The Throne

At this point in their respective careers, Kanye West and Jay-Z don't have anything else to prove. They're already iconic megastars of the highest order, with an endless array of classics that rekindle an interest in Annie and Ray Charles, blurring the lines between rap's underground affinities and pop music's robust stadium sound. They are full-fledged stunt men, focused more on preserving their own monetary interests than advancing the hip hop culture. Therefore, one shouldn't expect the second coming of Run-DMC on Watch the Throne, even if Otis Redding's and Curtis Mayfield's disembodied voices inject dashes of soul into the otherwise glossy project. These rappers have lots of money, lavish tastes and the world at their collective feet. They want you to rejoice and be glad in it.

An upstairs/downstairs history of the British royal court, from the Middle Ages to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II

This book analyses royal education in nineteenth-century, constitutional Spain. Its main subjects are Isabel II (1830- 1904), Alfonso XII (1857-1885) and Alfonso XIII (1886-1941) during their time as monarchs-in-waiting. Their upbringing was considered an opportunity to shape the future of Spain, reflected the political struggles that emerged during the construction of a liberal state, and allowed for the modernisation of the monarchy. The education of heirs to the throne was taken seriously by contemporaries and assumed wider political, social and cultural significance.