Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Defies Radio Rules

While lacking conventional single, Watch the Throne tracks 'Lift Off,' 'No Church in the Wild' and 'N---as in Paris' trend on Twitter.
By Rob Markman


Kanye West
Photo: Flanigan/ FilmMagic

Nothing Jay-Z and Kanye West have done leading up to Monday's release of Watch the Throne has been conventional. While most rap artists look to impact radio with a big crossover single before they drop their album, the Throne handled things a bit differently.

Yes, there was the release of the Lex Luger-produced "H.A.M.," which now stands as a bonus track on the deluxe version of WTT. Then there was "Otis" of course, but with no catchy chorus, the Redding-sampled track hardly screams crossover. Shade 45 DJ Statik Selektah said he doesn't think Jay and Kanye still need to conform to radio — he actually believes the opposite: "I think Jay and Kanye could put out an a cappella song and it'll get played," the DJ told MTV News.

Check out our photos of Jay and Kanye recording Watch the Throne.

Sucker Free and Power 105.1's DJ Envy agrees. While "Otis" doesn't fit the exact formula for a hit, Envy said radio has picked it up for one simple reason: It's a good record. "The first single, 'Otis,' if you wanna call it a single, it's not a radio record but it's been added on so many different radio stations, which I think is dope," he said. "You still play it in the club, and it's a hot record."

Because of their respective musical accomplishments, Hot 97's DJ Kast One said the Throne are the exceptions to the radio rule. "They're in a different type of space: It's Jay-Z and Kanye — they're arguably two of the biggest rappers, I wanna say, ever," he said.

Shade 45's DJ Wonder echoed that sentiment: "With Jay-Z and Kanye, they're so iconic that it's not going to make a difference what they decided to do; people are gonna want it."

It's not that Watch the Throne has a shortage of likeable records. Since its release Monday, songs like "Lift Off," "No Church in the Wild" and "N---as in Paris" have all become trending topics on Twitter.

Conventional wisdom says that Watch the Throne will eventually produce a number of records for radio, but it doesn't seem that Hov and Yeezy necessarily planned for that while recording the album. DJ Khaled argues that when artists go in with the aim of recording for radio, they end up losing authenticity. "I think people that go in the studio saying, 'I'm making a radio record' is when they start goin' in the wrong direction. It's called, make a great record," he said. "When you start thinking, 'Oh, I should put a little sprinkle and make it radio,' sometimes that hurts you because it's not authentic."

Share your review of Watch the Throne in the comments below.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668690/jay-z-kanye-west-watch-the-throne-release.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Visits Recovering Sean Kingston In Miami

Bieber's interview will air Tuesday on 'MTV First: Sean Kingston.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias


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Justin Bieber was spotted in Miami over the weekend hanging out with his pal, former tourmate and "Eenie Meenie" collaborator Sean Kingston. MTV News caught up with the teen star Sunday when he landed back in Los Angeles to see what he and his pal were up to.

"I was just down in Miami," he told us for an interview set to air during "MTV First: Sean Kingston" on Tuesday night. "We were just hanging out at his house, kicking it, driving around Miami and whatnot.

"It was a lot of fun," he added about hanging out with Kingston, who is recovering from a headline-making jet-ski accident. "I got to relax and take time off."

During "MTV First: Sean Kingston," the chart-topping artist will talk about his recovery from the near-fatal accident, which occurred near his home in Miami, and his plans to get back in the recording studio. The special is set to air Tuesday at 7:57 p.m. ET on MTV, then continue for 30 minutes on MTV.com. Beginning today (August 1), fans can submit questions for Sean through MTV.com or via Twitter (using @MTVNews/ hashtag #AskSean).

Sean will open up to host Sway Calloway about the cause of the Memorial Day accident and go into detail about the various medical procedures he underwent to treat his injuries. The singer will also speak candidly about how the accident helped him to focus on living a healthier lifestyle, and, of course, we'll find out what's up next for the star in his music career.

Share your questions for Sean Kingston in the comments section below or tweet us @MTVNews using the hashtag #AskSean.

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