Hip Hop and Breakz

Jay-Z and Kanye have been talking about this project for quite sometime now and its finally here. Originally intended as a five-track EP by the duo, Watch the Throne was revealed by West to be a full-length album in an October 2010 interview with MTV. At the time he said that they planned to record in the South of France. However strangely enough production for the album began in November 2010 in Bath, England (of all places not exactly what I would call a Hip-Hop Hotspot ) and continued during available times in Jay-Z's and West's respective schedules in Australia, Paris, Abu Dhabi, New York and Los Angeles. In a number of interviews, Jay-Z said that they often recorded in hotel rooms and that the album went through three iterations, as he and West had scaled back from their original musical direction for the album. Although originally rumoured to be entirely produced by Kanye the duo drafted in the help of other Hip-Hop producers including; The Rza, Pete Rock, No ID, 8...

Pete Rock , Smiff N Wessun – Monumental Pete Rock is a legend in Hip Hop circles; trained by Marley Marl and second only to DJ premier when it comes to production skills. Rarely does he produce entire albums for artists, in fact his last was 2004’s ‘My Own Worst Enemy’ with Edo G and even that wasn’t entirely Pete Rock produced. However 2011 brings us Pete’s collaborative effort with Smiff N Wessun, Monumental which is released on BCC’s Duck Down label. Fourteen tracks entirely produced by Pete Rock and featuring such guests as; Raekwon, Rock, Sean Price, Buckshot, Styles P., Bun B., Memphis Bleek, Freeway and former Hit Squad member Hurricane G. The album starts off with a pretty unmemorable intro and then jumps into the title track Monumental which features lyrics from Pete Rock and a a nice albeit simple horns loop over a plodding drumbeat. This wasn’t too bad until the poorly sung hook comes in sung by newcomer Tyler Woods. The singing adds nothing whatsoever to track in fact...