S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay-Z is giving fans reasons to get excited about a new year by hinting at plans to not only make a follow-up to his platinum Watch the Throne joint album but release a solo effort come 2012.
If things go accordingly, Young Hov expects Kanye West to also put out a solo project over the next 12 months.
“It depends on how this thing finishes up,” Jay said in reference to his and Kanye’s current Watch the Throne Tour. “We — I say ‘we’ because I’m in Throne mode — we’re in a great place creatively. You might see a Jay, then Kanye and a Throne album next year. You know, we’re really in a great place creatively. We really found our zone.” (MTV)
In September, producer Pharrell Williams said Hov recruited him to make new records.
Skateboard P says he’s in “full producer mode.” During a private tasting for his new liqueur, Qream, Pharrell briefly touched on several artists he plans to get in the studio with. Pharrell insisted on keeping things quiet about producing new music for Jay-Z, but was able to confirm that he will be working with him in the near future. “Yes. I’m working with him but he’s not talking about what he’s doing. Whatever he needs I got him. I just can’t go into [it],” P continued. “There’s some magic.” (VIBE)
Earlier the same month, Jay’s “Death of Auto-tune” co-producer No I.D. said the Blueprint III follow-up was taking shape.
“Jay has started again,” reveals No I.D., who worked with the hip-hop superstar on “Blueprint 3” hits like “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” and “Run This Town.” “He played me a couple of things. I gave him some music while we were at the ‘Watch the Throne’ sessions. But with Jay, you never know what he’s really doing, thinking, planning until it’s really done… I’m sure he’ll make a decision one day to make an album very quickly, like he usually does. He’s one of the best, period. I think he’s at a place where he has visions of what he wants to do, and it’s not really dependent on any of us. It’s dependent on his vision and he’s gonna do it, [and] hopefully I’ll be involved.” (Billboard)
Watch the Throne contributing producer Verse Simmonds recently talked to SOHH about contributing to Jay’s next solo effort.
“I’m really antcipating [his new album] and I’m really excited about it because we’re really going to go hard and try to make sure we make a big stamp on that album as well,” Verse told SOHH when asked how excited he is to contribute to Jay’s upcoming solo LP. “I think when everybody listens to the [LP and the] Watch the Throne album and see our contributions to that too, it’s going to make a lot of people really pay a lot of attention to us. You know what I’m saying? I’m really excited about.” (SOHH)
Check out a recent Jay-Z interview below:
