This is incredible album jay z & kanye west did a masterpiece. My favorite tracks are no church gotta have it, n in paris,otis, ham,lift up,who gon stop me,murder to excellence,joy,prime time and ham. Don't waste your time with the reguler version do yourself a favor get the deluxe trust me its worth it. Kanye is differently the producer of year with this and dark fantasy. I go further and say artist of the year. This best duo of songs put together since the great outkast bless us the speakerbox and love below masterpiece. Thanks for no leaks… Expand

This album was extremely hyped and I was sure that it was going to be a let down, but I was wrong. The album starts off on a very solid foot, thanks to a solid hook by Frank Ocean and a couple of nice verses from Ye and Jay on "No Church in the Wild". That track is followed up by the worst song on the album, "Lift Off" featuring Beyonce. There are a couple of bad and uninspired verses and a big booming beat with Beyonce doing her thing on the chorus, however the song is a real snoozer. Once you get past Lift Off the album really takes off. Track 3, "N!gg@s in Paris" goes hard in the paint. Track 5, "Gotta Have It", is a really inspired Neptunes beat. The best beat I've heard from them in a while. Track 6, "New Day", is produced by RZA and is a very deep moment for the album, because Jay and Ye are both rapping to their newborn sons. It's a good switch up. Tracks 8 and 9, "Who Gon Stop Me" and "Murder to Excellence", respectively, are two of the album highlights for me. "Who Gon Stop Me" is just a straight bragging track over a great beat, that switches up midway through the song. "Murder to Excellence" is another song that has its beat switch up midway through. However, this is because there are two different themes in this song. The first half is about black on black murder and the second half is about black excellence. It is a very deep song with a great beat. The track that follows this up is "Made in America". Another song that features Frank Ocean and not a particular favorite of mine, due to the soft beat and cheesy chorus, however Ye and Jay both have decent verses on this song. The album ends on a real high note with "Why I Love You", featuring both a sample and Mr. Hudson singing that sample on the chorus. This is a Jay-Z dominated track, and he is rapping about people that he has stuck up for in the past but didn't fulfill their end of the bargain. Namely Dame Dash and Beanie Sigel, rapping "I tried to teach ni**as how to be kings / And all they ever wanted to be was soldiers". it is a very good song to end the album on. Bonus Tracks: This album comes with 4 bonus tracks on the deluxe version and 3 of them are very good. The first, "Illest MoFo Alive", is another just straight braggadocios over a banging beat. The second, "Primetime", has a great beat from No I.D. and starts out with this great line from Jay-Z "Primetime, beat by Dion". Obviously when you think of Primetime, you think of Deion Sanders but he is also giving a shout-out to No I.D. right there. Dion turned around. The third, "The Joy" features a sample from Curtis Mayfield and has a great verse from Kanye on it. I didn't mention HAM or Otis, because I'm guessing you have all heard those and have your own opinions on them. I love Otis, and am kinda meh on HAM. Overall, this is a great album but it is kind of a grower. This is one of those albums that you can pick up something different and interesting on every listen. It takes 3 or 4 listens before you can truly appreciate it and I highly recommend it.… Expand

On of the most hyped hip-hop albums of the decade has finally arrived. Does it deliver? Yes, yes it does. Great tracks like "Murder to Excellence", "Who Gon Stop Me", "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Niggas in Paris" are surely to become fan favourite. However, there are hidden gems, like "Made in America" feat. Frank Ocean, "Why I Love You" feat. Mr. Hudson and, by far the deepest song on the album, "New Day", in which Kanye and Jay address their sons, asking them for forgiveness for putting the weight of the celebrity world on their shoulders. The production is another level, just like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, simply amazing. Kanye is the greatest producer of this decade, and in my humble opinion, of all time. His ego is only out done by the amazing level of commitment he puts in his production. The small detail that you catch from time to time never cease to amaze. Jay puts one of his finest verses in this album, and shows his amazing lyrical talent. All in all, an amazing album, done by two of hip-hops biggest diamonds right now.… Expand

Not fantastic like Ye's last album, but still a solid piece of work. Maybe the hype was so big, and the actual product just didn't live up to it this time. It's still going to be one of the best of the year in hip hop this year, but it's been a down year I think.

