Friday 23 September 2011

-Music Videos on my Mind- Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Otis”

If two middle-aged black men were seen recklessly driving an unroadworthy car with a bunch of underage Puerto Rican girls in the back seat, the public would rightfully lose their minds and report it to the police.

The situation changes when the men in question are Jay-Z and Kanye West, whose track Otis, taken from their collaborative effort Watch the Throne, came out last month and featured a music video directed by A-list filmmaker Spike Jonze.

Now that the VMA's are over, which Jay-Z's solipsistic wife shamelessly used as a platform to theatrically announce her pregnancy (wouldn't a simple press release have been more graceful?), it's clear that Otis was little more than a vanity project for all those associated with it.

Watch the Throne had moderate success outside of US markets, and even in the US it sold less than half the amount Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV shifted in its first week of sale.

Not to rumour, but is the lucrative trinity of J, K and B (the Lady Macbeth figure in this scenario) losing its sheen, or will the arrival of Jay-Z junior next spring boost revenues for all involved?

11 comments:

  1. I believe that Junior J will be a big hit for both of them. Everybody loves babies over there and this one should be no different. It will bring them a lot of attention. No doubt about it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't stand the influence JayZ has on Beyonce's career. As someone who never had a worldwide hit nor a well known song, he is in no position to give her his hip hop advices.

    And I hated the video as soon as I saw it for the first time. Destroying an expensive car to post some non existing message when that money could've fed thousands of hungry kids .... Just horrid.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ofcourse it will boost revenue, it'll get hyped beyond the definition of hype. Cars money and sluts is all you need to put in a song to get it to be 'good', that's all you need nowadays, sadly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh good - so i wasn't the only one who rolled my eyes with B's little belly rub?
    That bothered me.
    Well, irritated me.

    I'm surprised that Jay-Z and Kanye West can share the same atmospheric space. That's news. Not quite as big as the neutrino, but...still surprising.

    That poor car.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ok, so the only people who buy Maybachs are rappers? That's just sad...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jay-Z is not getting any less ugly with time.
    +followed

    ReplyDelete
  7. Not a fan of Jay Z and his songs but thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting video though I'm not a big fan of Jay-Z and Kanye West too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Think Jaden Smith or Willow Smith. Baby J will bring in the cash. Just give him time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. not my type of music but good post! +followed, come check my blog out when you get the chance! http://mightyideas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete