Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West
This is an in-depth-yet-entertaining dive into the lyrics and narrative artistry of Kanye West's music. We go track by track through Ye's discography, revealing the narrative and poetic techniques he uses, tracking his growth as a storyteller, and illuminating the narratives behind each of his albums.
Episodes
September 9, 2015 • 90 mins
The gang is back—but this time, they're not dissecting a song by Kanye West. Instead, they're kicking off the first official entry into the "My StorYe" interview series, where they discuss somebody's journey with Kanye West. Today we have a KanVert, and his name is Jordan C. Johnson. He discusses how Kanye's music changed not only the way he listened to music, but changed his life as well. In addition, the gang discusses hip hop an...
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October 28, 2015 • 35 mins
You'll have to wait one more episode for The New Workout Plan—Chris and Travis have another StorYe to explore, this time with Joshua Chaplinsky, author of Kanye West Reanimator, a reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft's classic sci-fi novella with Kanye West as the main character. They discuss Joshua's inspiration for the story, whether or not he's gained an appreciation for Kanye by researching for the book, and what the hell is going on ...
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April 4, 2016 • 69 mins
The WTT crew is taking a week off from analyzing Kanye West songs to hear from one of his biggest fans: Lauren Kelly has gone from passive Kanye listener to insatiable aficionado in just a few short years, and she's ready to tell the world her StorYe. Lauren also counts down her favorite songs, her favorite and least favorite lines, and even has some Jay Z news, because who doesn't these days.
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July 1, 2016 • 61 mins
To quote the legendary rock band Staind: It's been awhiiiiile. That's right, it's time for another StorYe! And this week Chris and Travis are interviewing friend-of-the-show/Throner/Keeping Up-dater Anna Zeck, who, as a huge Kimye fan who's seen every episode of every Kardashian spin-off ever, brings a unique perspective to the show. They cover her relationship with Kanye—from his music to his fashion to his relationship with Kim—a...
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July 22, 2016 • 117 mins
Chris, Travis, and Anna spend close to two hours detailing the history of Kanye West and Taylor Swift, from when Kanye stormed the VMA stage in 2009 to Kim Kardashian’s Snapchat revelation that Taylor approved the Famous line, just days ago. The crew covers key points in Kanye and Taylor's shared history that many people have forgotten about, the collateral damage that's resulted from the feud, and where each party could go from he...
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August 5, 2016 • 89 mins
Kids, grab your sleeping bags, gather 'round, and turn on your flashlights...because it's storYe time! That's right, artist Robyn O'Neil sits down with Chris and Travis to talk about Kanye West because everyone else is annoyed when she talks about Kanye West and she.needs.to.talk.about.KANYE.WEST. We go deep into this stan's insane obsession (that the WTT Crew can relate to a little bit too well) with Mr. West, how her opinion of h...
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October 3, 2016 • 43 mins
Shhhhhhh try not to wake up mom...
That's right, it's STORYE TIME (dude shut up!) and Janie Contreras Johnson (guess who she's married to!) is joining Chris and Travis's latest WTT slumber party to tell them about her journey with Kanye West. From the Hurricane Katrina relief special (cringe-worthy!) to her feminist beliefs regarding Kanye (and Bukowski!) to her top five Ye tracks (with a surprise No. 1!), Janie is proving she's mo...
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October 21, 2016 • 60 mins
With all the negativity weighing everyone down in recent weeks, it's time to celebrate one truly magnificent woman—the one, the only, Kim Noel Kardashian West. Chris and Travis (and Anna!) cover their favorite Kim moments, from her Snapchatting to her foray into club music to Kimojis to her absurd crying faces to her just goddamn killing it as a mother.
🙌 All hail one half of the bad-ass-est couple on the planet 🙌
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January 3, 2017 • 69 mins
It's been a minute since we had some fresh blood on Watching the Throne, but this week that all changes. Kevin sits down with Chris for a marathon interview about the ups and downs of being a Kanye megafan.
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January 13, 2017 • 145 mins
What are Chris and Travis to do when they have a slow Kanye news week...START A NEW TRADITION.
