Jay-Z and Kanye West: Watching The Throne of The Past, Present, and Future
The world waited anxiously for the release of the collaborative Jay-Z and Kanye West album, Watch The Throne. The anticipation ended on August 8, 2011 and fans everywhere wasted no time to show their support. Watch The Throne debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, making it the second-largest sales week of the year, selling 436,000 copies in just one week (Caulfield, Billboard). With the album’s themes of wealth, power, and materialism, it may appear that this was just another way for the artists to expand their already obscene wealth. However, while there are several references to the lavish brands that reflect their fortune, the purpose of Watch The Throne for both Kanye West and Jay-Z is not to add to their already staggering capital, but rather to demolish the caste system that does not allow fellow African Americans to bathe in similar success.
Despite being two of the wealthiest rappers in the country, Kanye West and Jay Z still manage to be concerned with issues of poverty, violence, and inequalities that still persist in the black community. Through the consideration of three songs on the album: “Made in America,” “Murder to Excellence,” and “New Day,” it can be seen that Kanye West and Jay-Z shed light on both the benefits and burdens of their unforeseen prosperity, on both a personal and societal level. Each song is engaged with the past, present, and future of the African American community, but individually they have a unique priority for the album. With dreams for a better life for the black community and their own families, Kanye West and Jay-Z include autobiographical lyrics to several of their collaborations, which reveal both artists as vulnerable and self-aware. As hip-hop royalty, they believe it is their duty to protect, guard, and honor the legacy of the civil rights movement and black power leaders from history, as well as challenge black America to join them in America’s new black elite. While they are in fact “watching” the throne of their black ancestors, they are also continuing the fight for justice in the black community. Watch The Throne is an invitation to the black community to accompany them.
The song “Made in America” is an opportunity for Kanye West and Jay-Z to acknowledge the past historical black movements that have allowed them to be successful. They are able to pay respect to black history by creating their own version of the Pledge of Allegiance. By placing patriotic language such as “liberty,” “pledge allegiance,” and “republic,” in context with the artist’s search for the American dream, it allows them to redesign traditional patriotism. The song begins with Frank Ocean, singer in hip-hop group “Odd Future,” singing the chorus soulfully:
Sweet King Martin
Sweet Queen Coretta
Sweet Brother Malcolm
Sweet Queen Betty
Sweet Mother Mary
Sweet Father Joseph, Sweet Jesus
We made it in America
By beginning the chorus with a tribute to civil rights activists, it allows Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Jay-Z to respect the sacrifices of their predecessors that have cultivated their own present day success. King Martin is giving credit to Martin Luther King, as Queen Coretta refers to King’s wife, Coretta Scott King. In the next couplet, Ocean mentions “sweet brother Malcolm” and “sweet Queen Betty,” which is referencing Malcolm X and his wife Betty Shabazz. By attributing these famous civil rights activists along with father Joseph and mother Mary, parents of Jesus, West and Jay-Z are paying tribute to those who laid the groundwork for their success. By designating the “kings and queens”, Kanye West is saying that they are guarding and fighting for the same rights that Martin Luther King, Coretta King, Malcolm X, and Betty Shabazz strived for—justice and equality. Without their efforts to give African Americans the rights that they deserved, it would be impossible for Jay-Z and Kanye West to be apart of the world they are today. Following their list of “royalty,” Frank Ocean says: “we made it in America.” The use of “we” demonstrates how their success in the music industry and in America as a whole is accredited to religion and the civil rights movement. “We” is referring to the new black elite, which are successful black artists such as Kanye West and Jay-Z who have overcome obstacles and managed to be successful America.
While still acknowledging the past in “Made in America”, but also recognizing the present, Jay-Z is able to create his own version to the pledge of allegiance. Jay-Z begins his verse with “I pledge allegiance, uh, to my Grandma.” By beginning his verse the same way that the Pledge of the Pledge of Allegiance starts, Jay-Z shows that he is adapting it and regenerating it—on his own terms. By substituting “to the flag” with “to my Grandma” Jay-Z is showing that his faithfulness and honor is with his family, not America. He continues his verse with references to his not so rightful and lawful past. He continues his verse with:
Our apple pie was supplied through Arm & Hammer
Straight out the kitchen, shh don’t wake Nana!
