Watch The Acclaim - Chris "Preach" Smith

Rocafella does it again.

That's the prevailing thought this Monday morning as the highly
anticipated album from Jay-Z and Kanye West dropped on iTunes.
Record stores get physical copies on Friday, but we may see a lot
of records fall in the span of four days. This is a music moment
right here, ladies and gentlemen. No, I'm not trying to pitch any
platinum Kool-Aid to you. What I've observed with Watch The Throne
may the just be the calling card of the record industry for this
century, if they choose to recognize the fact.

Take into consideration the fact that this album never leaked. Let
me repeat...THIS ALBUM NEVER LEAKED. Do you understand how
insurmountable a task that is in this day and age? Albums and artists
aren't made or broken solely by A&R's and promotional teams anymore.
Look at Lupe Fiasco. His first album, Food & Liquor, got pushed back
by Atlantic Records and then was leaked, giving the label another reason
to push it back again in an effort not to lose profits. The popularity of
that album secured Lupe's career, and it was because of the buzz the
leak generated. On the opposite end, leaks expose flaws. The fact that
Hov and Yeezy never let a track slip outside of the blockbuster that is
'Otis' reveals a very shrewd plan. Releasing it only to iTunes digitally
FIRST shows that they understand the power of the digital community.
That way, they benefit from all of the great reviews, and can stand to
make a bundle in digital sales. And best of all, they understand that
album leakage's double-edged sword is this: even if someone downloads
the song illegally, stats show that those same people BUY more than
those who don't download. So chances are they will double dip and get
more profits. This is a lesson for all of the other record labels out there
who are still traumatized by the digital age.


Another important thing to note here is that this is the first collaborative
effort for Jay-Z album-wise since his strange, dark and comical trip with
R.Kelly about eight years ago. It's not uncommon to see two musical
greats connect and create, even with albums(see:Nas+Damian Marley)
but for Kanye and Jay-Z, it still is a marvelous pairing. In truth, Kanye
has gone from student to teacher and has found himself on par with
Jay-Z now in the span of nine years. Think about that. The same cat
who got eaten alive in a radio show freestyle battle with Common way
back when is able to trade lines with one of the best AND produce at a
maestro's level. I'll admit, I was skeptical about 'Ye's talent level but
he's proven himself over the years. And as for Jay-Z...he's only gotten
better. You have to hand it to these two for basically rejuvenating the
hip-hop atmosphere on a different level and for their business skills.
I'm sure we'll all be watching the throne and they'll kick back and
watch the acclaim roll in.