Jay-Z Is Two Songs Deep Into Next Solo Album

NEW YORK — While fans are still eagerly waiting for Jay-Z to drop his collaborative album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne, he has already started working on his next solo album. At an exclusive listening session for Throne on Thursday night at the Mercer Hotel, the Brooklyn rapper revealed that he is two songs deep into recording his 12th solo LP.

The experience of creating the collaboration was so positive, Jay said, it inspired him begin working on new material of his own. Besides the two songs he has already completed, which he claimed were the best first pair of tunes he has ever created for one of his albums, he also has another four ideas ready to go.

"I know exactly the tone and the whole feel of the album," Jay-Z said of the follow-up to 2009's platinum-certified The Blueprint 3. "I think when you experience creativity, you should get it out as much as possible."

Even though Watch the Throne isn't in stores yet (pre-order receipts seem to indicate, unofficially, that it will be out on August 2), the "Empire State of Mind" rapper doesn't want to stifle the creative juices that started flowing when he was working with West.

And the inspiration flowed both ways, it seems. After getting Odd Future singer Frank Ocean to record a song for his solo album, Hov decided to have the crooner contribute his vocals to two Watch the Throne songs.

So will this new solo effort come out before the discs from his Roc Nation signees J. Cole and Jay Electronica? "Hopefully," he quipped, before adding, "I don't play that. We're all competing for the same mind share. J. Cole and Jay Electronica are both making inspiring music."