The powerhouse duo of Jay-Z and Kanye West came out so huge in 2011 with the release of the Watch The Throne
, an arena rap epic album with Kanye’s production value and Jay-Z’s smooth flow (along with a rad Beyonce cameo on the second track). Then they did a huge tour, and the live videos from the shows were absolutely bonkers.
They also encored with “Niggas in Paris” regularly and would actually go on to repeat the track a few times depending on the energy in the crowd. Like seven times in New Orleans. Or seven times in Detroit. So it’s not surprising that they chose to officially release the video for “Niggas in Paris” through the proxy of their live shows; the vocal mix itself seems to sound like a mix of both the studio version and a live version but the video is all live and full of quick cuts and lasers and shit.
It even comes with a epilepsy warning at the beginning (bonus!)…
WATCH VIDEO
Although most New Yorkers are probably still thinking about last night’s Giants Super Bowl win (or are at least nursing a nice football hangover), I’m taking one for the team and already looking ahead to a week of NYC-area shows. As usual, there are plenty of good options this week, including Jay-Z, Bjork, tUnE-YaRds, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe covering the Rolling Stones, and two nights each of Primus and Tea Leaf Green. Read on for all the highlights as I see ‘em… READ MORE
The show initially ended when Kanye threw his mic and signaled to Jay with a huge smile that he had had enough. This however was not before they decided to play their song “Ni***s in Paris” as an encore, 7 times in a row. After the 4th time Jay asked audience members in the front row, “you promise you won’t be mad?” Then they went on for the 5th, 6th and 7th performances of the song. Their energy and enthusiasm never regressed and despite the repetition, the crowd only responded louder and more enthusiastically. The reception, the excitement and the passion of the artists during this show demonstrated that no matter how old they get, they’ve still got it. They also proved that after all of these years and all of these hits that they are unparallel to anyone in the rap game, a supposed young man’s industry. It is unbelievable that they can be so good, for so long. This performance was proof that the audience was truly watching the greatest rappers alive. As Mr. West was well into 1of his 7 final verses in “Ni**as in Paris,” he remarked to the audience that “you are now watching the throne”, and he was correct. Long live the kings.
MGMT @ Mann Center, Philly 8/15/10 | Photo © Eric Tsurumoto
This week in NYC shows kicks off with a few repeats from last week’s list that are sticking around town: Blind Pilot @ Music Hall and the Drums @ the Bowery. We’ve also got some bigger shows of note this week, including the big hip-hop double bill of Jay-Z & Kanye West for two nights at MSG (Mon and Tues), and Foo Fighters with Social Distortion and The Joy Formidable on Sunday night, also at the Garden.
For something a little smaller on Tuesday, I’d suggest hitting the Sea and Cake at The Bowery Ballroom. I was impressed with their opening slot for Broken Social Scene last September, and anything with John McEntire (Tortoise) on drums is bound to be pretty solid in my opinion… READ MORE
Forget any talk of tension between the two rap heavyweights, as the two clearly seemed hyped to be performing together and made eye contact all throughout the song, waved their arms in excitement and shouted along to the Redding howls at the end of the tune.
Simple, powerful and rocket-fueled, it was truly a performance fit for a pair of kings. [MTV.com]
Read on for the video…
A few months back Stephen Kelley (of 4TWK.com) shot the Kanye West and Jay-Z performance at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and at the time I wasn’t fully versed on this whole Watch the Throne super-duo that was coming together. Now I’m obsessed. Check out Kelley’s whole gallery after the jump… >>>
Arguably the two most powerful men in the rap game today, Kanye West and Jay-Z have teamed up for a fall tour and forthcoming album to be released next Tuesday on iTunes under the new moniker Watch The Throne. As of right now, the fall tour dates are being re-tooled to help work in some new bookings. The tour already had a gap in it between the Houston (10/26) and Atlanta (10/29) shows, leaving room for a possible Friday night Voodoo spot. Right now, nothing is confirmed, so we’ll have to wait for this afternoon’s announcement to see if this MAJOR show will materialize. Regardless of your thoughts on this collaboration, this will be one of the bigger festival sets of the year (if not the biggest) if it in fact happens.
