Featured

Playlists, albums, articles & videos from our Rhapsody music experts.

'Watch the Throne': Jay-Z and Kanye West's Luxury-Rap Opus, Decoded

by Rhapsody

Watch the Throne is here. Shame on you if you thought Jay-Z and Kanye West's opus was nothing more than a blogger's wet dream: it's real, it's "H.A.M.," and yes, it's much, much better than Best of Both Worlds.

So get ready for the clash of the titans with our stupendous Throne Survival Guide. Find out where we placed Hova and Yeezy among hip-hop's other royal actors in our Monsters of Rap feature (feel free to disagree). Relive the dynamic duo's pre- Throne collabos with our Jay-Z & Kanye West: Before the Throne playlist, from Kanye's early beats for Jay to their guest appearances on each other's tracks. Listen to their dozens of solo hits and vocal appearances from 2009 to today with the dual playlists Before the Throne: Jay-Z and Before the Throne: Kanye West. And finally, read our deep-dive take on Watch the Throne itself. It's time to pay homage to the undisputed kings of luxury rap.

Watch The Throne (Deluxe)

Jay-Z

When superstars join forces, we expect blasts of energy, and Kanye West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne succeeds magnificently, from the joyous old-school roundelay of "Otis" to the street-hop of "Welcome to the Jungle." But the duo's attempt to turn Throne into the scepter of the hip-hop diaspora proves trickier. They deplore black-on-black violence in "Murder to Excellence," tout their success as "Made in America," and scold their many haters on "Why I Love You." "I tried to teach n*ggas how to be kings," says Jay. Unfortunately, as Langston Hughes once wrote, "Life ain't no crystal stair."