Fantastic album. Musically, it feels like an extension of the new, less soul-music reliant, production style that Kanye West perfected on MBDTF. I'm normally not a fan of Jay-Z, but his talents are well utilized throughout the album, and I found myself enjoying some of his verses more than West's. Most of the tracks maintain a consistently high level of quality. My only gripes lie with two songs, "Lift Off," and "Made in America," both of which feel forced and ruin the stylistic cohesion found throughout the rest of the album. My top song picks so far include, "N*ggas in Paris," "That's My B*tch," "Gotta Have It," and "Who Gon Stop Me." Highly Recommended.… Expand

I can't take other rap and hip-hop seriously after listening to this. It's just amateur. Kanye and Jay know what they are doing. On a 12-track album, only 1 falls short, "Lift Off" featuring Beyonce just isn't good music, it's radio music, a single. But that doesn't hurt an album that soars so far with it's other songs. If you want to hear the best of this album, look at "Murder to Excellence", "New Day", "Gotta Have It", "Why I Love You", "Otis", "That's My B*tch", "Ni**as in Paris", "Who Gon Stop Me", "Made In America", "No Church In The Wild", and "Welcome To The Jungle." That's right, I just listed every other song, that's because this album is ridiculous. A must-buy.… Expand

Whether it's a collabo or appearances, Jay-Z and Kanye West did exactly what they said about "Watch the Throne" and they did it. It's a phenomenal album you gotta hear this. My favorite track that I got on my Ipod right now is "OTIS" which is referring to the late Otis Redding, one of the greatest blues and R&B singers since B.B. King and Ray Charles. With its hard-hitting lyrics and rhythm-based tunes, this is the best Jay-Z album since The Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt. Go pick this up, I'm serious.… Expand

First and foremost, this album delivers. Oh boy, does it deliver. I have spent some time reading all the reviews from the critics and I have noticed something. Something only a great album could do. I have noticed that all the critics have their different picks for the best song on the album, generally praising all of the songs, well, maybe except "Lift Off", which is really weak. Every critic has a different favourite, while reading reviews for other albums you would find that the critics generally agree on one song being the standout. This is not the case with WTT.. I have seen critics praising "No Church in the Wild", praising "New Day", etc. What I will do, I will praise all of them. From "Otis" which is built on a great, albeit simple, sample of "Try a Little Tenderness", to "Made in America" in which Ye and Jay address their past lives before becoming the leading forces of, I would argue not only hip-hop, but also the music scene as a whole. Kanye's production is beautiful, you will always notice a new, small detail in every song that you haven't noticed before. Jay's lyrics are strong and he steps up as the leading force lyric-wise on this album. Believe when I say that I had high expectations from this album, and am I thrilled to say that it delivers. Great album!… Expand

This isnt a bad album, its good but instead of sounding like a collaboration it feels more like two prominent hip hop artists too worried about telling each other that what each of them was doing wasnt exactly clicking.

Best album of this year.. so it deserves a ten. No other album compares to the swag this album explores. Kanye really just stepped up and dropped an album that sounds like it has many hit on it.. expect to see them climb to the top of the charts.

Don't expect this to be a runaway classic like The Blueprint or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But you can however expect a damn good album. Clearly the Roc's best have really worked hard on the album from the production to the lyrics. "No Church in the Wild" was brilliant with an ominous Frank Ocean beat. "New Day" is an excellent RZA-constructed beat that sees the two emcees talk to their unborn children. And "Murder to Excellence" is a fine example of ambition to tie in two completely different beats together. Yet if there is a singular flaw that really holds the album from being a classic, it is that there is a clearly one-sided affair on who is the better lyricist. Kanye does come hard in places and then again goes more lax but Jay seems to always be twenty steps ahead of him. But at least if Jay owns the lyrical atmosphere than Ye obviously shines on the producer's chair. Overall, Watch the Throne lives well to its hype and then some. It's a mess yet an irresistibly beautiful one. 8.5/10… Expand

Typical example of how metacritic scores may not perfectly reflect an album's quality relative to others. Because the two artists are polarizing figures - due mostly to their personalities - this tends to bring the average down. But to suggest that Watch the Throne is a worse album than Kanye's Graduation or 808's is to listen to music with your brain instead of your ears... Graduation is boring and uninspired by Kanye standards and 808's, while the kind of influential album that often gains standing as years go by, only has about 4 good songs in it. This on the other hand is what you'd call a killer album. It's fun, eclectic, creative, and just a fantastic listen from start to finish. The production, in particular - the one aspect that makes the album, and yet the one that's taken for granted by most critics - manages to combine innovation and a sense of immediacy in an almost Beatles-esque way. Granted, the lyrics aren't up to par with the greatest rappers out there, but then again, neither Kanye nor Jay have ever been close to being superior lyricists and storytellers. They're pop stars, you listen to what they do for the music, perhaps for the charisma as well, but certainly not for social commentary. I predict that with hindsight, this album and its baroque stadium hip-hop will pop up in a lot of "best of" lists in years to come. Sociopolitical context changes all the time, but in 20 years Watch the Throne will still sound great, and will be remembered more than many albums with a higher score because as always, everyone will end up copying it.… Expand

One of the years best album. Jay Z and Kanye made an outstanding album. All songs on the album hS A GOOD beat and the lyrics to the songs are very good. Kanye made a another hit album in less than twelve months.

