Jay-Z & Kanye Drop Mediocre Ode to “Otis” Spunkmeyer (Listen & Download) Posted by Nathan S. on 07/21/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Downloads, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Watch the Throne

(Otis Spunkmeyer maybe, Otis the Aardvark definitely, but Otis Redding? No, Otis Redding deserves better.)

Really? Two of the greatest minds in hip-hop history, one of whom just dropped a classic album, got together, set out to make an album that would re-assert their place at the top of the game and so far have come up with...."H.A.M." and "Otis". Really Kanye and Jay-Z? Really?

Those questions marks are sincere, by the way. When I first heard Ye and Jay's new single "Otis" my instinct was to be disappointed, but then I thought, "Hey, don't hate. These guys are geniuses, maybe there's a lot more to this song than you can hear on the first listen." And so I played it again, and again, and again....but still no change. I mean, it's alright. It's ok. But who's getting that excited about "Otis"?

Strangely, I think it's the production that drags it down. Kanye's trademark is flipping soul samples into dope hip-hop, but his use of Otis Reddings' classic "Try a Little Tenderness" is, and I don't think there's any other word for it, basic. If you gave 100 producers that sample, 98 of them would have come up with something like this. And the rhymes are solid, Jay in particular comes through, but it's not enough to elevate this much past a shrug for me.

Still, if any deserves a Reasonable the benefit of the doubt it's Hova and Ye. I'm not writing off "Watch the Throne" by a long shot, I'm still hoping for the album of the year, but I can't help but hope that "Otis" is the worst track on it. We'll find out for sure when the album drops August 2 (probably, maybe, hopefully).

(Insider Info: Jay-Z wrote his verse while sitting on a couch!!!)

See Also: Hey, Remember That One Time I Debated Questlove About “Oits”?