas canciones buenas, pero otras malas.
  11. SaintPablo32
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    This is just too much fun to listen to. No skips but Lift Off and Gotta Have It are a little repetitive. Still good tracks they just don't hold up to Murder To Excellence and New Day, they best emotionally charged tracks. And this album is full of bangers that are great to bump in the whip. This albums makes me fell like a braggadocios rich man.

    9/10
  12. Mshad23
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    This album is pure “black excellence, opulence, decadence”. Kanye goes bar for bar with Jay Z and cements his status alongside his contemporary as a hip hop great, not only as a producer but rapper. This album is second only to MBDTF in Kanye’s discography. Brilliant.
  13. Fra101
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    It's such a boring album! That's all, just boring, nothing special. Sorry...
  14. njeggers1
    Aug 30, 2021
    10
    Criminally underrated score on here. This album is Kanye's 2nd best piece of work after MBDTF. An insanely fun listen.
  15. Hendo250
    Mar 29, 2021
    7
    this album is a 7 this album is a 7 this album is a 7 this album is a 7 this album is a 7
  16. clem666
    Mar 13, 2021
    8
    Electric record! There are amazing varied samples used (dubstep on 'Who Gon Stop Me', electro/pop on 'Why I love You' and I am not even speaking about Otis' sample and Curtis Mayfield's presence in here). On that point Kanye and Jay-Z definitely managed to demonstrate that they can rap over any beat and rhythm. It is a pleasure not the hear them rhyme on every single beat and measure. TheElectric record! There are amazing varied samples used (dubstep on 'Who Gon Stop Me', electro/pop on 'Why I love You' and I am not even speaking about Otis' sample and Curtis Mayfield's presence in here). On that point Kanye and Jay-Z definitely managed to demonstrate that they can rap over any beat and rhythm. It is a pleasure not the hear them rhyme on every single beat and measure. The fact that they managed to let the music breath makes it way better. This allows us to enjoy more the amazing samples. Because yes, production is incredible. Kanye West and Mike Dean did an amazing job as leader producers on this. Tracks follow each other almost perfectly. Chill tracks like 'New Day', 'Made In America' , 'Primetime' and 'No Church In The Wild' (at some point) are definitely lovable and do bring some peace and variety in that monster self-centered record.

    The deluxe version surprisingly adds way more than expected to the project even if I found that the three-minute silence on 'The Illest Motherf*cker Alive' was kind of weird and destabilising.

    However it is way too much about Kanye's and Jay-Z's so-called dominance on the rap game. 'Watch The Throne' appears as a huge dual ego-trip.    … Expand
  17. Wrong_Opinions
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    Very good album. Some tracks are better than others. Favourite track is “n****s in Paris”.
  18. MikeMulaney
    Nov 19, 2020
    1
    Generic music, nothing special, typical Kanye egomania top to bottom, not worth the time.
  19. bushyforest
    Oct 23, 2020
    0
    The album brings nothing special, just another attempt to say something original without the power to follow through with it.
  20. JohnSnow41188
    Oct 2, 2020
    0
    Unoriginal work, it feels like Kanye was trying to hard but the results did not pay out.
  21. anapopescu
    Sep 13, 2020
    0
    This album just doesn't deliver to the promise of the singles. Not even Jay Z can save a Kanye project.
  22. amertume
    Jul 28, 2020
    0
    Really bad result from this collaboration, Kanye is bringing the entire result down.
  23. OlegSunbeam
    Dec 19, 2019
    8
    I'd like to think even more casual rap fans (like me) can appreciate the production on here, it's just so refined and confident. I would just love this album, featuring two masters, two geniuses, to perhaps have a bit more weight and just a little less bling. Imagine a sequel today with both of them in powerful and less self absorbed mode, we can but hope, perhaps an impossibility now. AllI'd like to think even more casual rap fans (like me) can appreciate the production on here, it's just so refined and confident. I would just love this album, featuring two masters, two geniuses, to perhaps have a bit more weight and just a little less bling. Imagine a sequel today with both of them in powerful and less self absorbed mode, we can but hope, perhaps an impossibility now. All told, a compelling collaboration that we will be grateful for decades from now, but one that left room for important improvement around the edges.… Expand
  24. SITBR1995
    Aug 8, 2019
    8
    Brilliant production and Jay Z and Kanye both bring their A game. While the album isn’t perfect (Lift Off, Illest **** Alive), it’s a damn good one.
  25. wavy
    Apr 25, 2019
    9
    This is lyrically possibly Kanye's best album. But, the production is mediocre. That isn't needed though. Kanye and Jay-Z make a great team hope they make another collab soon.
  26. AKthaBeast
    Mar 25, 2018
    8
    The collab album between Jay-Z & Kanye West. A good album overall.