Great album, just had way too much hype around it. Anything with as much hype as this album cannot live up to the expectations. It's as simple as that. If you just randomly happened to stumble upon Watch The Throne without ever hearing about it before you would think it was an amazing album, but with all the hype around it it just slightly fails to live up to expectations.

i would give it a 10 but "lift off" is such a TERRIBLE song. not even kanye and jays verses could save it. other than that this album is an absolute masterpiece!!!!

It's not perfect, but it's better than good. There's just a good trade-off between Kanye's bravado and Jay's flow that's all over the album, and everything is very well produced. Just a good album--hopefully, they'll make another one, too.

Couldve replaced the "Lex Luger" style beats on some songs with better, "Kanye-like" beats, but overall the lyrics were great, the sound was great, and it didn't let me down at all. I plan on bumpin this album for a while.

Definitely not the album that I was expecting, and it proves to be for the better. There is plenty of experimentation going on throughout the album, and both Jay-Z and Kanye throw down some pretty impressive rhymes. The production is sick, and the record is loaded with amazing samples and singing parts. "Niggas In Paris" and "Gotta Have It" are shining proof that this album is an instant classic. Now THAT, we knew it would be.… Expand

The most disappointing album ever,this album was way over hyped and it didn't live up to its expectations,I'll even go further and say this is the worse Kanye album ever,this album had some much potential but in my opinion Jay-Z ruined it.

I wanted to like this album, I really did. I am the type of person that hears an album more than once before I give it my judgement. To me this album sounds like a mixtape a shoddy one at best. It feels like they are saying what they want and how they want to say it because at this point in their career they very well can, and the sad part is that it will sell regardless. Jay Z and Kanye West at this point are brand names. Here is my problem with this project of there's. For one it feels like they really did not put too much effort into their lyrics even though on one song they have about 6 writers. Jay Z became famous in a time where a rapper was a rapper and a producer was a producer. To this day he has not had to evolve like many younger artist who now do both or some even sing. This makes me question his input and his overall care for the album. Essentially, he sat down on each track and wrote one verse (along with the 6 other people in the studio with him). Kanye on the other hand comes off as someone who is trying to hard. He had his hands in this project and nearly every aspect of it which makes him in a sense the front man. Where he falls flat through is in his lyrics. You can hear it in his tone and in his lyrics that he is essentially competing with Jay Z. The sad part is when you realize that even when Jay Z is not trying Kanye could still not top him. To address the idea of competition, Nearly every song on the album has them going one verse each and both being separated by long choruses and temporary gaps of instrumental. This is heard right of the back in the intro track "No Church In The Wild". The beauty of the album is in the instrumentals themselves and the hooks (sounds like i'm talking about pop music right?). The score would be so much lower if it were not for the wonderful work that is put into the beats by everyone including Kanye. The choruses with some more stellar than others are also something to hear especially over the beats that are essentially experimental, but work in a very fluent way. This was there moment to show everyone why you should really Watch The Throne, but either due to arrogance, ego, or just laziness, the album falls short of great and to be honest when an album like this comes out where two rappers meet one needs to make the comparison to past similar projects. Bad Meets Evil, Black star, Blackout, and so forth. When you really hear those albums and then compare it to this one, it really ranks quite low.… Expand

Watch the Throne is a classic album it makes other rappers have to step there game up. Jay and Kanye show true lyrics great subject matter over great sample beats there the best duo since UGK

