It’s no question that Kanye West and Jay-Z are two of the biggest icons hip-hop has ever seen. And, as of this past weekend, it’s officially been ten years since the two released their collaborative album Watch the Throne — undeniably a monumental moment for the genre.
To nobody’s surprise, it debuted on the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart. It sold a whopping 436k copies during the week of its release. It additionally spawned multiple hit singles, some still getting radio play to this day.
Of course, the pair didn’t deliver the album alone. They drew in features from the likes of Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, and other stars. The Neptunes, Hit-Boy, Swizz Beatz, Kanye West himself, and more contributed to production.
It’s a Classic For Sure
With its August 2011 release date, the album serves as the two’s exit from the bachelor life. Jay-Z was preparing for the birth of his first child, Blue Ivy, while West would begin dating his future wife Kim Kardashian the next year. The album finds them reflecting on more mature topics than some of their previous works. For example, “New Day” has the two sharing their aspirations as future fathers. Simultaneously, they rap about black-on-black murder on the track “Murder to Excellence.” Still, the album wouldn’t be complete without braggadocios tracks like “H*A*M.”
Since its release, Watch the Throne has received plenty of praise. It was nominated as the best rap album of the year at the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. It won CD of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Several publications have given it its flowers in the years since as well. Billboard claimed that it was the biggest collaborative album regardless of genre just two years ago.
As anticipation for Kanye West’s new album Donda continues to pile up, the historic duo have paired up again. Jay-Z contributed a verse to a track tentatively titled “Jail” by fans. On it, he references Watch the Throne as he nostalgically raps, “This might be the return of The Throne.” Fans can rest well knowing there’s more to come from Kanye and Hov.
Written by Andrew “Jetlag” Preisig | IG @ThankYouJetlag | Twitter @ThankYouJetlag
