I even had a dream last night that I tried to get a job at a record store and as I was there to hand in my CV, I came across Magna Carta Holy Grail on the stands for $80 and almost all sold out. I freaked out so I had to buy it for $80 but it wasn't just a music album, it was also like a film told by the songs. Then I just remember videoing myself on vine whilst listening to it in my New York apartment that had brick walls. Now back to reality, this album has seriously been haunting me I swear. Today I was walking home and where there was previously a poster for Engelbert Humperdinick's Auckland concerts or something, there was a minimalistic poster that focused on the letters MCHG, which was a reminder for me to listen to this album.
If you think about it, not many rappers have lasted as long as Jay-Z in the rap game as a successful rapper, like seriously, he's 43. I think why he has had a longevity is because he is not just a rap artist, he's also a business man with an ethic to be "the best" by being innovative. Looking at his career as a whole, Jay-Z has gotten better with age like some fancy wine.
Anyways, the standouts on MCHG in my opinion is Holy Grail ft. Justin Timberlake, Oceans ft. Frank Ocean and Somewhereinamerica.
Holy Grail is the perfect opening track. For the fans that have been following the samsung promo videos then they would be familiar with the piano and guitar riff, which allows the excitement to arise like "wow, this is what I've been waiting for". Justin really hits the spot with a his yearning, soft tone and flowing melodies but he adds attitude when he says "Holy Grail", which introduces Jay-Z's verse. Justin's voice truly compliments and contrasts Jay-Z's vocal presence.
Oh how I love Frank's voice. I think thats why I like this song but then also Jay-Z's verses are sizzling hot and always relating back to the title and theme of Oceans. I think Frank really carries this song and Jay-Z is probably just giving the singers most of the spotlight, which is something that is rarely done in hip hop song as singers mostly just sing about 8 bars or something like a chorus.
Somewhereinamerica, at a glance, seems to be an overview of pop culture as Jay-Z mentions Miley Cyrus and twerking, which really made me giggle. This song is just a fun song with a saxophone riff accompanied by piano chords and a heavy drum beat. It almost could be a possible reference to Jay-Z's work on the Great Gatsby soundtrack as it has a very jazzy sound and he also mentions "new money" which is a direct reference to the book. The Great Gatsby is about the "American dream" whereas this song is pretty much about living his "American dream".
Despite all these positives, I feel that this album shows no development in Jay-Z's artistry and his rapping style remains the same. In my opinion, an album should be reflect the growth of the artist. The production and beats are the only aspects that indicate the difference between this album and his previous album. Apart from the three songs that I think are the stand outs, most of the other songs are rather weak. The album as a whole has its great moments, its mediocre moments and forgettable moments so therefore its quite an unbalanced album.
I also found out the other day that Jay-Z used a beat produced by a 16 year old girl and the end result can be heard as track 8, 'Crown'. I'm happy for that girl, go her! I am a little bit jealous but I think its so cool.
I give this album my rating of 'man, this is almost as good as peanut butter chocolate'
- Freak out
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