Watch the Throne is probably not going to be liked by everybody. Jay Z and Kanye West took their talents to another level on this album. The productivity is amazing and the lyrics will come off as confusing if your used to the basic lyrics many other rappers been using lately. I found myself using Google and rapgenious a lot to figure out some of the lyrics to the album. To me the album gets stronger and stronger after every track. "Lift off" ft Beyonce is the worst track on the album and one of the worst songs I've heard from either artist which is ashamed because Beyonce did her thing on the course and hook. A couple of the songs have Kanye and Jay Z exchanging verses back to back which really shows both of their strong sides. My favorite track has to be "Made in America" many people will not understand the verses, Jay Z's in particular. He's talking about making cocaine and using it as his survival in America. but Frank Ocean's sound makes the song. Overall the album is good, they experimented a lot, they both went to their classic ways on some tracks and really complimented each other. If you understand Jay Z and Kanye West's attitude, where they came from and what they are trying to create then you'll understand and like this album.… Expand

I love Watch The Throne. I know Lift Off, Otis, H.A.M, N**gas In Paris and Why I Love You. The album is so good. I think it made the album awaiting of 2011.

Jay-Z and Ye are incredible rappers, and it only makes sense for them to make an album together. Kanye is a genius in the rap game, and Jay-Z is so versatile, anything can happen. It's edgy and new, something that many people should enjoy.

awesome album, awesome artist. worth it buy i recomend this album to everyone.. kinda mainstream but its mainstream done well ! also was the best album this year.

It was one of the greatest albums of 2011, but quite overrated to say the least. Needless to say, not one bad track, but the hype was a little too much. Jay Z and Kanye rule the throne together with an amazing album.

this album is one of the best collabo albums. but not one of the greatest, i've been waiting for the album for a long time, but it didnt really live up to my expectations...however its a good album, but not on Ye's or Jigga's level. and i agree with some people who's saying that jay pulled the album down. Ye always sounds better, with better melody, rhymes n message in the songs...jay kinda pulled it down. and all-in-all a good album. Fav. Songs: No Church in the Wild, New Day, Why I Love You, Made in America, Illest **** Alive, Murder to Excellence… Expand

I can remeber listening to this for the 1st time, and i was literally shaking. couldn't contain myself. Jay & Ye' came through on this one. Thoroughly enjoyed it, from beginning to end. They are the best rappers alive, always pushing the envelope, unlike some "little" rappers out there. Woulda given it a 10, but MBDTF was a 10 and i know this isn't as good, so i'm a give it a 9.

Its okay. Could have been better and they also left out some songs that where originally planned . Disappointing. But the some songs blew me away. Good album

I'm not a fan of the "I'm so rich and powerful" lyrics that spew from even the most self proclaimed greatest rappers alive. JAy Z is a great artist and Kanye West is a great producer. But together they managed to put out a boring, fart of the mouth with lyrics that mimic any rapper out there today. In short this album is not very good.

one of the worst albums of the year. you have to be mentally unstable to listen to this album. the chemistry between kanye and jayz is pathetic and poor. A total disgrace to hip hop. come on, Is 'OTIS' a song ? worst song ever. and in whole worst album ever !!!

Had to give it a bad rating because of all the overhype this album is getting, when in reality it comes off to me as overproduced and rushed commercialization. there are flashes of greatness, teases of what we could have had from this project, but in the end it just doesn't mesh. the overall message of this album was opulence when hip hops fans were begging for something a little deeper. New Day is by far the best song on the album and its a small taste of what the album could have been.… Expand

Awesome colabb album, makes me excited for kanyes next release, i think if he can deliver a graduation like album he will be back on that stadium status.

A classic album!!!!! The beats are update with from producer who are legendary in the rap world! I can listen to this album and not get tired of it , with the exception of the Swizz produce track that I find to be tired! The album seem to have help Hiphop evolve from the world of gun, drugs, and pure ignorance!

It's definitely a grower. Sounds decent, but only after a dozen of listens. It's better than Jay's 'Blueprint 3', buy it doesn't sound as good as Kanye's 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'. But that doesn't mean it's a bad album and that doesn't mean it's a good album either. Jay-z's flow is slow and that's the thing that's bothering me. I think that critics overreacted a little bit.

Well made album. Jay-Z and Kanye really have outdone themselves with this one. Every song comes with snappy lyrics and catchy choruses. I wouldn't cal it a masterpiece but by far the best album of the year.

Nice collaboration between Jay-Z and Kanye West. They need to do it again. Music production. All the tracks in this album, including the bonus tracks, go well with the album title. And of course, it when number 1. I'm a big fan of both men.