    1. No Church In The Wild feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream - A 2. Lift Off feat. Beyonce - B 3. **** In Paris - A+ 4. Otis feat. Otis Redding - B 5. Gotta Have It - B 6. New Day - B+ 7. That's My **** - B 8. Welcome To The Jungle - B 9. Who Gon Stop Me - A+ 10. Murder To Excellence - B+ 11. Made In America feat.    The collab album between Jay-Z & Kanye West. A good album overall.

    1. No Church In The Wild feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream - A
    2. Lift Off feat. Beyonce - B
    3. **** In Paris - A+
    4. Otis feat. Otis Redding - B
    5. Gotta Have It - B
    6. New Day - B+
    7. That's My **** - B
    8. Welcome To The Jungle - B
    9. Who Gon Stop Me - A+
    10. Murder To Excellence - B+
    11. Made In America feat. Frank Ocean - B
    12. Why I Love You feat. Mr. Hudson - A    … Expand
  27. MoneyMaker101
    Feb 8, 2018
    10
    Absolutely incredible album by this legendary rap duo. The world should be happy and privileged we got an album from these two. This project is masterfully produced,but that's understandable when you know who did the production. Kanye West obviously,in collaboration with The Neptunes,Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, Mike Dean,Q-Tip etc. The only tracks I wasn't a fan on this project wereAbsolutely incredible album by this legendary rap duo. The world should be happy and privileged we got an album from these two. This project is masterfully produced,but that's understandable when you know who did the production. Kanye West obviously,in collaboration with The Neptunes,Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, Mike Dean,Q-Tip etc. The only tracks I wasn't a fan on this project were That's My B*tch and Welcome To The jungle,rest of the tracklist is absolutely unbeliveable. The only criticism I have on this album is that it could have had more conscious records and topics rather than so many braggadocious tracks but other than that this album is a masterpiece. Thank you Kanye and Jay for putting out this unforgettable project.… Expand
  28. FruitJuice
    Jul 17, 2017
    7
    good album............................................................................................................................................................
  29. Fib3r
    Jul 7, 2017
    8
    This is the best hip hop collab album out there, still its not perfect. The production is great, both kanye and jay delivers on most songs. But some tracks feels out of place (Mostly Made In America). Still a super great project with some of hip hops most timeless tracks.
  30. Mesmerize
    Aug 12, 2016
    8
    8.5 z
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed Album of 2011
39
#39 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Magnet
    Nov 11, 2011
    80
    They turn out to be pretty good influences on one another. Jay sounds generally reinvigorated: good-humored, full of nimble, intricate wit and atypically emotionally revealing, and if Kanye's rhymes occasionally remain as clumsy and crass as his personal life choices, he drops far fewer boners than usual. [#81, p. 56]
  2. Q Magazine
    Sep 21, 2011
    80
    Hip hop heavy weights stop squabbling for long enough to justify their star billing. [Oct 2011, p.116]
  3. Austin Chronicle
    Sep 12, 2011
    67
    That Jay and 'Ye have the courtesy to stop rapping about their money and start attacking real issues--black-on-black crime in "Murder to Excellence," raising children on "New Day"--is icing on a very expensive cake.
    Read full review
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