Jay-Z and Kanye West are American rappers who have collaborated on several tracks together, such as singles like “Swagger Like Us”, “Run This Town”, and “Monster”. IN 2010, they began production and recording on a collaborative record Watch the Throne. Frank Ocean is an R&B recording artist who released his debut mixtap Nostaligia, Ultra in early 2011 to critical acclaim. The release of the mixtape interested West, who was reported to be a large fan. West invited Ocean to write and sing on two songs off of the record. Frank wrote and provided vocals on tracks “No Church in the Wild” and “Made in America” and the songs were recorded in New York. The production of the track was handled by 88-Keys and Kanye West. 88-Keps reportedly “played 20 of his beats” to West and Jay, and “everybody in the rom just started going crazy”. An hour later, they had singled out the beat that would become “No Church in the Wild.” The next day, 88-Keys met Frank Ocean and they recorded the chorus together and an unreleased spoken word portion. 88-Keys did not hear the final version until Jay-Z showcased it at the invite-only listening session at the Museum of Natural History’s planetarium in August 2011. Producer and recording artist The-Dream sings a verse on the trace using AutoTune. The track impacted urban radio as the seventh and final single from Watch the Throne on March 20, 1012.
Composition
“No Church in the Wild” features a cinematic production style and serves as an “ominous opener” According to Billboard, Odd Future singer Frank Ocean and The-Dream lend their voices to the albums’ “grim opener,” which sets the mood with a “gnarled guitar sample”. It features a bass-heavy beat with guitar riffs, synthesizers, and drums. The song begins with Frank Ocean’s chorus followed by Jay-Z verse about various topics including philosophy, braggadocio and religion. On Ocean’s chorus, Los Angeles Times writer Randall Roberts stated “with it the listener enters a bejeweled realm, on filled with musings on the spoils of riches and the chaos that accompanies it.”
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