Most of Jay's verses don't deliver, and I expected better beats, to be honest. I don't know why Jay and Kanye think anyone cares about how much 'swag' they have, but they must have a lot of it--they mention it on every track. Kanye's verses on Murder Excellence and New Day are small bits of redemption, it provides some real substance in his music even though more is needed. All in all, it is a pretty negative album. Watch the Throne continues the downward trend in the quality of Kanye's work and a similar trend in lack of interesting themes in Jay's work (like we heard on American Gangster, The Black Album, et al). It should hold longtime fans (like myself) over; especially those who are craving more Kanye or Jay-Z. Ultimately left me pretty disappointed.… Expand

A ridiculous amount of hype, but nevertheless this album delivers! It's a privilege of our time to capture both these rappers at their absolute prime. The only thing missing is a political message. Hip hop is at its most powerful when delivered from the bottom up... to summarise, there's a few to many Benz references to fit as a true counterculture classic. It can't remove from the sheer delight of listening to the reigning kings of the genre, though... Oh and it also skips the awful habit hip hop albums have of sticking 20 odd tracks of filler on the disc. Who needs that when you can have this distilled masterclass?… Expand

So....The long anticipated, excessively hyped WTT from rap duos(Ye and Jay) is finally out....Here is a quick review. Is WTT a classic ? No. A near classic ? No A Game Changer? No A Good Album ? Just a recommendation. Jay And Ye, Are they good duos? No, they inspire nothing out of each other. Are they good solo rappers ? Yes, Yes and Yes.

If you ask me Watch the Throne is 100.000.000 gallons of tons better than west coast rap...Jay & Kanye are taking over in this one. This is a must-listen album.Totally original but i dont think everyone can enjoy it because this is one next generation album.

Terrible album. I tried so hard to like it, but I just could not. The only good tracks were No Church In The Wild, Why I Love You So, and New Day. All the other tracks suck. Jay-Z has been sucking as of late, ever since Blueprint came out. Blueprint was his last good album. Kanye West dropped down after one of the greatest albums of all time with MBDTF. Sucks man.

Although far from being the strongest contender of best hip hop albumm this year, Watch The Throne has its gems, its golden moment where we as the peasant are allowed to hear the sensitive side of modern rhyming king. Too bad that these moments are often ruined by the throne itself who tries too hard to be a bad king by showing off their power too much.

This album is incredible and it's an experiment in traditional hip hop, Kanye and Jay-Z both delivered solid verses and the production is extraordinarily fresh, but I would not say it's an classic but it's definitely the type of album that you will love to bump in your car.

This album is not experimental or as grand as Kanye's "My Beuitful Dark Twisted Fantasy." It sounds like two bored, rich guys sitting in a studio congratulating themselves on a lot of money made and thinking about the promise of more to come. Its not clear if even Kanye takes himself seriously anymore and moments when that becomes clear like on "Niggas in Paris" are the best part of the album. Yes, Jay-z still used to be a dealer and now makes loads of cash and gets fined for talking to college basketball stars and owns the Nets. All of this is fine stuff, except it is put over lazy beats, short demo-like versions of songs with little inspiration. This is a patch work. Its not clear on most songs if Jay-Z and Kanye know what the other guy just got done rapping about. "That's My **** is an exercise in absurdity. Things really take a turn for the pathetic when both men go from bragging about "****es," and "straps" to singing about the "holocaust" of black on black violence and then have an entire song about Martin Luther King Jr. These two are board rich dudes drunk on power. When they deliver that vibe on "Niggas in Paris" and "HAM" you get fun and absurd with decent beats. When they try anything beyond that it gets embarrassing. Jay-z is a CEO and guess what? It isn't any fun to listen to a CEO rap. Kanye is still a musical force but his obsession with getting laid has turned him into a walking stereotype. Neither of these men should be taken seriously for what they have to say. Jay-z can be taken seriously in business and Kanye as a produce/musician.… Expand

incredible album. production wise the album is incredible, lyrically some of the best i've heard from both Jay-Z & Kanye. especially Jay-Z - i think this album solidifies his title as one of the best [if not THE best] rappers alive. good lyrical content & variety - anyone that says all they talk about is money didn't listen to New Day or Murder to Excellence.. at the end of the day these two rap giants came in and delivered a quality work.… Expand

When I was recommended to listen to this album I expected to not even finish listening to it to say the true, as I thought I didn’t like Rap/hip-hop. How wrong I was! As the songs passed by I started to feel the beat in the melody and realizing that Hip-Hop it’s not only words spoken. I think this is an important collaboration as both can be considered the most important artists in rap/Hip-hop music. Featuring a lot of artists, such Beyonce and Frank Ocean that gives pauses and makes song really catchy this album turn to be really enjoyable and I highly recommend it to everyone. Sometimes we have to open our mind to other types of music and realize that maybe some music can be both popular and good.… Expand

