Comparing Murder To Excellence And Jay-Z's 2011 Watch The Throne

Murder to Excellence is more than just a song of rags to riches, or the daily black struggle it transcends past that. In Kanye and Jay-Z’s 2011 Watch the Throne album, both artists create an opus that explains their view of societies in the inner city, the effect it had on their lives, and the hierarchy. The song is split into two parts, the Murder and the Excellence, thus the title Murder to Excellence which forms a transition. The first half of the song, the Murder, focuses on police brutality, racism, the black attitude in the inner city, and the “black-on-black murder.” (line 2) The Excellence is a “celebration of black excellence” (38), Jay-Z and Kanye’s rise to success, and the white monopoly in the hierarchy. For the black struggle

to the black climb, Murder to Excellence makes sure that we, as a society Watch the Throne that Jay-Z and Kanye transitioned to from the murder.
Kanye West and Jay-Z grew up in cities far apart from each other yet, they share the pain of inner city violence and trauma. The first half of the artwork starts off with a faint sound of a children’s choir with a sudden but quickly strung guitar. The first words heard are “bloody, murder, murder, murder” (1) from Jay-Z in a slow low tempo. The the hook is introduced as Kanye in a much clearer and fuller voice says the words “paper read ‘murder, black-on-black murder’” (2) and repeats it, but ending with the word again, creating the feeling of a weeping sermon or an eulogy at a funeral. Apart from that the word again creates a sense of a routine of hearing of murder. The song stays on theme, but makes an acute turn when Jay-Z dedicates the song to “the memory of Danroy Henry”(4). Danroy Henry was a young unarmed black man who was killed by Officer Hess, a white police officer. The officer was found free of charge and given the Officer of Year Award later on. The issues of police brutality, discrimination, death of young blacks, and the justice system in America are all questioned in a single line.
This creates a contrast between “black-on-black murder” and the white-on-black murder, nevertheless the staying on the general theme of the murder of black bodies. Jay-Z then goes on to explain that the tension on racial attacks on blacks are too great and plentiful to be having conflicts within the black community. He explains all of these by using imagery, “too much enemy fire to catch a friendly”(5), Jay-Z is referring to friendly fire to create a type of euphemism the mass murder. While also alluding to the way Danroy Henry was shot dead. This sets the enemy as racism, and restates the the theme. Urging the unity of not just of blacks, but of everyone in the next line because, “stray from the same shade nigga, we on the same team” (5), since we are all a different shade of the same color. He asserts that he is “fighting for you”(9), the you is being directed to black people or equality. While it’s not a literally fight, his merit, overcoming his own obstacles, and creating art that brings light to the problems facing inner city black communities is his form of fighting. However, while Jay-Z is fight for black equality and justice, this is made difficult by the stressload that is added by the “black-on-black murder” that goes on in the inner city.
“Niggas watching the throne, very happy to be you” (10), the throne symbolizes the success of Kanye and Jay-Z. Only kings are allowed to sit on thrones, both Jay-Z and Kanye have, in their mind, achieved the right to sit on the throne. He is also very happy to be black. Even with just high status Jay-Z preaches two things “power to the people” (11), and when blacks see him that hopefully they can see the success of blacks in general and to use him as a mirror to see their own potential to be kings but, for now to only Watch the Throne.
Kanye West picks off right after Jay-Z by saying he’s “from the murder capital where they murder for capital” (12). He refers to his hometown of Chicago as the murder capital of the violence and high murder rates, also the inhabitants who kill each other do it for the money or the means to get the money. This is mostly directed to the gang and drug related violence in Chicago where drugs sells bring in high revenue.Continuing to depict the harsh life in Chicago, Kanye West goes on take on the persona of a boy or student who “heard about at least three killings this afternoon”(13) .The use of diction with the words at least and this afternoon creates image of mass murder in Chicago, only half of the day has passed and there has already been three killings. He continues the persona by creating a scene in which he’s watching the news and finds out someone he knows has been killed and reacts by saying, “‘damn! I was just with him after school’”(13). It’s almost mild reaction to find outing someone he knew just got murder, creating the sense that murder is a daily routine in an inner city Chicago life.
Shop class, a course that teaches how to create and build, is mostly cut for budgeting in most school districts, this includes the school district of Chicago. “No shop class, but half the school got a tool”(14) is referring to the cutting of school programs which leads to kids spending more time on the streets and being related to street violence. There is no more shop class yet half the school has a tool. The tool it’s referring to is a gun. A gun that only brings murder and destruction has replaced the shop class.
This leads to Kanye, in his kid persona, to have “a ‘I could die any day’-type attitude”(15).

He becomes aware and accepts the risk of losing his life on any given day. Kanye West breaks the persona and goes on to the third person point of view stating “plus his brother got shot repping his avenue” (16). The line could still be Kanye in his persona directed to the person he knew who had just been killed that afternoon or it could be direct to his persona’s brother. Also the use of diction is key, because the word brother could not mean a literal brother, but a close friend. Also the use of the word repping his avenue could be directed at gang affiliation or simply representing his home. Mr. West then proclaims that it’s time to “redefine black power”(17) because there can’t be black power if they’re mass murder and senseless killing of blacks. He uses a possible hyperbolic statement to prove his point of the mass murder, “41 souls murdered in fifty hours” (18). The hook takes over again and the words “paper reads “murder, black-on-black murder” /paper reads “murder, black-on-black murder” again”. It reasserts the central thematic message of the black-on-black murder crisis. Mr. West then raises the question if the murder of blacks a genocide. The violent mass murder of blacks has led the church to closing its doors to any more tombs, even the house of God is no longer open in the inner city. He feels the “pain in my city wherever I go”(27), the crime, the murder, the disfunction of families, Kanye West knows the pain of Chicago and it’s inhabitants. Mr. West then goes on to be factual and compare the deaths in Chicago to the deaths in Iraq, “314 soldiers died in Iraq, 509 died in Chicago” (28). This makes a parallel between life in Chicago and a war, and that life in a structured American city has more mortalities than a chaotic war scene. The 509 who died in Chicago aren’t soldiers, however Kanye West wants to give them a sort of honor as soldiers who’ve died in

combat for and against the black struggle.
However, the death of a black or blacks, doesn’t end the black battle. When Fred Hampton, a Chicago Black Panther activist, died Jay-Z was born. This becomes clear when Jay-Z says “I arrived the day Fred Hampton died, /Uh, real niggas just multiply” (29-30). With the fall of one black activist, more will take his place, like the mythical hydra, the fight for black equality will never end. He goes on to explain that “they say by 21 I was supposed to die”(31). It alludes to the age Fred Hampton died, and the belief that most blacks from the inner city die young. Jay-Z did not die due to this circumstance or the general belief “so I’m out here celebrating my post-demise”(32). He didn’t face the post-demise main blacks in the inner city face, death or imprisonment. Jay-Z then uses imagery “If you put crabs in a barrel to ensure your survival you're gon' end up pulling down niggas that look just like you”(33). Crabs in a barrel just pull each other down whenever one tries to escape the barrel. The crabs symbolize the black people who are in the barrel, the inner city. The “If you put more crabs in the barrel” is most likely referring to gang recruitment in the inner city and taking on it’s culture. The culture of joining a gang for territory, money, and sometimes simple just pride. Thinking that by joining a gang you will have protection or secure, but in actuality it just creates more murder.