Kanye was away in Paris so Jay-Z was alone hosting the listening session for Watch The Throne at the Mercer Hotel in NYC last night for a select few people. According to reports, only about 20 people were invited to the exclusive event, which included two teenage fans who purchased the first two copies of the album on pre-order on Amazon.
Based on the various previews and reports from folks who attended the session here are some essential facts:
– The track list has not been finalized yet which Jay said he hoped to do so by end of the week. The only three titles that are confirmed are ‘H.A.M.’, ‘Lift Off’ featuring Beyonce and ‘Living So Italian’.
– At the listening session, only two guests were heard on the album: Beyonce and Frank Ocean who appeared on two tracks.
– Hov played a song featuring Swizz Beatz but said it will most likely not make the final cut.
– Hov hopes to shoot a video for ‘Lift Off’ but not sure if it will be released as a single.
– He has finished two songs for his next solo LP, one of which features Frank Ocean. He mentioned that he reached out to Ocean after hearing his Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape and wanted him to contribute to his album.
– Representatives for Jay-Z did not confirm or deny the August 2nd release date.
Sidebar: All Hip Hop has a track by track review