Built a republic, that still stands
I’m trying to lead a nation, to leave to my little man’s
Or my daughter, so I’m boiling this water
The scales was lopsided, I’m just restoring order
By using the idea of apple pie to resemble the American dream, Jay-Z is able to show how his family was able to afford it. Apple pie is a symbol for patriotism, and also resembles the all American dream. By claiming that his family’s apple pie was supplied through Arm & Hammer, Jay-Z is referencing how his American dream came from drug dealing. As a main ingredient in crack cocaine, Jay-Z shows that his questionable business ventures were necessary in pursuing the American dream. In his book Decoded Jay-Z writes: “Hip-hop, of course, was hugely influential in finally making our slice of America visible through our own lenses—not through the lens of outsiders” (155). Here, Jay-Z is claiming that hip-hop was an opportunity to illustrate what the struggling black community had to do in order to survive and be successful. By saying “our own lens” Jay-Z is creating a narrowed view of America that only himself and other African Americans can see. This provides evidence for Jay-Z’s claims on what he had to do to make it in America. His “slice” or piece of apple pie represents his success and the “lens” he used to get there may have not been legal or ethical, but an outside perspective cannot judge it.
Jay-Z continues to redefine what the pledge of allegiance means to him, and demonstrates how he feels about America as he alters the pledge of allegiance with his own words. He recreates this by saying: “built a republic, that still stands” which is an alteration from the original pledge of allegiance that says: “and to the republic, for which it stands.” By changing “to the” to “built” Jay-Z is claiming that he has built his own republic because the traditional republic did not afford him the success he dreamed off. He also changes “for which it stands” to “that still stands” to show that his drug dealing is the foundation of his wealth. The money that he may have earned unethically has still aided him more than the American republic ever could have. The next lines demonstrate Jay-Z’s source of inspiration for a better life—his family. By claiming that he is trying to lead a nation to leave to his children, he must “boil water.” This is a reference to his drug dealing past and also a reference to his current means of success—cooking up new hits. To justify his unlawful past he blames the justice system by saying “the scales was lopsided, I’m just resorting order.” Here, Jay-Z is claiming that the justice system and success in America is tilted towards white America, so he dealt drugs to balance the scales of equality for African Americans. Metaphorically, Jay-X is restoring order by keeping a vocal black presence as he leads the nation to both remember the past, and think about the present. Jay-Z proves that although America has made progress since the civil rights movement, there is still a “lopsided scale” of equality. Although Jay-Z is now incredibly successful, he had to begin his accomplishments through drug dealing. By attributing his success to his family and his unlawful past, he is discrediting America in his success. Just as the “king and queens” laid the groundwork for Jay-Z’s and Kanye’s success, they are now able to prepare and encourage success for their families and greater community.
Following similar themes of injustices presented in “Made in America,” Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Murder To Excellence” takes it a step further, and acknowledges the “lopsided scale” that has not only affected them, but the present day struggling black community. “Murder To Excellence” has two contrasting halves of the song that come together to compliment each other in an unexpected way. The music present in this song is uniquely relevant, as it is able to provide explanations for the shift in topics. The first half of the song has a powerful and prevalent beat, with loud drums that are paused or increased at certain lines. However, the second half has a weaker undertone and is more consistent with its tone and beat. The powerful beat of the first half is relevant in terms of the topic of Kanye West and Jay-Z reporting and recognizing the serve state of black America, while the second half is a celebration of the personal achievements that they have acquired. The title of the song “Murder To Excellence” has the same contractions. The word “murder” and “excellence” have applied opposite meanings, which together illustrates the gap between struggling and successful black America. The title also implies that there was an achievement from the level of murder to excellence, which is later, defined by material wealth.
