Hip Hop and Comic Books: July 2011

Little by little, news about Jay-Z and Kanye West's upcoming collaborative effort, Watch the Throne, is being released. Over 4th of July weekend the album artwork came out on the same day that pre-orders became available. Then Hova graced us with actual information in the form of an official track listing. This week the first single, Otis, dropped and predictably the internet exploded. There's no official release day (although pre-sale info indicates August 2), which means it could drop at. any. time. Which begs the question, how hyped should you be for this super-secret, collision of rap-icon goodness? Luckily for you, HHCB has assembled this brief quiz to assist you.

1. How many Jay-Z albums do you own?

a) Just one, Best of Both Worlds. (-10)

b) Just one, Reasonable Doubt. (0)

c) One to five (+10)

d) All of them, even Collision Course. (+20)

2. Which is Kanye's best album?

a) The College Dropout (0)

b) 808's & Heartbreak (+3)

c) My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (+10)

d) It's yet to come! (+15)

3. How do you feel about ostentatious displays of wealth?

a) I find it disgusting in a world where so many people have so little. (-15)

b) I'm ambivalent. (0)

c) It's all part of the game! (+6)

d) I'm sorry, what was the question? I couldn't hear you through my diamond-crusted mink earmuffs. (+25)

4. Complete this sentence: The best thing about Kanye is...

a) ...his impeccable fashion sense. (+2)

b) ...you never know what he's going to say next. (+6)

c) ...when he shuts up and makes music. (+4)

d) ...he's a true entertainer. (+8)

5.Complete the analogy, Jay-Z:Kanye::

a) Bert:Ernie (0)

b) Colbert:Stewart (+2)

c) Ben:Jerry (+5)

d) Butch Cassidy:The Sundance Kid (+8)

6. How do you feel about collaboration?

a) Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup (-10)

b) Two heads are better than one (+10)

7. The best verse on "Monster" was...

a) Yeezy's! (+7)

b) Hova's! (+7)

c) Nicki's! (0)

d) The Teflon Don's! (-14)

8. If Jay-Z was an American president, he would be...

a) Jefferson (+5)

b) Buchanan (-10)

c) Hayes (-2)

d) JFK (+10)

9. Complete this sentence: Hip hop is...

a) ...dead. (-5)

b) ...evolving. (+1)

c) ...past its prime. (-3)

d) ...better than ever! (+15)

10. If Watch the Throne was a superhero movie it would be...

a) Batman Forever (-10)

b) X-Men: The Last Stand (-5)

c) The Incredibles (+5)

d) The Dark Knight Rises (+15)

Now add up your score to determine how hyped you should be for Watch the Throne...

Less than 0 (What is Watch the Throne?): I'm not sure how you got here, or why you decided to take this quiz.

0 - 49 (You are slightly hyped): You seem to have an appreciation for hip hop in general, but aren't too sure about it's current status.

50 - 79 (You are moderately hyped): You are genuinely excited for this album. You may have ordered it on pre-sale, but you have more or less continued to live your life normally.

More than 80 (You are extremely hyped): Congratulations. You have been playing Otis on repeat. Jay-Z and Kanye are your alpha and your omega. You may have one or more Jay-Z or Kanye related tattoos or you might be a member of Yeezy's entourage.