Mostly, hotels want to be known for having excellent accommodations and exceptional customer service. Of course, the Mercer Hotel in NYC's SoHo neighborhood is no slouch in that department. Yet at present, the Mercer Hotel is in the news for being first with the music. Reports are that the Mercer Hotel might just be the site of the "first noteworthy hip-hop album to be recorded in a hotel room."
 |
|
Image courtesy of hotels.com |
Sources told the New York Post that Kanye West and Jay-Z were in the Mercer Hotel last week recording an album. In August 2010, West announced that he was teaming up with Jay for a joint album. During January 2011, the pair released 'H.A.M.' – the first single from the joint album – "Watch the Throne." The album is scheduled to be released in March.
Now sources say that the talented twosome is completing the album at the Mercer Hotel. Reports suggest that the musicians have taken over an entire floor of the hotel. Apparently, the pair has moved in their equipment and continues to work on the album.
Not every guest at the Mercer, however, might be pleased with this arrangement. Whether or not guests are fans of the pair, they might prefer to hear them at a concert rather than at breakfast. Yet if this story is accurate, it spells good publicity for the Mercer in the long term. The hotel would be known as the site of the recording of the Kanye West and Jay-Z album.
That recognition will arouse considerable interest and not just among hip-hop fans. The act of recording music in hotel rooms has its place in history. Actually, the practice dates back at least a century.
One of the most famous recordings in a hotel was done by Delta blues legend – Robert Johnson. The independent guitarist laid only 29 tracks before his death in 1938. Sixteen of these tracks were recorded in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. Maybe the Mercer hotel is now in the midst of making music history.
KANYE WEST & JAY-Z RECORDING 'WATCH THE THRONE' IN NYC HOTEL
Of course, the Mercer Hotel is memorable with or without the music. The 6-floor, 75-room, Romanesque-style Mercer Hotel is one of SoHo's most luxurious hotels. This boutique hotel offers the pleasure of loft living in the most elegant oasis.
The Mercer prides itself on being a small luxury hotel capable of providing the utmost personalized service. This hotel plays up its distinction at every level and pays attention to each detail. Guests enjoy a unique experience in stylish but subtle surroundings with every convenience in an intimate setting. Vogue described the Mercer as the "hottest hotel in New York."
No official sources from the hotel have confirmed the sounds of music. Yet it is hard to hide the sounds of a hip-hop recording. Hip Hotels said that the Mercer "was unlike any other hotel in New York, maybe the world." Is it hip enough for a hip-hop duo?