Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch The Throne

[AUChizad]

Download it.

[Kaos]

Seriously? 

I listened to Lift Off and that was fucking painful.  It's a monster load of shit.  I wanted to strangle Beyonce.  I don't know who's directing her career, but her songs sound like iguana shit lately. 

Jay-Z is the worst rapper in the history of rap.  I swear I think I can rap better than him on my worst day.   And Kanye?  He has his moments, but he's fucking up everything he's on lately, too.  He absolutely ruined Katy Perry's ET song.  He's not Eminem.  He doesn't improve it by being a part. 

If Lift Off is representative?  No thanks.  No thanks at all.  It's fucking terrible.  T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E.  It may be the worst song I've ever heard. I'd rather listen to Rebecca Black on a constant loop than that garbage song. 

I hope the rest is better.  That's awful.   If I'm wrong, I'm wrong but here it is:

[Vandy Vol]

Jay-Z is the worst rapper in the history of rap.  I swear I think I can rap better than him on my worst day.

Jay-Z is far from the best lyricist, but I wouldn't ever refer to him as the worst rapper.  He's certainly taken a turn for the worse since coming back from his "retirement," but even his newer songs are better than a lot of shit I've heard (Soulja Boy, for instance).  And when you look at his entire body of work, I find it hard to justify stating that he's the worst rapper in the history of rap.

Eminem's verses kill him on this particular song, but this is just one example of why Jay-Z is not the worst:





Or maybe you need to be reminded of Jay-Z prior to his retirement and unretirement?





At any rate, from what I've heard of the album, it's pretty shitty.  Repetitive samples throughout the majority of a song.  Repetitive beats with no real variety or distinctive verses, choruses, and bridges.  Nothing stands out lyrically.  Beyoncé is annoying, Frank Ocean is not going to make it as an R&B artist, and no other collaborator on the album stands out as remotely popular/talented (aside from Otis Redding, who's been dead for 44 years).

To me, it feels like Kanye threw some shit together.  It's as if he assumed that he could do no wrong when it came to making beats, so he just started synthesizing shit while high.  Then he took the 16 bars he just shittily created and put them on loop for 4 minutes.  Cue some unimaginative lyrics about black empowerment and BAM!  You've got Watch The Throne.

[djsimp]

I'm ok with Jay-Z, but Kanye is fucking h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e! Worse than 50 Cent. Best Rapper=Andre 5000.

[Kaos]

Jay Z began and ended with Can I Get a Fuck You, Hard Knock Life and Money, Cash, Hoes. 

99 Problems was abysmal.   He absolutely ruined Empire State of Mind.  Every collaboration with Beyonce drags both even further in to a pit of suckage.  Crazy, or whatever that was, made dogs cringe it was so bad.

You dis Soulja Boy, but at least that song -- as bad as it was -- had some fun with it.  Jay-Z's stuff just sucks painfully.  His rap is tired and weak.  And gay.  I'd rather listen to DMX bark.   

[AUChizad]

Everyone in this thread is wrong. 

I also saw this:

Jay-Z is the worst rapper in the history of rap.  I swear I think I can rap better than him on my worst day.

and just about fell out of my chair. Agree about Soulja Boy et al.

I disagree with everyone about this album though. The beats in particular are some of the more complex and interesting beats in pop/rap in a long time.

I guess I just like something that sounds like something I've never heard before. I like Prog Rock. I guess this is Prog Rap.

[GH2001]

I'm ok with Jay-Z, but Kanye is fucking h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e! Worse than 50 Cent. Best Rapper=Andre 5000.

Shakur
Biggie
Eminem
DMX
Snoop

Best evah.

[Kaos]

Everyone in this thread is wrong. 

I also saw this:
and just about fell out of my chair. Agree about Soulja Boy et al.

I disagree with everyone about this album though. The beats in particular are some of the more complex and interesting beats in pop/rap in a long time.

I guess I just like something that sounds like something I've never heard before. I like Prog Rock. I guess this is Prog Rap.

You've never heard my flow, bitch. 

[djsimp]

Shakur
Biggie
Eminem
DMX
Snoop

Best evah.

Not gonna argue with that, except for DMX. DMX raps sux worse than his acting. I would have to put Andre in that list based on his lyrics.

Many rappers get famous based on their music producer alone. Now I will admit, Andre when off the deep end with some of his beats but he has maintained a high level of lyrical genius. His acting sucks too, by the way.

