Opinion: Watch the Throne – An Unstoppable Duo

“I’m doing pretty good as far as geniuses go,” Kanye West proclaims on his 2007 album “Graduation.” After his latest album, 2010’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” it’s hard to disagree with Kanye’s claim.

So when you’re a genius at the height of the game, where do you go from there?

Well, what’s better than one genius? Two.

The mastermind’s next step was to work with his mentor, his idol, and his, “God of the game.” Jay-Z.

Kanye and Jay-Z working together isn’t a new or revolutionary concept. Before Kanye became famous for begging God for guidance in his 2005 breakthrough single “Jesus Walks”, he was making beats and producing for his idol and legendary rapper Jay-Z. Once Kanye made a name for himself, he and Jay-Z continued to work together as artists and had guest appearances in each other songs.

However, “Watch the Throne,” the collaborative album between the two, sees a combination of the titans of hip-hop that has never been present before. The album, released last August features Jay-Z and Kanye working together to the full extent of their skill. Jay-Z’s experienced mastery of flow coupled with Kanye’s youthful energy and beats make them a force to be reckoned with.

Whether or not if “Watch the Throne” is as good as their solo material is up for debate. It has its moments. Surely “Otis” can be credited as being one of Kanye’s best feats in the studio. “N***** in Paris” and “H.A.M.” take the cake for being the upbeat and adrenaline pumping tracks we love the artists for. Though these fast-paced tracks are present the album still feels lacking, there aren’t any easily sing along tracks like “Stronger,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” or “Encore.”

Regardless having two legends of the industry making an album together is something that has had critics and fans alike drowning in their own drool. Since it’s release the album has already sold over 1,000,000 copies.

The tour for “Watch the Throne” began last month, October 28th in Atlanta. The concert took place in the Philips Arena and supposedly sold over 20,000 tickets according to allhiphop.com.

The setlist, fortunately, was not exclusive to “Watch the Throne” as it featured hits and singles through both of the titans’ careers. From “99 Problems” to “Monster” the 39 song set was stock full of songs to make any fanboy’s wet dream come true.

Another notable aspect of the show are reports of the light shows and theatrics of the concert. Most notably, giant cubes that the rappers performed on. Coming out from underneath the stage and lifting the performers in the air these cubes are estimated to be 40 by 40 feet and have images and videos playing on their surface.

Kanye and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne Tour will travel across the states and hit The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan on Nov. 26th. Though the tickets can reach hundreds of dollars a show as legendary as this one can’t be missed.