In sifting through the troves of writings from the pop culture cognoscenti regarding Kanye West and Jay-Z's album Watch The Throne, two dominant critiques emerged. One, this opus is masterpiece of opulence, decadence, or whatever other terms one can find that mean boastfully materialistic. Two, this album's bombast sits outside of the nation's zeitgeist, particularly given the nation's political and economic turmoil of the last few weeks.
Are these themes fair to point out? Sure. Much of Watch The Throne's lyrics pay homage to lifestyles most people cannot replicate, absent some CGI and the NZT pill from the movie Limitless. These assertions, however, are easy to make, and frankly, are the equivalent of political red meat for critics. It is sexy yet cliché to assert the trope of excess as it relates to hip hop, and overshadows other themes that merit equally robust dialogue, especially given the ongoing debate of hip hop's influence within the African-American landscape.
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This article, I believe, speaks to a larger issue in hip hop that I was just recently discussing with a friend. The issue of relevance, in particular the ability of a talented mc to reference very specific events and topics known intimately by few or some, but make it flow and relevant to many. I think that it is what we see with watch the throne. Many critics are only equipped to pick up on the obvious pop culture references, and don't commit the time or interest into understanding the more complex references.
ReplyDeleteTherefore they are quick to dismiss some material as superficial, when actually it is their own understanding and appreciation which is indeed superficial.
I must admit, though, that my first impression of the "Watch the Throne" was that it was a very self indulgent and grandiose diatribe by the two artist with very few exceptions. Further listening and this article are helping the remedy that view.