Icons At Work: Jay-Z & Kanye West.

I have long held the belief that the term 'icon' is quickly becoming retired. For me, at icon has to have an awe about them, a certainly Godliness that can't be touched. It's easy to reel off icons that had this, Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson, I could go on. Those that become most iconic are often that those pass before their time, see the above list.

So with today's media intrusion, celebrity-obsessed culture and the likes of Twitter, are there still these untouchable icons?

It's difficult to think of any icons that are still with us. Nelson Mandela? Prince? David Beckham even? I think icons will now be made in their retirement, looking back on a life or body or work is the only real will to get an uninhibited view of the person. When the hype has died, the marketing teams have moved on, and you see what they did, how they changed the world, is when you can truly say you witnessed an icon.

Now to contradict myself and perhaps speak prematurely, I think that Jay Z and Kanye West will become icons, if they are not already. They have the talent, they have that certain Godly status about them (Kanye certainly believes he does anyways) and they have changed society and their industry, Jay-Z definitely so. So this collection of photos gives a rare insight into their world, into their process of creating their collaboration album, Watch The Throne. Who knows, it could be one of the most iconic albums of our time.