[AUChizad]

I'm ok with Jay-Z, but Kanye is fucking h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e! Worse than 50 Cent. Best Rapper=Andre 5000.

First of all, it's Andre 3000, and I don't disagree.

There was a lot of hype around 50 cent before his album actual dropped. His guest spots on other albums prior to his own were pretty impressive. Get Rich or Die Trying turned out to be a pretty decent album thanks to Dr. Dre & Eminem. I lost interest in him after that.

I'll be honest, I wasn't that into Kanye from the beginning. I thought he was a slightly above average rapper that produced some poppy rap beats. I really only listened to the singles. I kind of avoided him due to his well documented God complex. I noticed that his more recent singles were pretty unique sounding, so I downloaded his discography. Each album gets more and more experimental and different, Watch the Throne being no exception, but really they're all very interesting. I was late to the Kanye party, but I put him in that "crazy musical genius" category with Brian Wilson. And no, before any musical purist shits themselves, I'm not in any way drawing comparisons to their musical styles.

[AUChizad]

Not gonna argue with that, except for DMX. DMX raps sux worse than his acting. I would have to put Andre in that list based on his lyrics.

Many rappers get famous based on their music producer alone. Now I will admit, Andre when off the deep end with some of his beats but he has maintained a high level of lyrical genius. His acting sucks too, by the way.

It's Dark and Hell is Hot was amazing. Probably was my favorite album when it was released. It was in heavy rotation with ATLiens & Aquemeni in my CD changer.

Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood was as good a sophomore effort as they generally come. Not bad at all. And Then There Was X came out and was kind of bleh. Poppy and generally uninteresting. Everything after that pretty much sucked.

[djsimp]

Not sure where I got 5000 thousand from but anyway.

ATLiens & Aquemeni

One of my all time favorites. I could listen to Wheelz of Steel over and over.

Side note: Did you hear Big Boi got popped with X, Viagra and a bunch other shit? He's going downtown for a minute.

[Vandy Vol]

Jay Z began and ended with Can I Get a Fuck You, Hard Knock Life and Money, Cash, Hoes. 

Really?  You've got no love for Big Pimpin', Izzo, Change Clothes, Allure, or Dirt Off Your Shoulder?

[Kaos]

Really?  You've got no love for Big Pimpin', Izzo, Change Clothes, Allure, or Dirt Off Your Shoulder?

Not really.  I'd moved on. 

I don't see a lot of difference between Jay-Z and Master P.  One trick ponies that suck. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Not really.  I'd moved on. 

I don't see a lot of difference between Jay-Z and Master P.  One trick ponies that suck.

Master P did manage to be the worst actor in a Nicolas Cage movie.  So he has that going for him, which is nice.



Bonus points for the lack of continuity between the over the shoulder shots of Master P and of Nic Cage.

[AUChizad]

Really?  You've got no love for Big Pimpin', Izzo, Change Clothes, Allure, or Dirt Off Your Shoulder?

To me, Jay-Z's best album is In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 hands down. I Know What Girls Like. (Always Be My) Sunshine. Good shit. Vol. 2, Hard Knock Life was a pretty damn good follow-up.

Don't know how you can hate 99 Problems. Easily one of his better songs. Anything Rick Ruben touches turns to gold, IMO.

[Vandy Vol]

To me, Jay-Z's best album is In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 hands down. I Know What Girls Like. (Always Be My) Sunshine. Good shit. Vol. 2, Hard Knock Life was a pretty damn good follow-up.

I was a big fan of the Black Album.  The Neptunes produced several tracks, and it also included Eminem and Kanye as producers.  And Rick Rubin, of course.

[AUTiger1]

I am not a fan of rap, but anything that Dre and Eminem work on together shits all over other albums. 

[djsimp]

I am not a fan of rap, but anything that Dre and Eminem work on together shits all over other albums.

This I have to agree with. Dre can come up with some really nice beats and Eminem can rip some lyrics. I think he has mellowed out just a wee bit too.

[Kaos]

Dre is a genius. 

Everybody else is several notches below him.  Not sure I would be a fan of rap music were it not for Dre's influence.

From NWA to Snoop to Em to 50 to Xzibit to 2Pac...  Dre is a fucking master. 

You could combine Jay Z, Piff Dinky Duddy (or whatever he's calling himself these days), Master P, Biggie, and DMX and not get a 10th of Dre's brilliance. 

The guy is the king.