This album is okay actually, not a big fan of Jay-z at all but, the only interest in the album and what actually kept it alive was Kanye's collaborations to the album and other featured artist such as Frank Ocean and the production part(beats) in the release. Jay-z is one of the weakest in the game when it comes to lyrics, or as he would say "LUXURY RAP" but that is'nt what makes hip-hop.

while this was the best album of the summer it definitely wasnt kanye and jays best work. it was clear that jay z had the better lyrics on most of the album and kanye did produce this very well but it does fall a little short from what i was expecting. still its a good album and i would lean more toward a 7.5 out of 10 but we can all just hope that theyll get together again and make another album thats better than this. i knew after a couple of listens to the album that it just wouldnt really make much of a lasting impression, it was just going to be one of those pretty good albums that you know is their but youd just rather listen to something else… Expand

Watch the Throne met my expectations and then some. A couple of years ago jay would have never made an album entirely with kanye. I have to say Kanye done come up. Its hard to compare this to anyother album either of the two have made. Ye and jay are good by themselves but better together. Watch the **** throne that **** cray.

As a fairly new listener to Jay Z I really rate this album,the opening track 'No Church In The Wild' is amazing and the album continues to hold your attention with tracks like 'Ni**as in Paris' , the immense 'Otis' and superb 'Murder to Excellence'. I recomend this to anyone not just hip hop/r&b fans its got bags of appeal and i'm sure will be a classic in time to come.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok, not what I had expected! I was heavily awaiting Jigga and Ye's amazing duo like their features on each others songs like Diamonds in Sierra Leone. Watch the Throne is much different than that. It comes with newly produced beats (not a bad thing). Anyways, I really like the album, especially songs Murder to Excellence and Otis.… Expand

I enjoyed this album. For the people who listen to the overly auto-tuned lil Wayne. This is what real hip-hop sounds like. Key tracks include Otis,No Church in the Wild and the all epic if censor upsetting "Niggas in Paris". if your a fan of with Jay-Z, Kanye West or both. this album is defiantly for you!

Watch the throne is one of the biggest Hip-Hop albums of the year having some really good guest spots great production and rhyming. With songs Like N****s in Paris, Otis, No Church In The Wild, Gotta Have It, Who Gon Stop Me, Made In America & Why I Love You. Making it a classic by two of the best rappers of all time Kanye West And Jay-Z many people has said Tha Carter IV is a way more better album just because it sold more than Watch The Throne, the sales number don't matter, Lil Wayne Sold cause of a fan base that really waited for the album (Even i waited) but it's not worth the wait, people expected something better and sometimes the best albums are the ones that don't sale the most, in this case Watch the throne even doe it's not the best album of all time it's one of the best of the year, leaving us all with more to wait from Jay-z, Kanye West or the both together.… Expand

We waited and they came. A complete album in every way, kudos to Kanye and his production work with a few smudges, but congratulations to Jay-Z remains one of the best MC ever. I would not be wrong, but this work is the perfect mix between the last two works by these artists: "The Blueprint 3" and "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". The sound of this album is phenomenal, you can hear that in tracks like "Otis" or "Ni *** s in Paris" that remain above all of international hits. But Mr. West isn't the only producer of this album, but there're also RZA, Q-Tip, Swizz Beatz and many others. Among the collaborations to remember there is certainly an emerging artist like Frank Ocean that "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America" give vent to his talent. The best tracks of the album is definitely worth remembering "Welcome To The Jungle" produced by Swizz Beatz and HAM (only included in the bonus track). Maybe Watch The Throne pays dearly for the unique imperfections of this album: "Who Gon Stop Me" (track is too repetitive and boring to be like the other) and "Why I Love You" (kudos to Mr. Hudson for sure, but the song seems made just for commercial purposes). At the end of listening can be said that Watch The Throne is a classic, but at the same time an innovative work for 2011.… Expand

This album has/will change rap. It is the quintessence of what is to come in the rap game. No more simple beats, with a narrative. No more tupac, no more biggie, no more simplicity. From now on the concentration will be equally on the beats/covers/samples as the words being said. Kanye and Jay-Z have "changed the game" through this delivery of luxury rap. Is it a good thing? We will have to wait and see. One thing is for certain, everyone who has released an album after WTT, from Lil' Wayne to Drake to Childish Gambino, has been changed by this album.… Expand

This album was one of the most anticipated albums of the year and Jay-Z & Kanye surely did not disappoint . Definitely better than Lil Wayne's The Carter 4. Enough said.

