Jay Z and Kanye West's hugely anticipated album 'Watch the Throne' has become the No. 1 album on iTunes in 23 different countries following its release on Monday (8th August 2011). The physical version of the record is not available until Friday, but the duo's efforts to keep the digital version from leaking prematurely appear to have paid off, reports MTV News.
Fans in Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, France, Mexico, Spain and United Kingdom rushed to purchase 'Watch the Throne' as soon as it became available online, quickly knocking Adele's '21' off the top spot in most countries. Although official figures won't be announced until next week, it looks almost certain that Jay Z and Kanye will be atop the Billboard album charts. Monday's release led to a huge amount of attention on social networking sites, with track titles from the record becoming trending topics within minutes. 'No Church in the Wild', the song featuring Frank Ocean, became a big favourite with Twitter users. 'Otis', featuring an Otis Redding sample, was another popular track with fans of the superstar duo.
Jay Z and Kanye West, known collectively as 'The Throne', will head out on a US tour kicking off in Detroit on 22nd September 2011. The shows will feature tracks from 'Watch the Throne', as well as individual performances from both rappers.