User:Zmasongo/sandbox

Critical response
Watch the Throne received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 42 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Steve Jones of USA Today praised the rappers' "chemistry" and wrote that it "allows each to carve out his own stylistic space, with Jay-Z coolly delivering his incisive lyrical darts, while the more emotional West thrives on adrenaline-fueled punchlines." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club commented that "exhilarating messiness and go-for-broke spontaneity infect Jay-Z and push him outside his comfort zone and into a realm of intense emotional reflection." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated, "If [the album]'s musical direction seems like West's work, it's worth noting that Jay-Z has the better lyrics." Pitchfork Media's Tom Breihan commented that the album "works best when Jay and Kanye are just talking about how great they are," adding that "Kanye is this album's obvious guiding force. [...] He displays levels of unequaled audacity." Claire Suddath of Time complimented the lyrics' social commentary and "opulence," calling it "a beautifully decadent album by two of hip-hop's finest artists — men with a lot of things to say and a lot of money to spend." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised West's "attention to detail" and found their "wit and absurdity [...] entirely suited to the epic scale of productions." Kitty Empire of The Observer stated, "Some find this sort of branded gloating distasteful, but at their best both rappers can still make you laugh."

Despite noting "a relative lack of structural variety within the songs," Los Angeles Times writer Randall Roberts found its production "captivating" and called the album "a cocksure, fiery, smart, if problematic, collaboration that showcases the pair's distinct lyrical skills." Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe stated, "They still sound like two solo rappers. But there’s an undeniable synergy that they embraced for this project." Jayson Rodriguez of XXL called the album "incredibly ambitious, yet dexterous" and commended its producers for "skillfully lay down a musical foundation that makes it easy to dance to and not be worn down by the, at times, didactic messages." Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole praised West's "powerhouse production" and called it an album "that requires you to tolerate the artists' self-mythologizing and put up with their sometimes awkward attempts at experimentation." Despite noting a "lack of thematic consistency," David Amidon of PopMatters commended "the entire conceit of the album’s framework" and added that it "succeeds [...] in giving us both sides of both artists—the braggadocio and the social consciousness—in nearly equal measure." Sputnikmusic's Tyler Fisher noted "a lack of focus," but called it "a mess of an album that sounds too good to hate." Allmusic editor Andy Kellman called it "an audacious spectacle of vacuous pomposity as well as one of tremendous lyrical depth." The Kritix writer Bo Masongo comments that the album's production is "top notch" and the lyrics about "money, and black excellence make you feel rich and poor all at the same time."

However, Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot noted a "sometimes difficult partnership" and criticized Jay-Z's and West's "self-regard" in their lyrics, stating "they urge listeners to 'watch the throne,' and gaze in awe on their good fortune." Andy Gill of The Independent found their rapping "pretty mediocre" and stated, "Too often here their complacent, back-slapping laxity leaves tracks floundering." Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson viewed that they lack chemistry together and commented that much of the album "sounds cluttered and disjointed." Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen complimented West's production and Jay-Z's "emotional depth," but stated, "on a record this ambitious, this sonically bold, it's a shame two of music's greatest storytellers don't extend their gaze beyond their own luxe lives." Rob Harvilla of Spin commented that "fame and wealth and pissed greatness [...] permeate[s] everything" and called the album "garish and glorious, exquisite and exasperating." BBC Music's Marcus J. Moore perceived "a conflicted tug-of-war between the two" and called the album "a very noble attempt at cohesion, but its inconsistency ultimately stalls the project, resulting in an uneven recording that buckles under the weight of its own pressure." Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker stated, "Weed the album down to a healthy ten, and [it] doesn’t become either classic or coherent, but it does work as an entertaining document of two wildly creative, not particularly wound-up friends." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented that "as a whole it’s not totally legible; there are too many ideas," calling it "an album with several phenomenal moments, even if it doesn’t quite add up to a phenomenal album."