That's right, they kidnapped Jordan and forced him to participate in the first ever Best Kanye West Song Tournament Death Match Extreme 2000, where they took r/kanye's recent Best Kanye Song Tournament and formed their own bracket. They go through every (and I mean EVERY) round and discuss why they voted the way they did. The result is so...
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February 28, 2017 • 167 mins
Travis is off doing the things a Travis does. So Chris brings in a special guest: r/Kanye moderator and graphic designer/photographer from Quebec, Justin Leduc! Justin shares his thoughts on the Kanye sub-Reddit, on the birth and growth of his Kanye fandom, and also delivers some of the best J Cole news in our podcast's history. We discuss a bunch of Kanye news, as well. Drake's thoughts on Kanye. The spoken-word poem that's been a...
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March 3, 2017 • 69 mins
It's StorYe time! We've got superfan Alex Dellbridge on the show, and he's to tell us if other countries like Kanye West as much as the U.S. of A. In addition, Alex joins Chris and Travis to cover Kanye West news, which includes the new Zebra Yeezys, a glimpse into the genesis of Kimye, a minor lawsuit Kanye escaped, and a very strange segment of the Kanye Bounce House (is there any other kind?).
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March 12, 2017 • 66 mins
Middle America packed in, came to see...Watching the Throne? At SXSW 2017?! Better believe it! Chris and Travis somehow sweet-talked their way onto the SXSW Podcast Stage (presented by TuneIn), and they're using the opportunity to educate the world on the masterpiece that is Yeezus. They break down the album's main motifs of ego, race, and romance, detailing the moments that make up the hyperbolized version of Kanye, aka "Yeezus" h...
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May 30, 2017 • 93 mins
Bill and Melinda Gates. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. Jay Z and Beyonce. Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Come on—we all know why we're here. While countless power couples have graced the earth with their presences over the years, only one couple has given us an AT&T Park engagement, a Florence wedding, those ziplining photos where Kan...
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June 13, 2017 • 120 mins
Watching the Throne is finally taking the time to celebrate the greatest national holiday that's ever been blessed upon this great nation of ours: Kanye West's birthday (aka Christmas in June). And Chris and Travis appropriately go overboard by naming their 40 favorite things about the one and only Yeezus. From music videos to tweets to legendary quotes, they attempt to do the tiniest bit of justice for the best 40-year-old 10-year...
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June 26, 2017 • 68 mins
Caitlin White is the managing editor of Uproxx's music section. She also happens to be wavy as hell because she's a firm believer of the one and only Yeezy. In her StorYe she discusses the impact Kanye West has had on her life and career, why 808s & Heartbreak is her favorite album of all time, and a ton more.
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July 31, 2017 • 65 mins
Today we're talking to Cole Cuchna, creator and host of the Dissect Podcast. He performs musical analysis (just like us!) by going track-by-track through albums, breaking the format into short, easily digestible episodes (not just like us!).
The first season featured Cole going through Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, and the second will continue with Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Chris and Travis sit down ...
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August 8, 2017 • 77 mins
Martin Connor analyzes production in hip hop music living on his website, Rap Analysis. In his StorYe, he discusses the evolution of Kanye's production from soul-sample-heavy to weird-as-shit.
Kanye’s soul samples have become the orientations through which all of his stories are experienced, even as they begin to occupy ever more fragmented parts of his structures, keys, or mixes. It seems, then, that soul samples for Kanye have al...
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August 25, 2017 • 101 mins
Taylor, look what you made us do! We have an obligation to defend Kanye in any and all scenarios, that goes double when it involves Taylor Swift, who released "Look What You Made Me Do" yesterday—and we're not wasting ANY time (tearing it apart). Anna joins Travis and Chris to analyze the death of "Old Taylor" and how it fits into the never-ending Kanye-Taylor feud. Then we discuss the other person who has beef with Kanye: Jay Z, w...
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September 26, 2017 • 113 mins
Noisy Images is one of the best YouTube channels for hip hop related content. Perhaps the best part of the channel is how Kanye-centric it is. In this episode, Chris talks with Noisy Images creator Don about Don's love of Kanye. Warning, a lot of talk about life as well, because, at the end of the day, Kanye is life. You can check out Noisy Images by clicking here.
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