With almost 40 million albums sold collectively, Jay-Z and Kanye West easily rule hip-hop music. So it's fairly predictable that critics are hailing Watch the Throne, the pair's collaborative album that hit iTunes Monday, as one of the "most historic music events ever." Throne — featuring guest vocals from Jay-Z's wife, Beyonce, and even Otis Redding, who died in 1967 — was first previewed last week at a closed-door listening party at New York's Hayden Planetarium. Just how good is it?
Bow down before Watch the Throne: This "stellar" album is nicely balanced between "hard beats with raw raps" and "risk-free commercial tracks," says Dan Aquilante at the New York Post. The optimistic song "Lift Off," featuring a first-rate chorus by Beyonce, is "destined for radio." Meanwhile, "Otis," a tribute to Redding that has become the album's top-downloaded song, is a "fantastic" way to introduce the soul legend to a younger generation.
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