watch the throne

Looks Like This Joint Jay-Z–Kanye West Album Is Really Happening

Last night, while the truth of just how badly Kanye West hurt President Bush’s feelings during Katrina was being revealed, Kanye himself was on Funkmaster Flex for a few hours, drinking white wine and speaking freely. The most notable takeaway from the lengthy interview? Believe it or not, Watch the Throne — the Kanye–Jay-Z joint album that was first heard from via an inauspicious Kanye tweet — is totally, actually happening. ‘Ye says it’s coming out through his current (and Jay’s former) label, Def Jam, at some point in February, and the first single will be dropping January 1, 2011. Wow!

As had been previously reported, Jay and ‘Ye just got back from working on the thing in a studio outside of London. Turns out it was Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Box Wiltshire. (Kanye says: “We in a motorcade driving to the studio. I’m seeing kids learning how to ride horses out the window.”) And it’s more or less done: “We got eight songs finished, like two more beats to write to.” Confirmed for the album: recent GOOD Friday track “The Joy,” on which Jay-Z sounds as good as he has in years. Looks like Kanye’s awesome promotional cycle just got extended a few months.

Bonus: Kanye also said Kobe Bryant was in the studio helping him write his verse on the “Power” remix, “cause Kobe knows about power.”

Audio: Kanye West Interview w/ Funkmaster Flex + Freestyle w/ Pusha T [NahRight]

Looks Like This Joint Jay-Z–Kanye West Album Is Really Happening