As Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne tour kicks off this week, there’s really not all that much else to talk about. Between set lists, leather outfits, copious bling and “OMG WILL PREGONCÉ OR FRANK OCEAN OR BOTH MAKE AN APPEARANCE?”, it’s a truly immersive experience, permeating all facets of daily life and conversation. So while we wait very impatiently for our turn to Watch The Throne, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite collaboration albums of all-time.
Frank Ocean - Thinking About You (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.
When I first heard Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You,” I imagined a clichéd couple-quarrelling-and-making-up video, not a tipi in a pasture with Native Americans burning sage inside. But hey, I guess I don’t have a strong enough imagination. Posted in the wee hours of the morning via their Tumblr, High5Collective liberated a Frank-approved visual for the falsetto-laden ballad, and it brings the song to a whole new level. Be clear, folks: this is nothing like Beyoncé’s “Best Thing I Never Had” CMT-esque clip.
There’s no use in boring you with a scene-by-scene account of the well-shot video, because I wouldn’t do the magical asteroid, spiritual ceremony, dream-catchers, or Frank’s hospital scrubs justice, and frankly, you should watch it for yourself to interpret. Just know that the imagery is full of esoteric symbolism, and it just might help you redefine the word “forever;” it’s romantic and heartwarming to think that love can last a lifetime, but if that love can transcend to future lifetimes, well, SWOON. Can we get a full album, already?
Frank Ocean – “Thinking About You” Video [Stereogum]
The first thing you need to know about Frank Ocean is that he’s a singer-songwriter, not an “R&B singer.” Seriously: he may be African-American, but please don’t genre-pigeonhole him; not only does he hate it, but his skills at penning intricate, category-less songs are far more expansive than what parameters of contemporary Urban radio will allow. That’s not a shot at R&B, though; we’re just stating a fact.
Raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 23-year-old music aficionado began writing for artists like Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, and John Legend when he moved to Los Angeles after Hurricane Katrina in 2009. Linking up with hip hop houligan collective OFWGKTA (aka Odd Future) around that time, Ocean (who was born Christopher, and formerly performed as Lonny Breaux) then secured a deal with Def Jam, but like many artists in the early phase of their careers, was put on the waiting shelf. Luckily for us, the talented songwriter turned insubordinate and rogue, releasing his now critically-acclaimed mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra via his Tumblr.
The mixtape may have been an unconventional move for most up-and-coming singers, but for Ocean, it created a compelling word of mouth domino effect. Taking songs like The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” MGMT’s “Electric Feel,” and Coldplay’s “Strawberry Swing” and making them very uniquely his own, Ocean was able to showcase his songwriting abilities and allow the audience that was hanging on his every word to get to know him, well. Back in May, when we were fearing for our lives during the Rapture, we suggested the MGMT re-worked cover “Nature Feels” as being a delightfully sexy Garden of Eden tune to “go out with a bang” to. But the tape possesses plenty more gems where that came from: a romance with a porn star dental student is illustrated beautifully on “Novacane,” an exorcism and disposal of broken hearts turns into an enchanting car ride to the ocean on “Swim Good,” and a snippet from Nicole Kidman’s character in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut anchors the end of fan favorite track, “Love Crimes.”
Finally liberated at midnight on iTunes last night, I didn’t even bother to give the album that’s projected to sell 400-500K copies a listen. Like any “grower” project, Watch The Throne deserves more attention than a few hours on a Sunday night before bed, and is one whose layers need to be peeled away over time. Unfortunately, the worldwide web and the social media news cycle don’t really allow for that kind of preciousness, so whether anyone is taking an interest in the sea of quick-trigger opinions or not, we’re all lured into engaging in text message/blog post/140-character word-vomit assessments.
All for starting a dialogue on the topic of music, sitting here trying to write a comprehensive critique for this still-warm and super-dense album is challenging, especially since there has been so much hype swirling around it for months. “H.A.M.” dropped too early, release dates got pushed back, exclusive listening sessions were embargoed (but still tweeted about and sprung audio leaks), and Hov learned from his wife’s troubles, never allowing his baby with Kanye to be born premature. Digital files now in hand before friday’s physical release date, is the album all that we wanted it to be?
It’s doubtful that you’d realize how many times “stars” are referenced on Watch The Throne if you didn’t hear it for the first time whilst gazing at digital galaxies and constellations above your head in a super dark room. Words like “moon” and “sky,” too, actually. Last night, at New York City’s Museum of Natural History, Jay-Z, Kanye and the generous folks at Def Jam hosted three separate listening sessions inside Hayden Planetarium, allowing inquisitive listeners to hear the album almost in its entirety (skipping just one track) while they sat reclined, looking up at the impressive show above.
While it was definitely a unique experience for all in attendence, the pizazz of the intergalactic spectacle on the theater’s ceiling screen was a distraction from the music that drew VIPs like Beyoncé, Pusha T, DJ Khaled, Ryan Leslie and Busta Rhymes to show up in the first place. And sonically speaking, unbalanced levels also made focusing on both emcees’ verses a challenge. In the first session, for example, the bass would be so loud that our seats were vibrating and Hov’s lines were rendered virtually inaudible. But let’s dial it back. From what we heard of it, overall, the album sounded solid. The production is definitely on-point, and Jay isn’t paired with Linkin Park or R. Kelly this time around; although it’s too early to tell off these first listens, it seems Kanye’s verbals may, in fact, actually best Jay’s. And ‘Ye will be the first to admit that he’s selfishly “getting high on [his] own supply.” Of beats, that is.
Rumor Alert: Diddy And J. Lo Are Back Together
“We’d be thrilled if J.Lo kicked Marc Anthony to the curb to reunite with Puff, and we suspect he’d be into it too,” Kate Spencer wrote last month for our sister site The Fab Life, ranking the duo #7 on the site’s list of “35 Celebrity Couples We Wish Would Get Back Together” (McAdams/Gosling was #1, so as far as we’re concerned, that list was extremely scientific.) Now that Lopez has broken ties with Marc Anthony, another of our sister sites, BET.com, is citing unnamed sources claiming that Diddy and Jennifer Lopez are in fact dating again. Our desire to witness the reunion of Fly Girl #1 and the original Bad Boy is currently slightly outweighed by our skepticism, but we’re actively hoping for more evidence. [BET]
Frank Ocean Posts New Song “Thinking About You” On Tumblr, Then Takes It Down
Frank Ocean must have forgotten that the Internet is forever. Luckily for him (and for us), the song is really great. [Rap Radar]
