Watch The Throne Doc: Jay-Z & Kanye West

Watch the Throne is an upcoming collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. The album is set to be released on August 8, 2011, by Roc Nation and Def Jam Recordings. Jay-Z and West are credited on the album as The Throne. Originally intended as a five-track EP by Jay-Z and West, Watch the Throne was revealed by West to be a full-length album in an October 2010 interview for MTV. He said in the interview that they planned to record in the South of France. Production for the album began in November in Bath, England and continued during available times in Jay-Z's and West's respective schedules at recording locations in Australia, Paris, New York City, and Los Angeles. In an interview for Billboard, Jay-Z said that they often recorded in hotel rooms and that the album went through three iterations, as he and West had scaled back from their original musical direction for the album. He also noted difficulties in the recording process, including arguments with West regarding their direction. Parts of the album were recorded at the Mercer Hotel and Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City. In an interview for Rolling Stone, Jay-Z discussed their insistence on recording in person and attributed it to the delay in releasing the album, stating "If we were gonna do it, we were gonna do it together. No mailing it in". The album features guest appearances by recording artists Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, and Mr Hudson.