Alternating between hard beats with raw raps and risk-free commercial tracks, the record sounds best when it gets tough. On the opener, “No Church in the Wild,” West philosophizes, “What’s a king to a god, what’s a god to a nonbeliever.” On a single spin, it’s a throwaway line in a catchy rap, but it’s a provoking question that gains power with subsequent listens.

Not everything is so cerebral. Slightly vapid but destined for radio is “Lift Off,” an optimistic piece in which Beyoncé (a k a Mrs. Z) hits the booster rockets repeatedly, singing, “We’re gonna take you to the moon, take you to the stars.”

Somewhere between sounding smart and sounding good lies the album’s top song, “Otis,” a tribute to the late Otis Redding. It’s fantastic that these two rap icons are introducing the soul legend to a new generation with extended samples from “Try a Little Tenderness” serving as the track’s foundation. It’s reminiscent of West’s 2004 single “Gold Digger,” which deftly sampled the Ray Charles hit “I Got a Woman.”

“New Day” is also a highlight as the rappers ponder how they’ll raise their sons. Referring to his Hurricane Katrina run-in with George W. Bush, West says he’ll raise his as a “Republican, so they know he likes white people.” Jay adds, “My dad left me, and I promised never to repeat him.”

“Watch the Throne” is neither West’s nor Jay-Z’s best, but count it as a success, especially getting two performers as dynamic and egomaniacal as this duo to mesh into a cohesive team.

S/O NYPOST.COM