The song The first half of the song “Murder To Excellence” has clear themes of black-on-black crime and also a motif of blackness, which has different meanings throughout the song. The song beings with Kanye West singing the chorus: “The paper read murder, black on black murder.” This confirms the motif of the song—black on black crime. Jay-Z starts his verse with: “This is to the memory of Danroy Henry,” which announces who this song was written and inspired by. According to an article in the Huffington Post, Denroy Henry was a 20-year-old football player for Pace University who was shot and killed by white police officer, Aaron Hess. This tragedy caused even further controversy when Aaron Hess received the Officer of the Year award in 2011 (Fitzgerald). By dedicating the song to Danroy Henry, West and Jay-Z are affirming the lingering injustice in America and are following in the footsteps of civil rights activists by acknowledging it. In his book Decoded, Jay-Z writes: “When the politicians can’t censor you and the industry can’t marginalize you, call the cops. The statistics on the incarceration of black men, particularly of men of my generation, are probably the most objective indication that young black men are seen in this country as a ‘problem’ that can be made to literally disappear” (161). According to Jay-Z, Danroy Henry is yet another example of the government’s prejudice and injustice to the black men of his generation. While law enforcers may have viewed Denroy Henry as a “problem,” Jay-Z is able to ensure that this “problem” does not just disappear. Jay-Z uses the story of Denroy Henry to remind black America that they face enough injustice and racism from the police force, government, and media that they must not inflict more tragedy on their own race.
Although Jay-Z and Kanye West dedicate this song to a black citizen that was killed by a white police officer, the purpose of the song is not to blame whites for the alarming murder statistics in the black community. Rather, it is to remind black America of the odds that are already against them, and urge them to redefine black power. Jay-Z begins his verse with the following lines:
Too much enemy fire to catch a friendly
Strays from the same shade, Nigga we on the same team
Giving you respect, I expect the same thing
All black everything, Nigga you know my fresh code
I’m out here fightin’ for you, don’t increase my stress load
Niggas watchin’ the throne, very happy to be
Power to the people, when you see me, see you
In this verse, Jay-Z is continuing to fight for Denroy Henry by asserting that police officers are quick to pull the trigger when it comes to African Americans. However, the “you” in this verse is directed at the black community. Friendly fire is a term that refers to weapon fire coming from someone on ones side. Jay-Z is arguing that black America has to face perpetuating injustice—racism, and police violence— and black-on-black crime adds an unnecessary enemy. Jay-Z follows this line by saying “strays from the same shade, Nigga we on the same team” which shows that the additional threat of violence coming from a member of “the same team” seems trivial and counteractive. Jay-Z refers to the black race as a team, adding a feeling of unity and camaraderie. Being apart of a team requires a mutual level of respect, which is evidenced in his next line. Jay-Z acknowledges that he is respecting black America, but he would like the same respect in return. Jay-Z claims that he is “out here fightin’ for you” which again uses the same “you” referring to black America. “Murder To Excellence” is an example of Jay-Z fighting for the black community, as he is utilizing his power and status to obtain justice for the black community, and also draw attention the persistent problems that rarely are made public. These lines profess that Jay-Z’s fight for success is not just for selfish reasons, but actually to fight for and inspire black America. In the next line he directly references the album title by claiming that he is proud and blessed to be watching the throne, but he is not doing it without representing his fans. Jay-Z says “power to the people” which is referring to the oppressed, the disenfranchised, the working class, and the prosperous coming together to fully access their power. By following it with “when you see me, see you” Jay-Z demonstrates that when you “watch the throne” or admire his success, you are watching yourself. This line ties to Kanye and Jay-Z’s major goal of the album; instead of celebrating their wealth, they are urging other blacks to join them and create their own success.