This album is perfect. Why? Because it's the last gasp of the 1%. It could only have been created by these two artists, and now that social change is gathering speed, their insane lifestyle has an expiration date. However, before their throne gets toppled (yeah, chuckle) they've created possibly the most flamboyantly Rococo album I've ever heard. Everything from the album cover to the production and the lyrics, &c., reminds me of the pre-revolution French aristocracy. Seriously, we're basically being told verbatim by West and Jay to "Let them eat cake." Their attitude can't last; even now in November '11 it's starting to feel like a historical artifact. In 10 years we'll look back on this album and say "what the FUCK?!" But for all that, it's beautiful. It's intensely produced; each song seems to have physical weight to it. All of the samples are spot-on. There are some questionable lyrical choices, especially from West, but I'm forgiving because there is (despite the album's astounding ostentatiousness) a sense of humor running throughout, so when West spits a flop I don't feel bad for laughing. This is the kind of album cultural critics will be picking apart 20, 30, 50 years from now. Like I said, it captures the zeitgeist of a dying culture of ultra-decadence, and despite its inherent revulsion to we of the 99%, I at least can't help but love it.… Expand

A Highly impressive story is all you'll find here. Coming from someone who isn't a big fan of either Jay-Z or Kanye, it took me awhile to review it but after listening to it, I'm nothing short of amazed. From real, deep, thought provoking tracks like "New Day" to club bangers like "H.A.M" this thing is great. I should also say "Lift off" and "No church in the Wild" are great". But it ends on a strange note and the last few tracks aren't great and kept it from being perfect. But after listening...I think the throne is not going anywhere… Expand

Royalty, wealth, class; just a few words that come to mind when thinking about Jay Z and Kanye West’s newest collaboration, Watch the Throne. When Meshed together these two artists make for an amazing, creatively diverse album. In the album the two artists refer to this style of music as, “Luxury Rapâ€�. This is a very accurate description of the music. This album is of a higher quality than others like it. The Album is saturated with images of wealth such as the song, “Illest **** Aliveâ€�. This song starts by them setting the scene by saying that there are two Lamborghinis in the picture. They then take a turn toward seriousness by talking about the effects that a nasty divorce has on children with the song, “Gotta Have Itâ€�. These artists really put this album on a pedestal, and deliver. The four criteria for good rap music are all addressed; interesting lyrics, depth of thought, good beats and popular artists. Throughout the whole album you get a sense of how arrogant these two rappers truly are. For instance in an interview from 1998 Jay Z says, “I could never failâ€�. This just goes to show how high a standard he has for himself. That type of confidence really comes through in the music and enhances it. In another song Kanye says, “I adopted these niggasâ€�. This also shows a great sense of confidence but this brings me back to my original question; what has Kanye done to earn this sense of accomplishment. Jay Z has earned this right, and he legitimately did get a lot of rappers started. In fact Jay Z got Kanye started (notablebiographies). Kanye may have helped a few, but not the amount he would have you believe. But let’s take a step back for a second and take a look at these rappers pasts. Although this may seem unrelated, trust me, it is. Often people with darker pasts have much more colorful music. This makes the music more interesting and less forced. Therefore the songs become more popular. That is how these rappers make it big. Jay-Z grew up with a very colorful past. So colorful in fact that he won’t even talk about what factors made his past such. So all we have to go on is speculation. That speculation is that Jay Z had a very rough life. Some people are supposedly dead because of him. He also supposedly made most of his money before he started rapping. Nobody knows for sure how but that is due to the fact that he refuses to discuss his past with anyone. Kanye West also grew up in a very rough situation. He grew up without a father. This is one aspect of his life that he chooses to sing about in this album. This is a sad reality, but it is not very different from many other people’s situations. This is actually pretty generic, which can be good because many people can relate. But, on the other hand, Jay Z’s past is probably a lot more interesting. I mean there has to be a lot of interesting aspects to his past if he won’t even discuss it. The only problem is that he won’t open up about this very interesting past. The only good thing that can come of his dark past aside from discussing it is that all of his pain will come through in his lyrics. Although the whole idea of living the life is all throughout the whole album there is a lot of deep thinking that goes into the heart of every song You can see this most prominently in the song, “New Dayâ€�. This song is all about Kanye West’s life lessons. He talks about how if he were ever to have a son what he would teach him for instance he says, “And I’ll never let my son have an ego/ He’ll be nice to people wherever we goâ€�, or, “And I’ll never let ‘em ever hit a strip club/ I learned the hard way, that ain’t the place to get loveâ€� it really goes to show how heartfelt Kanye is when it comes to his music. If you look at both these artist’s work you will realize their strengths and what tactics have contributed to their huge success. Jay Z’s music is mostly about his wealth and success. Kanye puts more depth into his work. These are two very different tactics but when meshed together they make for an amazing album. Jay Z makes the songs light and fun and Kanye makes the listener stop and really think about life. So, in conclusion, this album in my personal opinion was one of the best of 2011. When Meshed together these two artists make for an amazing, creatively diverse album. Their two very different make the album both thought provoking and enjoyable. These two artists really set the bar high with this album and I personally can’t wait to see what they do next.… Expand

