Pete Moye’
Arts Button

Rappers Jay-Z and Kayne West’s latest project, “Watch the Throne” has been out for a little over two weeks now and has not disappointed.

Jay-Z and West collaborate for every song on the album, some of which also include other top artists collaborating with them.

In the song titled “Lift Off” the two artists collaborate with Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé.

Beyoncé claims the throne for herself, as her presences is dominate in the song from the opening verse of the song, and singing fifty percent of the song alone between the three artists.

The tempo and beat is something Beyoncé would have used on an album of her own.

The duo also collaborates with singer Frank Ocean from the music group, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All.

Ocean sings in two of the songs on the album, “No Church in the Wild” and “Made in America.”

Ocean sets the pace for the song “Made it in America,” giving it a more soulful and serious approach to the song.

Ocean opens the song singing the hook,

“Sweet King Martin, sweet Queen Coretta

Sweet Brother Malcolm, sweet Queen Betty

Sweet Mother Mary, sweet Father Joseph Sweet Jesus,

We made it in America Sweet baby Jesus, oh sweet baby Jesus” – Ocean

It seems clear that the first four names mentioned were those of Dr. Martin Luther King, his wife Coretta King, and Malcolm X and his wife Betty Shabazz.

Two couples who are all well known as icons in the civil rights movements and African American history as a whole.

The two couples are likely mentioned as acknowledgment by Jay-Z and West, as they may see them as a reason for much of their success as they do, Joseph and Mary.

During the song, Jay-Z raps about his up bringing and some of the wrongs he did at a younger age and how not having a father around in his life greatly impacted him.

Jay-Z also helps set one of the themes throughout the album when he raps about how he plans to have something to leave behind to his future children and how he plans to be there for his kids and not have to go through many of the struggles and mistakes he had to go through growing up.

“I’m trying to lead a nation, to leave to my little man’s or my daughter,” – Jay-Z

Jay-Z is already founded a nation in 2008 when he called is new brand “RocNation.”

The only thing missing is a child of his own, who he could leave the brand to some day as a family business of some sort.

Both artists also seem to express more parts of their lives and how they wish it could have been different during the song “New Day. “

Jay-Z, once again mentions of his unborn children, and how the paparazzi likely often be present throughout his life.

It seems as if he is stating that the son of Jay-Z and Beyonce will not likely have a normal life due to how fame his parents have been and what they have done for music.

“Sorry junior, I already ruined ya

‘Cause you ain’t even alive, paparazzi pursuin’ ya

Sins of a father make yo’ life ten times harder” – Jay-Z

In West’s verse of the song to what seems like he was referring to two different situations from his recent past.

The first seems to hint on to how things didn’t work out with an ex girlfriend, Amber Rose.

“And I’ll never let ‘im ever hit a strip club

I learned the hard way, that ain’t the place to get love” -West

West ends his verse saying,

“And I’ll never let his mom move to L.A.

Knowin’ she couldn’t take the pressure, now we all pray” – West

Which is likely to mean he regrets letting his mother move to L.A. when he did?

It also hints at how he thinks it may have eventually lead to her accidental death, when he believes his mom had an operation due to pressure from the L.A. media and wanting to feel like she fit in.

Jay-Z and West both show two sides of themselves in this throughout the album that shows their crazy lifestyles and also their personal up bringing.

It’s clear to see that the two artists put alot of time into this album, going as far as to do everything possible to prevent it from being leaked onto the internet.