Hate him or love him....Jay-Z has been our generations greatest rapper period. Many of us (myself included) often scoffed at the notion that Jigga was a better lyricist then say a Nas or Eminem and got into heated debates AND arguments whenever his name was mentioned amongst the greats (2Pac...Notorious B.I.G.). Even after the Jordan-Esque "retirement" and that flop of an album "Kingdom Come"...Jay still seemed as if he wasn't phased at all and STILL dropped American Gangster which was seen as a return to form in many circles around the world. "Blueprint 3" and "Watch The Throne" were both met with commercial and critical acclaim and yet many of us were still refusing to accept that Jay-Z was indeed great.
During Game 5 of the NBA Finals "The Samsung Commercial" was witnessed and I instantly knew that Magna Carta Holy Grail was going to be epic. Even if the album failed....the marketing alone would have merited a round of applause. Hell Busta Rhymes pulled the SAME move with "Year Of The Dragon" but that album was hopelessly and comically bad. Void of all expectations now, when the Samsung release date grew near I decided that I would not buy into the machine and just wait for the music..in the end that all I really cared about.
"Holy Grail" opens with cathedral like magnificence as Justin Timberlake actually SINGS for once and to great effect I might add. The lone key and guitar riffs prove eerie as it gives the feeling of impending dread. The samples start to get louder and like a shot out of a cannon, Jay-Z erupts onto the track with a vigor not heard since "The Black Album". His relentless lyrical assault on this track serves as a warning to all the haters and doubters that he still "Flows like he's 22"
Any rap music lover worth their salt knows that the second song is just as if not more important than the first track because it is sometimes indicative of how the rest of the album will sound and feel. "Picasso Baby" answers that question with supreme authority. Timbaland and Adrian Young provide a stellar soundscape for Hov to slink and swank his way through. This is vintage Jay right here....we're all in for a treat. "Tom Ford" is another "opulent rap" track. double and triple entendres all over this joint and Timbaland gives him one of those Year 2789 plastic cup and pencil beats that he is so famously known for...By my latest estimation Holy Grail is 3 for 3.
"FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt" teams Jay with the most braggadocios rappers of our generation Rick Ross. The two trade off those "Aspire too" verses and it will either make you cringe at its sleeziness or make you put in your bottom rose gold teeth and turn up somewhere..A guilty pleasure song for sure.
"Oceans" featuring Frank Ocean (Pun Intended) has Jay reflect the dichotomy of Wealth and Slavery and how his success makes the higher-ups uneasy...I love it..its almost like a middle finger to those guys.
"F.U.T.W." (Fuck Up The World) is another middle finger song that is disguised in a street banger. I honestly have never heard Timbaland produce something like this. This is something that "New Slaves" attempted to touch on but failed miserably. Six songs in and I'm completely immersed in this album and willing to go wherever it takes me. "Somewhere In America" pokes fun at high society because while you guys are sitting somewhere with your noses in the air..your precious daughters are somewhere twerking and trying to revel in hip-hop culture.
"Crown" is the halfway point and is showing no signs of slowing down..Even though it is a sound that is familiar in today's Hip-Hop...it doesn't sound contrived and forces the youngsters to realize that this is how this type of rap music is SUPPOSED to sound. "Heaven" rewinds the the hip-hop clock to the early/mid-90's and should please all those retro kids out there...Its so grimy and gutter in its approach that I'm surprised that I don't hear a tape hiss in the background. Expect Joey BadA$$ and his Pro-Era bretheren to hop on this instrumental sometime soon.
"Verses" and "Beach Is Better" are 1:01 combined...that's shameful considering the fact that they are both equally crazy and I wish that we weren't teased like this because they are so dope. You know things are real when I actually listen to Beyonce on anything... so the fact that I'm bumping "Part II (On The Run)" lets you know that this song is a winner. Ill prolly hate it later on because it BOO-loving at its finest but for now...Ill let it ride.
"BBC" teams Timbaland AND Pharrell AND Swizz....on a production all-star game...Nas and Jay trade verses and you can tell that both are in a such a positive place...that the music seems effortless...Watch The Throne 2 should be Jay and Nas and Kanye and Timbaland...I'm just saying.
"Jay-Z Blue" shows Jay in his most vulnerable and introspective. Rappers like Nas and Em are well versed in this lane...but for Jay...its a welcome departure from his usual subject matter.
"La Familia" and "Nickels and Dimes" close out this Magnum Opus of a album known as Magna Carter Holy Grail. The last two songs are identical to the first two songs meaning that they serve a major purpose. They allow the listener to have a finality with the album and be able to digest what they have just heard.
In the end, the hype surrounding Magna Carta was greatly deserved. Sixteen tracks of pure Hip-Hop and its not because of who the artist is. This could have been a Mase album...but if it was executed with such precision like this then I would be saying the same thing. The ONLY problem I have is not even with the album...its with some that are in the rap community. Many of you scream about originality...lyrics...beats...and when you get it in one cohesive project you still complain. This album is proof that RAP is a driving force for our culture and generation. Who cares that the man is 43...many of you are half his age and still cant rap with such things as simple as breath control. A lot of you need to realize that when we are HIS age that we'll be able to tell our children we witnessed greatness in many forms AND that it may not ever be witnessed ever again.
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