Jay-Z - Magna Carta Holy Grail Review

By Al Mannarino /

rating: 4.5

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"The album is about, like this duality of how do you navigate through this whole thing, through success, through failures, through all this and remain yourself." These thoughts are expressed by Sean "Jay-Z" Carter in his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. The album's announcement was by far the biggest and most welcomed surprise of the summer. On June 16, 2013, during the NBA finals, a Samsung Galaxy commercial featuring Jay-Z and the worlds top record producers was presented to the world that officially announced the release his twelfth studio album and his first since 2009. In an exclusive deal with Samsung, Magna Carta Holy Grail would be available on July 4 to the first million Samsung Galaxy owners that download the official app. The rest of the world would have to wait 72 hours until it is released in stores and through digital download on July 7. The album begins with €˜Holy Grail€™, which sets the tone for the entire album. Featuring vocals from Justin Timberlake, €˜Holy Grail€™ is on entirely other level then anything else Jay-Z has ever recorded. Timberlake€™s hook describes a love story as Jay€™ rhymes clarify that it€™s about fame, not a woman. This wouldn€™t be the first or last time that the time they collaborated with one another. Recently Timberlake and his long time collaborator Timbaland singed with Roc Nation. Also Timberlake and Jay-Z announced that they were going on tour together this summer after there single, €˜Suit & Tie,€™ became a huge hit. €˜Holy Grail€™ could easily be the first single from the already platinum new album. The song also mentions Kurt Cobain and then samples €˜Smells like Teen Sprit,€™ any other rapper could have ruined the song by doing that, Jay-Z is one of few that could make it amazing. Tracks such as €˜Picasso Baby€™ and €˜Tom Ford€™ are what you expect from a Jay-Z album; extremely catchy and lyrically mesmerizing songs that talk about owning, living in, and being a work of art. These songs aren€™t as deep as €˜Holy Grail€™ and they don€™t try to be. They aren€™t meant to tell as story, they are meant to be blasted in the car while driving to the beach; these are feel good tracks about being on top and living life to the fullest. This isn€™t exactly new territory for Jay; he incorporates boastful lyrics combined with highly original rip-roaring beats that he has become synonymous with. One such track is €˜Fu**WithMeYouKnowIGotIt€™ featuring Rick Ross. Ross provides the hook for the track as well as the opening verse. It€™s another solid collaboration between two of the biggest stars in hip hop. €˜Oceans€™ takes Magna Carta into another direction. The song features polarizing vocals from breakout star Frank Ocean. He sings €œGo ahead and spill some champagne in the water / Go ahead and watch the sun blaze / on the waves / of the ocean€ between verses of Jay rapping about being a €œdope boy still smelling like cocaine€ to writing his magnum opus and becoming a best selling author. €˜Oceans€™ is one of the softest tracks on the album and it€™s a change of pace that is definitely one of the highlights of the record. Jay is constantly trying to change with each album. He will sample different genres, such as the alternative rock classic €˜Losing My Religion€™ by R.E.M. on the song €œHeaven€. He will create a new acronym for the summer with his live life to the fullest anthem, "F.U.T.W.". But there is always something consistent with a Jay-Z album. His flow and style have matured over time, but he rarely goes out of his confront zone. He said a few years ago that the next album after The Blueprint 3 was going to be completely different than anything he has ever done before, and while Magna Carta Holy Grail is new and exciting, it isn€™t necessarily different than any other of the fantastic albums he has made over the years. While that€™s not a bad thing, you will never see Jay take his music in a completely original creative direction like Kanye West has with his last three albums. €œSomewhere in America", "Crown", "Heaven", "Versus". It has been four years since Jay€™s last solo record, The Blueprint 3, and it seems that he hasn€™t lost his edge. Magna Carta Holy Grail is undoubtedly Jay-Z best album since The Black Album. Each track is more electrifying then the next. He discusses a variety of subjects on Magna Carta, but the most notable additions to his repertoire of topics are his family life and religion. These subjects have been brought up before, but with tracks such as €œHeave€ and €œJAY Z Blue€, these topics have become more prominent and meaningful in his lyrics. Jay-Z is one of the most recognizable names in music; his talent is only exceeded by influence on the genre and Magna Carta Holy Grail is his testament to that.