Maps of Music

Watch the Throne (2011)

Where the lyrics of Watch the Throne take you, and where it was really made.

This album was recorded in hotel rooms and studios on several continents, and it began as a planned five-song EP.

Key places

Hotel rooms in January 2011 (2011)

Recording site The Mercer Hotel — In January 2011 the producers and artists regrouped and rented a block of rooms at the Mercer Hotel to record together. Mike Dean also mastered the album there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Electric Lady Studios sessions (2011)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Electric Lady Studios in New York City is one of the studios named as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Real World Studios in Wiltshire (2011)

Recording site Real World Studios — Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England is one of the recording locations listed for the album. The city-level point marks the region only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

MSR Studios sessions (2011)

Recording site MSR Studios — MSR Studios in New York City is one of the studios named as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Le Meurice in Paris (2011)

Recording site Hôtel Meurice — Le Meurice in Paris is one of the recording locations listed for the album, alongside studios in several other cities. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Avex Recording Studio, Honolulu (2011)

Recording site Avex Recording Studio — Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii is one of the recording locations listed for the album. The point is set at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Barford Estate in Sydney (2011)

Recording site Albert Studios — Barford Estate in Sydney, Australia is one of the recording locations listed for the album. The point is set at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Watch the Throne: collaborative studio album by Jay-Z and Kanye West
• Released August 8, 2011 by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings
• Originally planned as a five-song collaborative EP, it grew into a full-length album
• Guest appearances from Frank Ocean, The-Dream, Beyoncé, and Mr Hudson
• Vocal contributions from Kid Cudi, Seal, Justin Vernon, Elly Jackson, Connie Mitchell, Charlie Wilson, and Pete Rock, among others
• Production led by West with producers including Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, RZA, Jeff Bhasker, The Neptunes, and Q-Tip
• Expands on the dense production style of West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
• Themes include excellence, opulence, fame, materialism, power, and the burdens of success

Background

• Jay-Z and West first worked together on 'This Can't Be Life' from Jay-Z's 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
• West also produced for Jay-Z on The Blueprint (2001)
• During the promotion of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West announced a five-track EP with Jay-Z titled Watch the Throne
• In an October 2010 MTV interview, West said the project had expanded into a full-length album and that they planned to record in the south of France
• Following the lead single 'H.A.M.' in January 2011, the reception caused a change in the album's production
• In an August 2011 WEDR radio interview, Jay-Z explained the title as protecting the music and the culture

Recording

• Recording sessions began in November 2010 at various locations
• Sessions took place at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Barford Estate in Sydney, Electric Lady Studios, The Mercer Hotel, MSR Studios, Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City, Le Meurice in Paris, and Real World Studios in Wiltshire
• Jay-Z said they often recorded in hotel rooms and that the album went through three iterations
• Jay-Z and West scaled back from their original musical direction during production
• Mike Dean mastered the album at the Mercer Hotel

Cover

• Cover and artwork designed by Italian designer Riccardo Tisci
• Both were premiered at a private listening session at the Mercer Hotel on July 7, 2011

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Ye (born Kanye Omari West, June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
• Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago; began producing in the mid-1990s for Chicago-area artists.
• Signed to Roc-A-Fella Records as a recording artist after producing for Jay-Z's label.

Members

• Solo artist; formed the Go-Getters group with GLC, Timmy G, and Arrowstar (1999).

Career

• Debut The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005) earned critical acclaim.
• Released eleven US Billboard 200 number-one albums; five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Known for stylistic shifts from chamber pop to electropop, gospel, and industrial rap.
• Founded GOOD Music label; ventured into fashion with Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Adidas (Yeezy).
• Has 24 Grammy Awards and sold an estimated 160 million records.
• Faced major controversy for antisemitic statements from 2022 and later expressed remorse.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave highly positive reviews, mostly praising the rappers' performances and the production
• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average of 76 out of 100 from 42 critic scores
• Some reviewers found the lyrical content uninspiring
• Rolling Stone and The Washington Post included the album in their year-end best-of lists
• Pitchfork's Tom Breihan said the album works best when Jay-Z and Kanye West talk about how great they are
• Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole praised West's production but found the self-mythologizing hard to tolerate
• The Independent's Andy Gill found the rapping mediocre
• Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot found the record weighed down by the rappers' self-regard

Reappraisal

• Complex named it one of the classic albums of the last decade in 2012
• Billboard placed it at number 8 on its list of the 20 best albums of the 2010s (so far) in January 2015
• Revolt listed it at number one among rap collaboration albums in 2018
• Billboard named it the biggest collaborative album of all time in 2019

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 436,000 copies in its first week
• Jay-Z's 12th US number-one album and West's fifth
• Broke the US iTunes Store one-week sales record at the time, selling nearly 290,000 downloads
• Ranked ninth best-selling album in the US in 2011
• Debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums chart with 25,000 copies
• Debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart
• Peaked at number one in Norway and Switzerland
• Certified five-times platinum by the RIAA on November 23, 2020
• At the 54th Grammy Awards, 'Otis' won Best Rap Performance
• At the 55th Grammy Awards, 'Niggas in Paris' won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The cover and artwork were premiered at a private listening session held at the Mercer Hotel in New York City on July 7, 2011.
• Watch the Throne became one of the few major-label albums in the Internet age to avoid a leak, despite being one of the most anticipated releases of 2011.
• The track 'Living So Italian' was excluded from the final album after sample clearance problems.
• By the end of 2011, the Watch the Throne Tour had grossed $48.3 million, making it the highest-grossing hip-hop tour at that time.
• Jay-Z said that the lead single 'H.A.M.' received a less-than-stellar reception, which led to a change in the album's production.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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