Still in line with the themes of the first half of the song “Murder to Excellence,” Kanye continues to identify himself with the struggles in the black community in his verse. Kanye West is able to criticize the media for underreporting by including accurate mind-boggling statistics about black crime rates. West says:
No shop class but half the school got a tool
And I could die any day type attitude
Plus his little brother shot reppin’ his avenue
It’s time for us to stop and re-define black power
41 souls murdered in 50 hours
In these lines, Kanye urges the black community to reconsider what it means to be powerful by arguing that carrying guns or perpetuating violence does not gain power. While he does note He is critical of the school system for not having enough funding for a shop class, yet half the school is carrying guns. He asserts that the common attitude of this population is that everyday could be their last, so they need to defend themselves accordingly. According to an ABC, Kanye’s inclusion of the statistic about his hometown, Chicago “41 souls murdered in 50 hours” is accurate. He includes this startling statistic to draw attention to the magnitude of the violence in Chicago. Although Kanye is now an extremely successful artist, he still uses the word “us” when he says that it is time to redefine black power. By including himself in redefining black power, he is acknowledging that he is not above or separated from black America. Kanye uses this evidence to prove that these tragic incidents do not define black power, and both himself and Jay-Z are fighting for the black community.
West continues to acknowledge present day black-on-black violence in his next verse in “Murder To Excellence.” The last four lines of his next verse say:
It’s a war going on outside we ain’t safe from
I feel the pain in my city wherever I go
314 soldiers died in Iraq
509 died in Chicago
Unlike his first verse, Kanye has directly inserted himself within the lyrics. West claims that there is a war occurring and “we” are not safe, which again includes himself. These four lines also have a different beat than his previous verse, as the music slows down and there is only a discrete hand drum played in the background. This change in music forces listeners to hear his lyrics instead of being distracted by the powerful musical background. These lines show a vulnerable and empathetic side of West that was not present in his previous verse. He is able to become more vulnerability as he expresses the hurt he feels for his people as he is forever connected to his hometown city, because of the lack of instruments and slower beat. He is also affirming that while he can now afford to live a more affluent lifestyle, he still can empathize with the tragedy that is their reality. West maintains the same structure in his two verses by ending them with startling statistics about black crime rate. By ending his verses this way, West ensures that listeners can process and note the importance of these statistics as well as criticize the media for underreporting them. In Jay-Z’s Decoded he claims: “The push for censorship only reinforced what most of us already suspected: America doesn’t want to hear about it” (158). The “us” is referring to the black community, who according to Jay-Z believes that the media censors the problems that face their communities because the majority of America frankly does not care. By including startling statistics from West’s hometown, he is proving that he isn’t ignoring the travesties that the media neglects. Jay-Z further asserts: “But the story had to come out sooner or later because it was so dramatic, important, crazy—and just plain compelling (158). By including the story of Denroy Henry, the 41 souls murdered, and the 509 people who died in Chicago, Jay-Z and Kanye West are proving that they are still recognizing and fighting for the black community.
The second half of the song “Murder To Excellence” promptly shifts into a different focus and different beat entirely, which positions both Jay-Z and Kanye West as representatives of black excellence or “the new black elite.” On the surface excellence seems to be defined by their material wealth, but Kanye West and Jay-Z still maintain a level of awareness about the injustices that the black community is faced with. The beat shifts from a powerful and loud drum to a softer drum with less instrumental, which signifies a thematic shift. This shift is immediately clear, when Jay-Z begins his verse with “It’s a celebration of black excellence. Black tie, black Maybachs, black excellence, opulence, decadence.” Instead of focusing on the struggles that the African American community faces, Jay-Z shifts the song into a celebration of black success. Jay-Z claims that black excellence is celebrated with luxury cars, lavish clothing, and over indulgence. Jay-Z further raps: “Success never smelled so sweet, I stick of success, the new black elite.” The “new black elite” as defined by Jay-Z, is measured by financial success in society, and is demonstrated by an abundance of luxury goods. Throughout Watch The Throne, both Jay-Z and Kanye prove to be educated, elite, and extremely wealthy; thus making them members of the new black elite.
