Kanye West & Jay Z-New Day

Kanye and Jay-Z's brand new album is a self-pat on the back by the two, heavily weighed down with a gold Cartier watch. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Part of rap's appeal has almost always been a sense of escapism, a combination of both admiration and envy for those who have come out of mostly nothing to now live a life that can dream of. But where Watch The Throne bogs itself down is when it starts to feel like a private VIP party that you have to watch with binoculars a mile away behind velvety ropes.

Where it succeeds is when the two descend from their Mt. Olympus and no track exhibits this more than "New Day" featuring verses from the two on top of a RZA beat/"connect." A letter to their unborn sons (sup Tupac), both Kanye and Jigga deliver heartfelt verses which expound on their own lives, current insecurities and doubts, and focus on promises that are at the heart of the American dream: a better life for your children than you had. On top of a dope Nina Simone sample (a former jamandahalf) the entire track feels stripped down, a removal of all the Louis Vutton suitcases, Hermes scarves, European boutiques, Maybachs, and gold which ooze from most of the tracks on the album. It's ironic that the two really show that the figurative throne really is there when they take away from its opulence, when they show that they are just two cats from Brooklyn and Chicago that had a dream and now are living enormous.

Click here to download


Jay-Z & Kanye West New Day

Kanye & Jay Z-Power (Remix)

Some rappers find a niche. A groove. Make the same sounding music for years and years. Talk about the same subjects, stick to the same flow, have similar beats by the same five producers. They ride comfortably for years until they finally fade into rap oblivion. They say do what you do best, and rappers like Juvenile and Busta Rhymes have done just that, and made careers of it.

Say what you will about Kanye, regardless of whether you like him or not, but he is anything but predictable. Whether it be his videos, award show wearits, or style, Kanye has shown an almost ravenous pursuit of doing what is not expected of him. With his classic debut album College Dropout (just gets better and better with age), Kanye introduced himself to the world as a  rapper/producer who has the ability to chef up dope beats from classic soul, blues, and jazz samples (even reworking a jamandahalf by a gay British guy and making it his own). Three albums later (including his experimental 808’s and Heartbreaks) Kanye is at a crossroads of his career.

Luckily all signs point to great things from Mr. West. On his untitled fifth album, Kanye has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Bon Iver, experimenting with his own talents, and shifting hip hop’s direction at the same time. The “Power” remix is Kanye pulling off his gloves and taking it to the rap game. Proving his point that he can “rap with Jigga,” Kanye drops three fire verses with three different flows, a lyrical roulette. On the third verse, Ye gets crazier than a Tea Party convention, flowing on top of a frenzied beat with a classic Jock Jam sample. From a rapper who easily could have easily taken his millions and made ambient autuned tunes the rest of his life, seeing his fire and drive is refreshing.

  Power (rmx) f. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz by jamsfordays