In Jay-Z’s highly anticipated album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, the rapper tells you track by track how successful he is, lyrically pulling out his wallet to show you his millions. With mostly classic beats that don’t stray too far from his style, the lyrics make the music as Jay-Z name drops left and right, speaks in different languages, discusses his wife and daughter and then tells you how rich he is again. There are very few lines and verses about the struggle of becoming one of the most famous entertainers in the world, but he does delve into how fame affects him. Magna Carta Holy Grail is Jay-Z’s way of telling you that he’s here, he’s done what he’s done and there is no looking back.
The production of the album is nothing too spectacular, but the beats and melodies stay true to Jay-Z’s style. The special moments come from the unexpected samplings and the beat produced by 16-year-old Ebony Oshunrinde.
The album opens with Justin Timberlake’s soulful voice singing about an unhealthy relationship in “Holy Grail” that starts out with a sweet piano melody matched with slow drum rhythms only to be taken over by Jay-Z rapping about the curses of fame: “I got haters in the paper / Photoshoots with paparazzi / Can’t even take my daughter for a walk.”
From Rothko to Warhol to Da Vinci, “Picasso Baby” has Jay-Z name-dropping prestigious artists and even talks about how he lives at the MoMA all over a mild-paced beat. The pattern of being rich and famous continues in “Tom Ford.” With an appearance by rapper Rick Ross, “Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit,” even further continues this trend of being insanely rich by saying, “Money talk, I speak fluent.” Oh, and apparently Jay-Z really likes Europe.
One of the few songs that looks into the past, “Oceans” featuring Frank Oceans looks way into the past, exploring the history of blacks and how they have gained success in America. According to Rap Genius, Jay-Z told Rick Rubin that it’s a celebration.
“It sounds like a celebration of where we are now on some big yacht, throwing champagne in the water. But the undertow of the thing is that this is the same water that brought us here originally as slaves, so it has this whole duality and even how we re-write history, the stories we were told about the history of America.”
Shifting away from history, Jay-Z talks about the present some more in “Somewhereinamerica,” sampling “Gangster of Love” and how his works has affected America because “Miley Cyrus is still twerkin’.” With the fun of the lyrics, the dark production of “Crown” comes next with beats made by 16-year-old Ebony Oshunrinde. The production gives a haunting and serious tone different from the production of the previous songs as Jay-Z talks about his rise from the bottom to now being “a God.”
“Heaven” is a mash of songs from the past with a beat sampled from Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and a bridge using lyrics from R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion.” Justin Timberlake makes another appearance with a spooky, distorted hook that asks, “Have you ever been to heaven?” Lyrically, “Heaven” is beautifully written with obvious religious references that make the song controversial, yet poignant.
Next, “Part II (On The Run),” reminisces on the collaboration between Beyoncé and Jay-Z, “’03 Bonnie and Clyde” where the two spoke about their rambunctious love. “Part II” is the contintuation of the love story that has Jay-Z rapping, “I’m an outlaw, got an outlaw chick.” Beyoncé sings a romantic melody in the bridge and hook over a soft beat along with a piano, not traveling too far from the mild-mannered melodies of “’03 Bonnie and Clyde.”
The second interlude, “Beach is Better,” running at less than a minute, has an excitable beat that is far too short, but it’s picked up by “BBC,” an upbeat track with a menagerie of contributors including Nas, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Swizz Beats that’s produced by Timbaland. The song stands out from the other songs on the album because of the light quality it possesses. It’s fun and happy, and you can tell that Jay-Z isn’t taking himself too serious, especially with Beyoncé saying in the beginning, “My motherfucker is a billionaire, baby.”
But the tone immediately changes with “Jay Z Blue,” a song about his daughter Blue Ivy that features a voice-over from the “No Wire Hangers” scene in Mommy Dearest that says, “I work and work ‘till I’m half-dead, and I hear people saying, 'She’s getting old,’ and what do I get? A daughter who cares as much about the beautiful dresses I give her as she cares about me!” It’s an eerily honest lullaby about his fears of fatherhood where he reflects on his own parents and childhood.
The final song has Jay-Z rapping about the blessings and curses of success over a beat sampled from Gonjasufi’s “Nickels and Dimes.” He says, ““Sometimes I feel survivor's guilt / I gave some money to this guy, he got high as hell / Now I'm part of the problem far as I could tell.” It wraps the album up, continuing the theme of fame of success but also speaking out on the consequences that inevitably come with it.
Magna Carta Holy Grail proves that Jay-Z hasn’t lost his lyrical touch. With references to foreign countries, designer clothes, artists, musicians, movies, the album is a culmination of pop culture and Jay-Z’s position in all the mix. As highbrow as the content he sings about may be, his word play and the epiphanies he reaches about fame and success are admirable. There’s nothing wrong with a little celebration, and Jay-Z does a lot of celebrating.
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