If I wasn’t so out of touch with reality, I probably would’ve started hating on Watch The Throne. Twitter sunk into a listening/slobbering session for nearly 72 hours, and the predictable response from the public came pouring out:
-FIRST: this album is incredible!!! #classic
-THEN: you serious? Overrated…#goesbacktoplayingBDP
-FINALLY: #WTT is growing on me…
From a masterpiece to a failure to somewhere in between, it’s always the same. Thankfully, I dismissed it all. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m listening to it for the first time. For someone who nearly ran around in circles crying and shrieking when he discovered RapGodFathers.com, this is rather odd. Call me old. Even though I’m not. Within the last two years or so, I stopped listening to rap. I’m branching out.
Jay and ‘Ye aren’t my favorite combo. They never were. Still, this album is decent so far. If you want a collabo album that kills though, then pop back in Distant Relatives and tell me I’m lying.
Back in the day, I used to hope for all sorts of collabo albums, until I realized they hardly ever happen. But in the NBA, it’s much easier. Anything can happen. You dream. Guys switch teams, allegiances. So, I have dreamed of some combos I really wish I could’ve seen at some point. Let’s make lemonade.
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“No Church In The Wild”
Ron Artest & Anthony Mason– The head art would be phenomenal, especially now that they had someone else helping them push the envelope
“Lift Off”
Dominique Wilkins & Lakers– We never had the chance to see exactly what kind of player Wilkins was…destiny should’ve stepped in before L.A. took Worthy
“N—– In Paris”
Matt Maloney & Ricky Davis– ‘Nuff said. They missed each other by one year.
“Otis”
Jason Collins & Jarron Collins– just for fun. Or Harvey and Horace. I remember playing some AAU team from Rhode Island back in the day, and they had twins, and they looked exactly alike; same haircut, same socks, same sneakers everything. It was odd. But it became a problem when one was quite obviously the team’s best player while the other was no more than a seventh man.
“Gotta Have It”
James White & a team with an empty roster spot– I know he had his chances, but I’m still salty he never made an NBA Dunk Contest.
“New Day”
Phil Jackson & the Clippers– It looks like we will never know what Zen would’ve been worth outside of MJ, Scottie, Shaq & Kobe
“That’s My B—-“
Kobe Bryant & Ray Allen– If you thought Kobe couldn’t stand some of his teammates – Samaki Walker, Smush Parker – just imagine these two on the wings together.
“Welcome To The Jungle”
Kevin Garnett & Carmelo Anthony– Make this duo a possibility a few years ago and they would’ve been the Mobb Deep of the NBA, and I’m talking both the bad and the good if you know what I mean.
“Who Gon Stop Me”
Chris Paul & Dwight Howard– This one gets extra points because there’s actually a chance it could happen. I’m being serious here: I have been praying to see this for a few years. Remember how many lobs Tyson Chandler used to catch with CP? Insert Superman and the league might duck and hide.
“Murder To Excellence”
Larry Johnson & Alonzo Mourning (after the breakup)- check Ray/Kobe above. Someone seriously might’ve been murdered. Even when they were teammates, Johnson went out of his way to heckle Mourning, and then things really heated up when money was involved. Jealousy is a mother…it would’ve been interesting to watch a reunion.
“Made In America”
Shareef Abdur-Rahim & Gary Payton– if anyone needed a dose of the American public, and some edginess, it was Abdur-Rahim. While we now normally underrate the beginning of his career, if someone had teamed him with GP, we would’ve actually cared that Shareef was one of the better young players in the game.
“Why I Love You”
Chris Webber & Delonte West– because they actually could make music…no matter how forgettable it might’ve been
What combos would you have loved to see?
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