Kanye and Jay-Z "H.A.M" It Up

Kanye West and Jay-Z debuted "H.A.M.," the first single from their hotly anticipated Watch The Throne, on Facebook yesterday. "H.A.M." stands for "Hard As A" plus a twelve letter word that starts with M that I'm not allowed to write here. And does the song, produced by Lex Luthor, live up to that claim? Do the two superstar rappers actually go "H.A.M."?

Not really. The song has a stuttering (or perhaps sputtering) beat, but no real hook to speak of, while bailing itself out with the kind of over-the-top operatic climax that's beginning to sound like a Kanye cliche. Those high expectations for Watch The Throne, due March 1, have now been diminished. Which might be a good thing.

And another annoying thing: To play the song on Facebook, you have to click the "Like" button before you hear it. Does that make any sense? No, it does not. You do have other options, however. It's also up on Rolling Stone.com, and there's a Soundcloud stream below.

Previously: Bellamy Brothers vs. Britney