The August 28 announcement almost resembled a flippant afterthought. For the usually bombastic Kanye West this was indeed a rarity given that the news would leave music fans salivating. “Me and Jay bout to drop a 5 song album called “Watch the Throne,” stated a matter-of-fact West on Twitter of his upcoming project with hip-hop’s unstoppable gargantuan Jay-Z. As far as event records go, this one screamed can’t miss! ‘Ye, pop culture’s current supreme arbiter, a cocksure and at times controversial rapper/producer whose boundless vision is only matched by his sizable hubris. J-Hova, the self made God MC who not only ended up with the hottest chick in the game (hi there, B), but the most chips at the table, amassing an entertainment empire worth over $500 million.
Yet this is all about the music, right? When West dropped his acclaimed opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy late last year, the buzz had elevated to hysterical levels. So what would a collaboration between Jay and his former Roc-A-Fella protégé sound like following one of 2010’s most ballyhooed works? Various hints of their future seismic union were mixed. Jay-Z came off quite pedestrian on Ye’s relentless “Power Remix,” as the student outshined the master. The Twisted Fantasy tracks “So Appalled” (‘Ye was amazingly defiant while Jigga’s cool handed wit was on full display) and “Monster” (It could be argued that the usually regal Jay was third best following West and the song-stealing Nicki Minaj) gave fans more commingled results. And on West’s leaked G.O.O.D. Friday track, the solid Pete Rock fueled “The Joy,” a revived, introspective and hungry Jay hit it out of the park.
But with the recent Monday unveiling of the power duo’s first single “H.A.M.,” the final product is anything but prodigious. What went wrong and how could it have been salvaged
1 TURN DOWN THE ASSHOLE DIAL
Someone get ‘Ye a good therapist. No one would ever imply that Mr. Gold Digger was the most congenial person in the world when it comes to the opposite sex. Music critics and even political bloggers (shout out to the Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates) have pointed out that West’s Twisted Fantasy was at times racist and misogynistic (The aforementioned brilliant standout “So Appalled” nevertheless requires listeners to get pass the now infamous "Champagne wishes/30 white bitches" hook a myriad of times).
Yet “H.A.M.” finds West crossing the line between lovable louse and mean-spirited creep. Take your pick. At one point Kanye surmises, “If life a bitch suck my dick huh?/And I bet she fucked the whole clique, huh?” He then follows that up with the charming line, “No paper hoe, but you can have some more of me…” And then for good measure he spits, “I’ve been practicing with some actresses as bad as shit/And a few white girls, asses flat a shit/But the head so good, damn a nigga glad he hit…” Where’s Too Short when you need him? Come on, Ye.
2 SWITCH YA STYLE UP
Okay, we get it. When a producer is having a moment you can expect a bevy of artists lining up to jump on that in-demand sound and ride it all the way to Maybach glory. And right now Virginia-born beatman Lex Luger is living the dream. The musical architect behind such dramatic 808 bass assaults as Rick Ross’ “B.M.F.” and “MC Hammer,” “Waka Flocka Flame’s “Hard in Da Paint,” and Fabolous’ “Lights Out” has carved out impressive space as the current go-to conductor for southern-fueled street anthems.
Unfortunately, for Kanye and Jay-Z, the production on “H.A.M.” is so familiar that you expect the Bossss himself to pop up at any moment and shout out Chicago O.G. Larry Hoover. Even when the track deviates from the script, the orchestral hallmarks that added a quirky sensibility to West’s Twisted Fantasy sound contrived here. Remember, you are not a genius just because you featured an opera singer on a track that’s guaranteed to become the next $20 bill-raining strip club anthem. You are merely a show-off.
3 STAY ON TOPIC HOV
Say what you want about Kanye West’s lurid performance on “H.A.M.” But at least he stayed on message. Shawn Carter? Yes, he attacks the song with the ferocity of a dying man out for revenge. And once again he effortlessly demonstrates that he is a peerless chameleon when it comes to rhyme flows and even manages to drop some vintage Hov lines (“Niggas aint got my lady money,” he muses of his famous wife). But going from proclaiming your own gangsta (“I hustle with vultures late nights/Y’all muthafuckers woulda been food…”); to the fakeness of rapper A (“Niggas fantasize about the shit that I do daily…”) to the status of your bank account (“I’m like really half a billi, nigga…”) to the haunting death of his nephew (“When my nephew died, daddy dead”); and segueing into the name drop of a Japanese fashion label (“Commes Des Garcon, fuck your fresh…”), it all comes off as discombobulated and rushed.
Does any of this mean that Watch The Throne will be a total let down? No. Somewhere, Kanye and Jay are laughing at the absurdity of it all. Let’s hope the punch line proves to be epic.
(Vibe)
- B.D
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