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Hip Hop History: The Story Behind 'Watch The Throne' 8 Years Ago W/ Jay Z & Kanye

Hip Hop History: The Story Behind 'Watch The Throne' 8 Years Ago W/ Jay Z & Kanye

Hot97 Staff
08/09/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Photo credit – Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for adidas/GettyImages

In 2011, Jay Z and Kanye released their highly anticipated joint album, Watch The Throne.

Their project broke iTunes history in the U.S when it sold 290,000 downloads in one week. It also made it to number one on the Billboard 200 charts, won seven Grammys and went platinum.

The top-charting album produced hits like “N*ggas In Paris,” “No Church In The Wild,” “Made In America,” “Gotta Have It,” and more. It featured artists such as Swizz Beatz, Frank Ocean, The Dream, and Beyoncè.

Although the album was created by two geniuses, with that came two egos which caused a few feuds along the way.

Around the time in 2011 when Hov and Kanye were wrapping up Watch The Throne, they argued for several days over two songs Jay let him hear. Jay let Ye listen to “Holy Grail” and “Oceans,” off Jay’s 2013 Magna Carter Holy Grail, and Kanye wanted it on Watch The Throne. Hov said he was trying to explain to him why it wasn’t right for their project.

There was chatter that there was an “original cover” to the project that featured a picture of Hov and Kanye’s face merged, but Jay Z’s face is more visible. Supposedly Kanye West wasn’t feeling it, and that’s how the gold design came about.

After the album dropped, Yeezy had a Kanye West moment. During a concert in England, he went on a rant about how he’s an artist an people “don’t understand him.”

According to the report, Hov also said, “while these feuds would last for a while, they were never really nasty, or as Jay-Z says; ‘Well, there was some pushing at one point but not between us, just everyone else got a little excited.’”

Although there was a little drama along the way, the album received good reviews, and it created a sense of bromance between the two. Ultimately fans enjoyed seeing them be brothers, and they still question if there will ever be a part two. Would you want one?

Remember this video? Watch “Otis:”

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Listen to Watch The Throne: