Last night Billboard fired off a series of tweets detailing a roughly three-hour listening session for Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne, which Hova himself hosted at the Mercer Hotel in downtown New York. (Rap Radar posted the above photo from the event.) “Roughly 20 people in the room, mostly journalists, including stephen hill of BET and the producer mike dean,” the publication noted. Over 11 songs were played. Catch the new details on the album below.

“Kanye west wasn’t there. No release date was given, but Jay-Z said the album was ‘coming soon’,” Billboard tweeted. It was said that Odd Future’s Frank Ocean appears on two tracks on the long-awaited LP, while Jay-Z’s wife, “Best Thing I Never Had” songstress Beyonce, is featured on one that’s currently titled “Lift Off.” (Jay wants to shoot a video for the latter, but prefers not to release a traditional single off the album.)

Jay and ‘Ye recorded their verses together in the same rooms, rather than mail rhymes back and forth to each other.

The music industry publication also wrote that Jay-Z said Watch The Throne was recorded over the past year in England, Australia, the States (New York and Los Angeles) and in Paris, France, mostly in hotel rooms. Hova apparently also indicated that sometimes songs were recorded then scrapped for being, as Billboard wrote, “too big and calculating.”

The version of the album that Jay-Z played for journalists last night on his Mac laptop was the third iteration of the project. The rapper said “his favorite song from the project changes everyday, but right now ‘no church’ – first song he played – is favorite.”

As for Jay’s next solo album, Billboard tweeted, “Jay-z said two songs already completed for his next solo album, and four concepts banked. Frank ocean appears on one already done.”

All very interesting. And given Jay and Kanye’s overblown winter single “H.A.M.” and, particularly, the lukewarm response it received, we can see why they scrapped some of the recordings for being too grandiose in nature.

Watch The Throne will be available in both standard and deluxe editions — the deluxe comes with four bonus tracks. Due out Aug 2nd!

Does this insight to Watch The Throne have you looking forward to the album? Let us know below!