Last night, Jay-Z hosted a private listening session for his and Kanye West’s highly anticipated Watch the Throne, supposedly releasing August 2nd. The event took place in the Mercer Hotel, where journalists crammed into a suite converted into a recording studio where Hov debuted cuts from the LP from his MacBook Pro and held an impromptu Q&A.
According to several track-by-track breakdowns, Watch the Throne features only two guest appearances: Beyonce on “Lift Off” (for which they’re going to shoot a video) and Frank Ocean, who appears on a dubstep-inspired track and “No Church.” The latter features lyrics (via GQ.com) from Jigga such as, “Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?”
“Living So Italian” samples “Ave Maria,” while “Otis Redding” opens with a Blade of Glory sample and back-and-forth lyrics between the two (via KanyeToThe.com). “Black on Black” focuses on intra-racial violence, while Hov expressed disappointment with “H.A.M.” and said it wouldn’t make the final cut of the album. “It’s just so big and so much, you don’t want that sh– screaming in your house,” he said. “If we don’t make records that we like and represent the culture, we would be over.”
Jay said that the version of the album he played was the “third iteration of the project” and that previous records were scrapped for “being too big and calculating.” He also explained that he has already begun work on his next solo album, one of which features Frank Ocean – a connection made after he heard his Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape.
AD LOADING...
Jay-z said two songs already completed for his next solo album, and four concepts banked. Frank ocean appears on one already done. #WTT
AD LOADING...
RELATED:Jay-Z & Kanye West’s “Watch The Throne” Album Cover Revealed, Due August 2nd