The second half of the song “Murder To Excellence” utilizes a different music sample, which is looped throughout. Jay-Z and Kanye West chose to utilize the song “Katutoka Corrine” by Quincy Jones, which was from the soundtrack to the 1985 film The Color Purple. The film portrays the life of African American’s in the 1930s, and particularly focuses on the resistance they faced by American culture. Interestingly, the second half of the song follows similar thematic elements, as Jay-Z and Kanye West still recognize the lack of African Americans in the elite world that they are positioned in. Although Jay-Z does claim that he is a member of “the new black elite” he is still aware of the scarcity of African Americans in high society when he raps:
Domino, domino
Only spot a few blacks the higher I go
What’s up Will, Shoutout to O
That ain’t enough, We need a million more
In these lines, Jay-Z uses the image of a domino to paint a picture of African Americans in high society. By using a domino to explain the class and race hierarchy, Jay-Z argues that the society is primarily white, with only a few black “dots” to be seen. Jay-Z says the higher he gets in society, the fewer blacks there are to accompany him. He then acknowledges two African Americans that he notes are in the “new black elite;” Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey was in the cast of the 1985 film The Color Purple, so she is connected to the song in more than one way. While she does resemble an affluent, wealthy, icon in today’s society she also acknowledged injustices in the black community by acting in this film. The new black elite is not only measured by material wealth, but also focused on making positive changes to the black community with this newfound power and success. While Jay-Z does note that himself and Kanye West are not alone in the “new black elite,” they still say “that ain’t enough.” This line urges other African Americans to join them and share the success and power that they have acquired.
In continuation with Jay-Z’s verse, West’s is also mindful of how rare it is for black men to be living this elite lifestyle. West claims, “In the past if you picture events like black tie, what the last think you expect to see, black guys?” Kanye is alluding at the once inconceivable idea of African Americans in high society. West is mocking American culture for not expecting black men to be at a high-class event, and criticizing them for doing so. The “black tie” reference also provides further evidence for Jay-Z’s earlier correlation with black tie and black excellence, furthering the “black” motif of the song. When discussing the meaning and importance of the meaning of “black excellence” The author of the blog “Book of Hov,” Duane Lawton, says: “I believe that the local media can do more to tell the story of Black excellence in its communities. Black excellence is not about who is or what is great from a distance- it’s about who or what we can reach out and touch in our own communities” (Lawton). While the meaning of “black excellence” may become clouded by all the materialism, in actuality “Murder To Excellence” is Jay-Z and Kanye West criticizing the media for not broadcasting the injustice and tragedy present in their communities, as well as pointing out that not too long ago two men like Jay-Z and Kanye West would never be experiencing the success that they are today. They are proving that they are reaching out to their communities such as Chicago, to make sure that their voices and anger is heard. West ends the song with “Black excellence, truly yours,” which carries double meaning. On one hand, truly yours could be the signature in a letter addressing the American public. On the other hand, truly yours is also a call to the black community to signify that their success could truly be theirs. This urges the listener to become apart of the new black elite, and again affirms Jay-Z’s claim that “when you see me, see you.”
While “Murder To Excellence” focused on the present state of the black community, Jay-Z’s and Kanye West’s “New Day” is a speculation of the future generation. “New Day” is the most vulnerable and self-aware song on the album, as West and Jay-Z use a first person perspective to create a very personal autobiographic track. Through personal self-reflection, they are able to criticize their own lives, and offer advice and apologies for the future generation. “New Day” serves as a forewarning message to their unborn sons, as well as their metaphorical “sons” of the future. The song is predicting surprising challenges for the future black community, and claims that it is still an uphill battle for equality. Kanye begins his verse with:
And I’ll never let my son have an ego
He’ll be nice to everyone, wherever we go
I mean, I might even make ‘em be Republican
So everyone know he love white people…
And I’ll never let ‘em ever hit the telethon
I mean even if people dyin’ and the world ends
See, I just want ‘em to have an easy life, not like Yeezy life
In this verse, Kanye is able to connect allusions and possible mistakes throughout his career, to explain the changes he would advise the future generation to make. Kanye identifies a tension between what one personally believes in, and doing what one must do in order to appease and be accepted in society. West has been repetitively criticized for being ignorant in having such a big ego, and he has even noted this is in Ego Remix with Beyoncé, when he says: “I got a big ego.” By saying that he may make his son be a Republican, he is assuming that this would protect him from being called a racist, like he has. He comically illustrates his own mistakes of not being thought of as a nice person, being a racist, and mentioning the telethon—where he claimed that George Bush does not care about white people (US Weekly). While West does appear to be regretful, he also adds a level of sarcasm. When stating that he will never let his son go to the telethon, he follows it by saying “even if people die and the world ends.” His sarcasm here shows that is not entirely remorseful and he stands by what he said, even though it has lead to him being securitized. He concludes by saying that he wishes his son has a better life than he has had, and it is West’s hope that this advice helps the future generation to accomplish that. Although Kanye has proven to be assertive and speak his mind, it has inevitably lead him to a life full of struggle scrutiny. Thus, through tones of both sarcasm and regret, West is able to communicate his own experiences while still critiquing the power structures present within society.
In continuation of Kanye’s honesty and vulnerability, Jay-Z proceeds to do the same on his verse in “New Day”:
Sorry junior, I already ruined ya
‘Cause you ain’t even alive, paparazzi pursuin’ ya
Sins of a father make your life ten times harder
I just wanna take you to the barber
Bondin’ on charters, all the shit I never did
Teach ya good values, so you cherish it
Even before his son is alive, Jay-Z claims he has already ruined him because of his fame. The paparazzi is already interested in him, putting his future life under scrutiny. Jay-Z is worried that the media and paparazzi will ruin his relationship with his son and prevent him from bonding with him, in a way he never experienced with his own father. While taking his son to the barber is a low-key activity, riding private charter jets is not. Jay-Z uses the comparison of the barber to private jets to show that he wants to be able to cherish time with his son in both lavish and non-lavish settings, which may not be a possibility because of his fame. While he does suggest that he will spoil his son with the experiences he never had, he also wants to teach him good values so that he can appreciate it and understand this was not the life Jay-Z had. Jay-Z ends his verse with “cause my dad left me and I promise not to repeat him. Never repeat him, never repeat him.” In Zach O’Malley Greenburg’s book Empire State of Mind, he writes that Jay-Z’s father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned his wife and children in 1980. The effects of this abandonment were tragic: “For the young Jay- Z, the effects were instantaneous. He was, in his own words, ‘“a kid torn apart once his pop disappeared.”’ His grades declined, and not even his mother could get through to him.” (Jay-Z qtd. In Greenburg, pg 14). The repetition of “never repeat him” signifies the importance of being a better father than his own father was to him. By vowing hat he will never leave his son the way his own father left him, Jay-Z is promising his son a better life then he had. Both Kanye West and Jay-Z note the burdens of fame, but they promise their future “sons,” both literally and metaphorically, a better life than they were afforded.
Through the analysis of three songs present on Kanye West’s and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne: “Made in America,” “Murder to Excellence,” and “New Day,” it can be concluded that this album is a calling to the black community and their future families to join them in the new black elite. By beginning “Made in America” with a list of civil rights activists, Jay-Z and Kanye West are watching the throne of the past and attributing them to their success, and also continuing in their footsteps. Further, redesigning the pledge of allegiance on their own terms, Jay-Z and Kanye West are proving that becoming part of the elite culture that they now align themselves with was not easy. “Murder to Excellence” is the artist’s way of watching the throne of the present, by paying homage to the memory of Denroy Henry. They also include statistics that are usually censored in the media and urge other African Americans to join them in their success. “New Day” is a promise and guide to the future, as the artists promise to their future “sons” that they will not allow this to happen to them. In each of these songs, both West and Jay-Z demonstrate that they are exposing the injustices present in the black community, and proving that even two talented black artists are not immune to injustices. Watch The Throne is a challenge to the black community to join them at the top, which is now possible as Jay-Z says: “when you see me, see you.”
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