[TheBubblegumGang]

What were you expecting from Watch The Throne? Did it deliver?

A major gripe a lot of critics (and fans) have with this album is that there's too much bragging about money and possessions. While I can see their point, I really don't know why this has come as such a shock. Every sign pointed to this album being about living life as a rich black man. The artwork, song titles, "H.A.M.", statements about it being "castle music", etc. all told us that this album would be full of boasting and very different to MBDTF.

As I mentioned in another thread, I think it's difficult for these two artists to come together and make incredibly personal music throughout an entire album. Jay and Kanye might work well together and be great friends, but their lives are incredibly different:

- The mainstream loves Jay. Kanye not so much.
- Jay was a drug dealer. Kanye went to college (sort of).
- Jay is in a long-term, committed relationship. Kanye isn't.

There are many more differences that make their ability to create a My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-like album impossible. They have both had very different journeys, which restricts the subjects they can both rap about on the same song. While Kanye is all about juxtaposition, rapping about fucking models while Jay spits lines about marriage wouldn't make for a cohesive album.

Watch The Throne was always going to be what it is. Everything pointed to an album about living life as a rich black man. The sooner people realise this, the more they will enjoy it.

 

[Guest]

This is more about the actual sound of the album but for some reason I expected a bit of an orchestral influence and also a "Keep it safe" streamlined hip hop sound on this album similar to the early 'Ye sound from his first 2 albums or even from the beats he gave Hov for BP. Not exactly sure why I expected that but I'm pretty satisfied with the "Going hard with substance" sound.

Still though, you could only imagine and desire an album that has the sound we hear in The Joy and Primetime.

 

[Kan-Yeezy]

Tbh I was expecting better from Lift Off.

My other complaint is I thought they'd feed off each other's verses more, but that's just me

Still love this album tho

 

[Andeezy]

Tbh I was expecting better from Lift Off.

 

[Uncanny]

I didn't know what to expect. I always try to reserve my expectations for albums because your own hype can be what keeps you from enjoying it. Judging by all the Ye/Jay stuff that had been done before it, I did feel like the album had high chances for being amazing. Then I heard HAM, and I was feeling like maybe the album could be terrible too. I didn't really know what to think of the album until listening through it front to back about 10-15 times. I think it's very good, but because it is experimental and takes risks (which I respect), not everyone is going to like it. Hence, the reviews are good. Some people think it's amazing, some think it's not even decent. That's just the way the reception will be. It was very similar with 808s & Heartbreak and Common's Electric Circus. You get a different opinion with every person you ask.

Now, if they ever do a Watch The Throne 2, I expect this...

If it doesn't happen, I'm not buying.

 

[S.Z.]

A major gripe a lot of critics (and fans) have with this album is that there's too much bragging about money and possessions.

This bugs me a lot too. It's the main thing they focus on when they're talking about criticisms about the album when in fact half the songs on the album contain conscious lyrics (literally half - Welcome To The Jungle, New Day, Murder To Excellence, Why I Love You, Made In America and No Church In The Wild to an extent - Bonus included The Joy + Primetime).

I don't get it? Plus the bragging was done super classy

Anyway I actually expected it to be a lot different. 2-3 features on every song, harder sounding beats, more bragging believe it or not, a lot more. I thought H•A•M was a real preview for the album.

 

[TheBubblegumGang]

After hearing "H.A.M." I became very excited about Watch The Throne being a grandiose, larger-than-life album, but I was a bit worried that it would be a critical and commercial flop. While I enjoyed the track, so many people didn't, and in hindsight I'm glad that they remade the album and made it more listenable, even though I'd kill to have that first, insanely powerful copy of the album that they made and then scrapped.

Once I heard about it being less like "H.A.M.", I began to expect basically what we got. I went into the album having not heard "Otis" or even "That's My Bitch", and was a little overwhelmed at first. However, during my second play-through I fell in love with the album and all other music has sounded tame in comparison since.

This bugs me a lot too.

It's really kind of frustrating. That's what inspired me to start this thread. The album is very conscious in parts and was always limited to how personal it could go by the fact that it's a collaboration. I think people need to throw aside their disappointment that this isn't "The Beautiful Dark Twisted Blueprint" and appreciate what it is: an incredible album and a great moment in hip hop history.

 

[RyRy]

I werent hyped for the album at all. Went a bought it yesterday. Lyrically its ate. But the beats/production is mind blowing. And some of the songs have both mean beats and lyrics. 'new day' is the stand out track to me. Deep and amazing.

 

[Chilla]

I was expecting more, and I think all of us were. Lyrically it's dope, although the album feels rushed and a little amateurish. The abrupt beginning of Why I Love You and the beat overall didn't sound good. It would sound so much better without the kicks and snares or whatever the sounds are called. Reminds me of the rock hard steel instruments that were used in HAM and I didn't like those. Album should've been a little smoother, with more piano sounds. Would fit so much better. I bet Lift Off was a disappointment to all of us. Kanye barely rapped on it. Sounded more like he was talking in his sleep. What I like about the album though is the emotions and the way Yeezy and Hov open up on a few songs.

 

[Lezus]

I expected them to change the HAM ending.
I expected songs more like Murder
Verses about themselves got boring as fuck
A hook to Otis, (sike)
More RZA productions.

 

[hyphy03]

After HAM, I was honestly expecting pretty close to what we got

I loved the album because it was what I was expecting, if not better. I didn't have outrageous expectations like most of this site.

 

[Already Home]

After hearing HAM and knowing they were going to tour because Ye didnt after MBDTF, I expected an orchestral and stadium status sound. I assumed That's My Bitch would just be a Bonus track. I thought that there would be a lot more "brag-rap" and was presently surprised that there was a nice amount of consciousness and substance on the album. I have no complaints when it comes to the lyrics because they both went in on the majority of the tracks. Ye was witty and still showed up lyrically, and Jay was about as good as you're going to get these days with the wordplay and subliminals.

I am however disappointed in their selection for singles. When Otis dropped I thought it was a good track, not great. Many kept saying that "they didnt need a mainstream sounding single because they were going to move units regardless". Well, Lift Off happened...that track is TRASH. Ye is mumbling and Hov has 8 bars and sounds old and uninspired.  They really could of changed the game. Right now when I turn on the radio all I hear is singles that you can tell are blatantly used to catch the attention of casual music fan and people that go to clubs. They had the opportunity to  change that and they did not

Last but not least I expected a classic. That did not happen. This is a very solid release and I give it a 4/5, but this is JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST. This album was supposed to change the game, and it didnt. If you go to the lengths they did for the album not to leak, make a documentary of the recording process(which wasnt in my deluxe edition ), and have all these listening sessions...you need to drop a classic.