Album Review: Jay Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” Goes Viral & Becomes An Immediate Success!

In true Jay Z fashion, history has already been made, achieving platinum status days before his album, ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’, was officially released. Let’s review just how the rapper was able to do so.

Since announcing his new album, via a SamSung commercial a week prior, fans had been going crazy. It was an innovative way to draw in an audience. The commercial announced Jay’s new album would be available a few days earlier, with a July 4th internet release date, through his “MCHG” app available exclusively to Samsung users.

Now, last night, like a million people, I was hovered over my phone as the time passed by. Finally, it was midnight! “MCHG” was here…well, kind of. The app of course crashed and I had to take to the internet. Listening to Funk Master Flexx scream over a few of Jay’s new songs was something I couldn’t do, so I patiently waited and finally the app was working. I downloaded the album and I have not been able to stop playing it. Seriously, I went to bed at 4:30 in the morning, woke up at 9:00 and started it all over again. lol Now, before I start the review. I am just a lover of good music and real hip hop. I don’t study rhymes and memorize them, but I know good music when I hear it and this Jay Z album is hands down one of the best albums of this year. I actually cannot even find a favorite song on this album. Every song is amazing from top to bottom.

1. Holy Grail (Feat. Justin Timberlake)

2. Picasso Baby

3. Tom Ford

4. FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt (Feat. Rick Ross)

5. Oceans (Feat. Frank Ocean)

6. F.U.T.W.

7. Somewhere In America

8. Crown

9. Heaven

10. Versus

11. Part II (On the Run) (Feat. Beyonce)

12. Beach Is Better

13. BBC (Feat. Nas, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell & Timbaland)

14. Jay-Z Blue

15. La Familia

16. Nickels and Dimes

With the opening song, “Holy Grail”, featuring Justin Timberlake, you are already set up for an amazing, melodious ride. On the next song, “Picasso,” Jay once again shows us why he is the best storyteller out. He paints a picture of how he used to dream of being rich at a young age and how he feels now that he is there. Also in this song as the beat switches up, Jay rhymes “I never stuck my c**k in that Fox’s box” possibly dispelling rumors that he was ever involved with Foxy Brown. “Tom Ford” has to be one of the hardest songs on the album. Beats courtesy of Pharrell Williams, this is just crazy. He even got Mrs. Carter to grace us at the end of the song echoing behind him. “Coming up, coming down…riding clean fix your head in my crown. Bad b****, H-Town…keep it trill y’all know you can’t f*** around.” I’m sure she will catch some flack for the bad b**** line, but hey, that’s between her and her man. I won’t break down every single song but like I said it is an amazing album. Other features on the album include Rick Ross, Frank Ocean, Nas, and Beyoncé. “Part II(On the Run)” features Mrs. Carter and it’s a sort off Bonnie and Clyde pt. 2 but a lot better. It has the summer, “love is in the air”, feel to it. “Jay Z Blue” has pieces of B.I.G. looped in as Jay talks about his wariness of being a good father. “La Familia” will probably be the most talked about song. On Watch the Throne’s “H.A.M” Jay rapped, “I’m like really half a billi n*gga, really you got Baby money; Keep it real with n*ggas, n*ggas ain’t got my lady money.” Wayne responded on another track, “Talkin ’bout Baby money? I got your baby money; Kidnap your b*tch, get that ‘how much you love your lady’ money.” And of course, Jay responded in this verse on “La Familia” rapping, “N*gga wanna kidnap wifey, good luck with that bruh; You must gonna hide your whole family, what you think we wearing black for? Ready for that war, ready for that war ready… you ain’t ready yo’, you radio; You ain’t really ready, real n*gga chea.” Wonder if Wayne will respond? Ending with “Nickels and Dimes,” Hov definitely puts you in that zoned out space that normally happens when you listen to his music. He talks about being successful and giving out charity but is he helping those people or being an enabler.

Regardless of your feelings towards Jay Z and the music industry or whatever, you cannot listen to this album and not have a reaction. I’m not a fan of new rap and this album, personally, saved my summer. Many of Jay Z’s critics complained that they missed the old Jay, but on this album he is giving us old Jay mixed with who he is currently. You can tell he has mastered his craft and having the best producers in the world just put a cherry on top of the whole thing. I don’t see anyone touching this album this year. If you were able to download the album what are your opinions on “Magna Carta Holy Grail”? Most links out are available for download and the official hard copy will be in stores next Tuesday.