Okay, I was skeptical of this album at first. Boy was I wrong! Best Tracks: Ni**as in Paris 9.5/10, Otis 8/10, Made it in America 9.5/10, Welcome to the Jungle 9/10, Lift off 8/10, H.a.m. 7.9/10, No Church in the Wild, 8.3/10

Perhaps I was expecting too much, but the majority of Watch the Throne comes across as a lot less than the sum of its parts. Jay-Z has some of his least impressive rap moments, and is surprisingly upstaged by Kanye a little too much. Of course, there are moments on this album that are highlights in recent music for me, including the beginning and the end of the album ("No Church in the Wild" and "Made it in America"), and probably one of the best songs of the year, "Otis". I just wish more of the album could be like "Otis". If this were released as an EP with the 5 best songs on it, I'd have given it a 10.… Expand

At first listen you'll think its just Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, with the album being Yeezy"s vision alone and Jay only offering a few well placed verses. But after a few listens you'll find that it's Jay's verses which have you singing along first and have the most intoxicating flow. For this reason I feel that without Jay, the awe inspiring, arguably over done, production may not have had it's full potential fulfilled. Although some say it is original, when listening to it you understand it is actually a culmination of several different sounds, taking influence from past hip hop artists like RZA, Pete Rock and Kanye's older work, and also seeking inspiration from other artists in other genre's like Flux Pavilion, Eleanor Kate and Frank Ocean. This means the album is able to push hip hop to it's furthest boundaries and hopefully raise the bar for all albums to come. It hasn't gained to most impressive reviews, but those critics will be kicking themselves in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, when this album still sounds like it was recorded yesterday.… Expand

The singles chosen off the album feature Kanye West and Jay-Z at their best. "Otis" is the main event. The album has a few fillers to it's name. However, it is one of the best albums of 2011 and it nearly delivered on the hype.

While this is not my favorite album of 2011, this has got to be the most important album of 2011. Any album with Jay-z and Kanye will just be historic. And we got Otis and Ni**as In Paris out of it! The rest is pretty damn good too.

This was basically's Kanye's Album because Kanye West had the greatest lyrics and he **** on Jay-Z. Jay-Z got killed on his own song on Renegade, But Jay got killed on his own Album I Give this album a 8 only because of kanye's lyrics

As overhyped as it is, Watch the Throne turns out to be a good effort by two amazing MCs. THe production is beyond superb -- but the rapping isn't as up to par as we've come to expect.

Other than a few radio hits I wasn't impressed. We know what Kanye and Jay are capable of but this didn't deliver in my opinion. If the rumors are true and these two icons are indeed working on a Watching the Throne 2, hopefully it'll be better.

It nearly strikes where it should but this collaboration album does not take off far enough from ground covered by both artists to be considered anything more than an experiment. Sure there are standout tracks a plenty, but there is also a large amount of filler that renders this as more of a great B-Side compilation than anything else...

It's more of a 7.5, but rounds up to an 8. As a huge Kanye fan, I was expecting a sort of masterpiece out of this release, especially considering what Kanye had done just 9 months prior with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. As is, the album is not without its fair share of flaws and filler tracks, and often feels as if half of the album has a Jay-Z feel (on songs like **** in Paris, Welcome to the Jungle and Gotta Have It) and a Kanye feel on the other half (on songs like No Church, That's My **** and Why I Love You). I found myself enjoying the self-titled Kanye half better but both sides had their fair share of misses (i.e. the Jay-Z-esque club banger H.A.M and the Kanye-esque orgasmic mess Lift Off). However, songs like No Church, Murder to Excellence and especially New Day are up there with the best works of both men. Overall, a good release, but it could have been better.… Expand