Even if you don’t listen to hip hop, Jay Z and Kanye West’s much-hyped Watch the Throne is worth checking out from a production standpoint. Though there are plenty of hip hop moments, overall it feels more like an indie album masquerading as a hip hop album. Since last year’s My Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye has been experimenting with a more progressive rap sound, even going so far as to have Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon guest on both albums. Rap music in general is diverging into a variety of camps ranging from club to prog but a few tracks on Watch the Throne, most notably New Day and Made in America downplay big beats in exchange for atmospherics and even singing. Jay and ‘Ye still rap but it’s a downtempo talk-rap that should be interesting to see live on The Throne tour toward the end of the year.

New Day


Made in America