Albums to watch

Watch The Throne

Jay-Z & Kanye West

Watch The Throne

Collaborative album from the two hip-hop giants also features Beyoncé and the voices of Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield

ADM rating[?]

7.4

Label
Mercury
UK Release date
08/08/2011
US Release date
08/08/2011
  1. 10.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    A coherent and purposeful piece of work, a statement of what hip hop can mean, and where it can go
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  2. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    The album has the flash to dazzle and the substance to last
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  3. 9.0 |   The AU Review

    An album which lives up to all the ridiculous hype
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  4. 8.5 |   Prefix

    The dark side of the American dream
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  5. 8.5 |   Pitchfork

    A stadium-sized event-rap spectacle that still sounds like two insanely talented guys' idiosyncratic vision
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  6. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Furthers the legacy of Jay-Z and Kanye West in an unexpected way, displaying the artists in a more laid-back setting than anticipated
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  7. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Haters are gonna hate given the artists in question – but to be disappointed with Watch the Throne is to be disappointed with the rap game in 2011
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  8. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    It should be considered a success without question by all who come across it
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  9. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    A dynamic work from the leaders of the pack
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  10. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    The richest-sounding record of 2011 and like an individual Jay-Z or Kanye West album, it reveals more with every listen. Here, the pleasure is doubled
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  11. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Feels more like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy than a Jay-Z album
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  12. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    The biggest surprise about Watch The Throne though is how often trying to equal each other, and their bloated reputations, brings out their best
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  13. 8.0 |   Q

    It's energised, adventurous and fiercely commercial. Print edition only

  14. 8.0 |   The Scotsman

    This pair know exactly what they are about and the dynamism of Watch The Throne is like a regal gauntlet thrown down to the rest of the hip-hop fraternity
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  15. 8.0 |   The Observer

    With fantastically varied production, Watch the Throne marches hungrily forward, belying its genesis in a series of swanky hotel rooms
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  16. 8.0 |   AU Review

    Jay may have the flow but ’Ye has the excitement, ideas, unpredictability and, yep, swagger
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  17. 8.0 |   State

    This year’s hip-hop blockbuster isn’t a sequel to Twisted Fantasy, but Kanye’s magpie touch is all over it
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  18. 7.7 |   Beats Per Minute

    For the two most commercially viable rappers of the past decade to care this much about the quality of their art is something nobody could argue is a bad thing
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  19. 7.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    Because neither West nor Jay are really given sufficient time to lay their roots into the album it rarely hits the heights of either of their best solo material
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  20. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    While Watch the Throne is ultimately a minor entry in their canons, it's still a terrific snapshot of the friendship that has ended up defining mainstream rap
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  21. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    On a record this ambitious, this sonically bold, it's a shame two of music's greatest storytellers don't extend their gaze beyond their own luxe lives
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  22. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Watch the Throne, while definitely no classic, for the most part succeeds
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  23. 7.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    It’s hard to deny the quality here
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  24. 6.2 |   Paste Magazine

    When two legends unite, you expect pure, unfiltered brilliance. Watch The Throne has moments of that
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  25. 6.0 |   musicOMH

    It's clear that Kanye West took creative control over this album - his footprint is on every single beat
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  26. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    The overriding sensation is akin to reading one of those luxury-shopping magazines you get on planes while a mediocre hip-hop station plays over the headphones
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  27. 6.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    While the mismatches outnumber the strengths on Watch the Throne, these songs are a clear indicator that they’ve worked together so often for a reason, and it’s a relationship made to last
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  28. 6.0 |   BBC

    A very noble attempt at cohesion, but its inconsistency ultimately stalls the project, resulting in an uneven recording that buckles under the weight of its own pressure
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  29. 6.0 |   Spin

    Throne can't help but be admired, even enjoyed. It sounds expensive; it pisses excellence, even as it pisses you off
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  30. 5.0 |   The Quietus

    Hype and arrogance created Watch the Throne and stifled the creative revelation it could have been
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  31. 4.0 |   The Independent

    Too often here their complacent, back-slapping laxity leaves tracks floundering, and most cuts rely on a single notable line or sentiment to pull them through
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