LeBron James raps along to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Niggas in Paris” and then hits a half court shot in an exhibition game.
So, everybody’s pointing out the (excellent) new video for “Niggas Best Friends in Paris” by The Throne (Jay-Z and Kanye West), but no one’s pointed out that video’s decadently kaleidoscopic imagery is clearly inspired by the album’s cover.
Watch and consider.
-TWG
SIDETRACKED
(Side Projects, Solo Albums, and Other Detours)
T-Wayne - “He Raps, He Sings, It’s T-Wayne”
The music world is filled with unfilled promises. For every Chinese Democracy, there’s a Detox. This is especially true when it comes to collaboration. Each time a musician promises an exciting joint-effort, I feel the need to steel myself for the possibility that it will probably never come to fruition. In fact, it’s actually surprising when a promised collab becomes a reality.
And, for every Watch The Throne, there are about a thousand rap team-ups that have never materialized.
Strangely, some promised collaborations that have never been fully realized but have produced a meager amount of work provide a brief glimpse of what might have been. In the case of the Lil Wayne/T-Pain1 duo “T-Wayne,” that glimpse came in the form of “He Raps, He Sings, It’s T-Wayne,”2 the sole track credited to their partnership’s moniker.
Bizarrely, the idea for the duo was that T-Pain would rap and Lil Wayne would sing, inverting their typical musical roles. Since this was before the release of Weezy’s Rebirth (the mall-rock, singing only album that began the falling action segment of his career), hip-hop fans were actually optimistic about this project.
And, when we got to hear the first track it seemed to confirm that stance. Now, “He Raps, He Sings, It’s T-Wayne” is not a great track, but it’s a good introduction to the duo and their sound. It’s the sort of track that could be the first on a full-length album. The track has a goofy vibe to it, which I would expect to run throughout the work that they planned to do. It also shows that they can trade roles fairly easily. T-Pain, after all did start off as a rapper, and Wayne has sung his fair share of rap hooks in the past.3
Basically, this track shows that the role-swapping conceit at the heart of T-Wayne could work, and exactly how it would work, by removing all seriousness and just having fun on a track. It’s a shame that their collaborative work has now been shelved indefinitely, because I’d really like to hear it, especially since they’ve both seen their careers take a downturn since the time they announced this project. It might not be as great as Tha Carter III, but it would almost certainly be more fun than either artist’s recent output.
Download “He Raps, He Sings, It’s T-Wayne” here.
-TWG
1. I’m gonna use this as an excuse to link to my favorite picture ever.
2. Note the shirts that they wore near the end of the video for “Got Money.”
3. Citation 1 - Citation 2
(So guys, it’s like basically the weekend, and it really doesn’t fit into one of our current features, but I really need to to point this out.)
The song “Hate (feat. Kanye West)” from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 is totally the genesis of Watch The Throne.
Their back-and-forth flow, the weirdo-electro production style, the industrial flourishes, everything. It’s all right there.
Listen to the track and try to tell me I’m wrong.
-TWG
“Well, Kanye,” the doctor said, holding a clipboard as he looked at his eager patient, “It seems that you are very ill. The illest, in fact.”
“What is it, doc?” Kanye asked in concern.
“After several tests, a team of professionals and I have concluded that you are…” he sighed, “suffering from realness.”
(Source: bedussey)
I really wish that instead of just calling it “Paris” radio DJs would censor “Niggas in Paris” by calling it “Best Friends in Paris.”
-TWG
14. The Throne - Watch The Throne
So, Jay-Z and Kanye West made an album this good, and it’s no where near the best album of either of their careers? It’s that good, and it still feels like they recorded it over a long weekend or two? Yes, it’s quite the testament to how great half of this duo is that they can make an album that sounds like neither of them is trying hard at all, and it’s still one of the best of the year. Part of the album’s success is that while neither of the boys sound like they’re putting forth a whole lot of effort, it does sound like they’re having a lot of fun. Not many people could put out a record this good that’s just supposed to be fun, but Jay and ‘Ye are not most people.
