Review:
Magna Carta… Holy Grail is Jay-Z’s twelfth solo release and his first
album since 2011’s collaboration with Kanye West Watch
the Throne.
There is a lot to like about the
record. Musically, it is lush and interesting – filled with first-class beats from
the industry’s top producers (Timbaland and his partner Jroc handle most of the
production on the album, but Pharrell, Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, Mike Will Made
It, Travi$ Scott, Hit-Boy, and Boi-1da among others also contribute). Lyrically,
Shawn Carter seems somewhat engaged and still has a gifted flow. He mostly
focuses on his wealth and the things it affords him (thus disconnecting him
from most of his fans), but there are some more reflective moments as well
(like the best track on the album Nickels and Dimes or Jay-Z Blue). Also, there
are not a ton of features overpowering the album. Rick Ross is the only rapper
to be given a proper guest verse, and the other featured artists all bring
something to the record. All in all, it is very much a typical Jay-Z album. Not
his best work, but a solid outing.
Magna Carta Holy Grail is also
significant due to its unusual release. Jay-Z made an exclusive deal with
Samsung who bought one million copies to give to their customers for free
seventy-two hours before the album’s official release to the public. And, like
West’s Yeezus,
Carter did not really engage in the typical music industry marketing plan for
the release. There were not any prerelease singles (though Holy Grail did sort of
serve one) and there was not much build up other than one Samsung commercial and internet
buzz. But, in today’s world when you are as big as West or Carter that is all
you really need.
However, getting back to the
music, upon further inspection Magna Carta Holy Grail is also kind of disappointing.
West, hit or miss, is constantly trying to change and progress music (and
specifically hip hop). He is not afraid to create raw music and bare his soul. Meanwhile,
Jay-Z has basically just turned in a lazy dose of sameness. Plus, Jay-Z has ascended
to such a place personally that what is important to him and what he talks
about primarily on the album is superficial and meaningless to most of his
audience. Essentially this is yuppie music. It is no longer hip hop for the
streets (and probably has not been for a long time now), which is fine – it is
just that it seems to now lack heart, ambition, and urgency.
The songs themselves also feel
lacking. Personally, I like seven of the tracks. But of those, I still find
issues: Holy Grail is basically great thanks in most part to Justin Timberlake
(and he also adds a lot to Heaven);
Tom Ford succeeds
thanks to Timbaland’s fantastic beat; Crown sounds like a track
left off Yeezus but is nowhere near as engaging; Beach is Better is great
but its playtime is not even a minute, and thus feels incomplete and frustrating
– for example. Then there are tracks like La Familia which add
nothing other than to give the album as overlong bloated feel.
Overall, I like Magna Carta Holy
Grail, but it just sort of feels like Jay-Z phoned it in when other artists are
still trying to make amazing music (for better or worse), which leaves me let
down. 3/5
Essential Tracks:
