Fighter: Jay Z
Trainer (Gym): Jay Z (Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, Universal Records)
Cut Men: Timbaland, Swizz Beats, Pharrell Williams, Mike Will Made It, No ID, The Dream, Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, Travis Scott, Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon, Kyambo Joshua, WondaGurl, Marz, Mike Dean, Vinylz
Weight Class: Rap Superstar/Lyrical Heavyweight
Notable Fire: Somewhere In America, Heaven, Tom Ford, Part II (On The Run) (Featuring Beyoncé)
Notable Trash: BBC (Featuring Nas, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland & Beyoncé), Crown
Tale of the Tape: It’s an event every time he puts out an album. It’s basically been that way ever since he dropped Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter in the final week of 1999. The rumblings that “he” is back in the studio, the buildup, the dope commercials, the lead single and finally, the album.
Only this time, it was different. Jay Z was just minding his own business, going on “illegal” trips to Cuba with his beautiful wife & baby and whatnot. He was busy expanding his reach within the world of professional sports. He was, from a safe distance, overseeing his protégé’s rise to power. His producer turned über-star sidekick Kanye West, his hand-picked successor (no, not Bleek) J. Cole and his Roc Nation managed artist Wale were collectively poised to run the summer in hip-hop.
But like the great boxer who could quite shake that itch to be in the spotlight (or to get pummeled by the next up and coming contender, whatever the case), the champion returns for another run at glory. Of course, Jay Z cannot simply drop an album the traditional way, he has to play by “new rules”. So naturally (in case you haven’t heard), Hov blocks off an entire commercial segment beginning immediately at halftime of Game 5 of the NBA Finals and debuted a commercial of himself in the studio, along with a slew of legendary, and announces that he’s dropping a new album via his own app. Two weeks later, Magna Carta Holy Grail was in our ears.
New rules, indeed.
Despite the out-of-left-field announcement, MCHG was not merely thrown together at the eleventh hour. Rumors had circulated for months that Jay had been in the studio with the likes of The Dream, among others. Nobody expected a full fledged LP though. The beauty of this album is that it riddles with all of the intricacies, philosophies and thought-provoking rhymes of any other Jay album, while its existence was first known publicly only a few weeks ago.
Known for his clever wordplay and vocabulary, trying to make sense of the reasoning behind why Jay selected this album title assists the listener in understanding Jay’s mental space in 2013.
Right out the gate, Jay speaks on his struggles with fame… his immense fame (you know you’re ridiculously famous when your kid is legitimately famous, and they haven’t been born yet). Carter compares his meteoric rise to that of Hammer and former Heavyweight Champion, and notorious pigeon flipper, Mike Tyson.
“God dammit, I like it/Bright lights is enticing/But look what it did to Tyson/All that money in one night/30 Mil for one fight/Soon as all that money blows/All the pigeons take flight”.
Jigga proceeds to describe how he perpetually quarantined in this bubble, and — and with the help of the legendary Kurt Cobain and one of the greatest songs of the last 25 years — explains that only he is to blame for his current existence. Of course, the great irony here is that this song is entitled “Holy Grail”, thus implying that Jay (and ostensibly, we as people) views attaining a particular level of success as comparable to acquiring spiritual completeness, i.e. the “Holy Grail”. This is a common theme on Magna Carta.
While the latter half of the album’s title makes a religious reference, the former is a reference to the political doctrine created in 13th century England, designed to put limitations on the king’s powers. Created by English subjects, the Magna Carta is considered a direct predecessor of (among other documents) the United States Constitution.
Sidebar: Yeah, I had to look it up. Sue me! World History was 10th grade, aka a long time ago.
In essence, Jay Z is drawing connections between a feudal way of viewing the world (music, business, race, culture, etc.) and the imaginative perspective that made him a success (and all the spoils it has brought him). Though this album has its share of contradictions, it falls in line with Jay’s historical position as a pioneer for hip-hop. Not only in the sense of advancing the genre, but as a vehicle for individual expression.
On “Heaven“, MCHG’s best lyrical effort, S Dot goes in on the foolishness of bickering amongst religious sects. Hov weaves in & out of an Islamic-themed first verse (which references the Twelve Jewels of Islam) and a Christianity-themed second verse (which references to The Bible and The Tree of Knowledge) that was breathtakingly original. He concludes that “only God can judge me”, yet his general skepticism of religion and its threat to unity is duly noted.
“Gettin’ ghost in the Ghost/Can you see me? Can you see me?/Have mercy on a Judas, angel wings on the ‘ghini/I’m secular, tell the hecklers seckle down/Y’all religion creates division like my Maybach partition”, he rhymes poignantly.
While Jay Z does possess a spiritual side, he has revealed in interviews that he does not subscribe to any particular religion. And given the “unholy” events he’s dabbled in, juxtaposed to the incredible levels success he’s attained, he discusses religion in a casual manner that could easily make the pious uncomfortable.
Let’s let Jay himself describe it…
Sidebar: You can glean a great deal of insight about this album from the videos on magnacartaholygrail.com. To just be in the room with such accomplished artists/producers as were involved with this project would be the trillest experience ever. True, some artists who take their craft seriously may believe what goes on in the recording studio sacred, but there’s real value in hearing the artist describe the thoughts and emotions that went into a particular record in plain English. When you leave it up to the music, the artist’s message can easily be distorted or lost in interpretation by people who run websites, for example. Not this website though. We always get it right.
Jay Z (yet again) made multiple overt claims to being God or God-like on “Heaven”, much like his partner in rhyme Kanye West. If there is a difference in the way each man broached this controversial metaphor, it’s in the creativity in which Jay draws the comparison from a lyrical standpoint. Even if you condemn the connection, it’s difficult not to respect the artistry. When you name a song “Heaven”, you had better bring the heat. Hov managed to deliver, as this track is on par with other illustrious “Heaven” rap songs by Nas and Scarface.
We see his ability to seam one concept into an entire verse again on “FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt”, with his numerous references to Italian/Italian-American mob culture. He “lands in Rome”, he shouts out famous Italian-American actors and mobsters, he drives an Italian automobile, he even speaks Italian, repeatedly! He does the same thing on “Oceans” as he drags the water metaphor thought the entire song, as Frank Ocean (I see what you did there) sings on the hook. We saw it again with his numerous art references on “Picasso Baby“. Jigga definitely isn’t the first rapper to pull this stunt, but to do it with his level of preciseness shows that he’s the “Muhammad Hovi” of lyrical heavyweights.
Does this man look like he has 99 problems to you?
Part of the appeal of MCHG and the fortnight leading up to its release was the star-power in the studio that we all got to see in the commercials. Skateboard P, Timbo, Swizzy, Rick Rubin, all of whom have created memorable, if not classic records with Jay in the past were all present. The buildup was similar to that of The Black Album.
Sidebar: Remember when The Black Album was supposed to be Jigga’s swansong? Twelve different legendary producers were supposed to score 12 different tracks. They even ran magazine ads (old rules) hyping this theme. However producers, such as Dr. Dre, did not make the final project, for whatever reason.
Just putting all those guys in the commercial jacks up expectations to Heatles-like proportions. Not to mention, Boi-1da, The Dream, Hit-Boy, No ID and MikeWillMadeIt were all in on the act (s/o to WondaGurl, the 16-year-old Canadian female producer that made the album). The studio was like a damn all-star game and you have to figure everybody was trying to show up the next guy.
So, which producer stood out the most?
Well, Timmy and J-Roc worked on a disproportionate amount of tracks, but they definitely came through on “Tom Ford” (the most radio/club friendly track on the album), “Heaven”, and “Part II (On The Run)”. However the two beats that jump out the speakers the most were courtesy of the two hottest producers in the game today: Hit-Boy and MikeWillMadeIt.
Hit-Boy’s “Somewhere In America”, a brass-heavy tune with some swing, provided a much needed uptempo melody, as it broke up what would have been six straight leisurely songs. Meanwhile, the MikeWill produced “Beach Is Better” is the single biggest enigma on the LP. A song that had all the potential to have the clubs on smash, Hov cuts it off after a incredibly disappointing 56 seconds, thus making it just one helluva teaser interlude.
Sidebar: Honestly, who didn’t enjoy the Halle Berry/Beyoncé line? That was the line that would’ve really hooked the people. Instead, Jay just gave it up. Maybe he has the full version in the stash and he’ll release it years later, like he finally did with the third Dead Presidents installment. Or maybe we’re just left wondering “What if?”… and “What the hell, Hov?!”
UPDATE: An extended version may be on the way!
In the end, the production on MCHG can best be described as “good, but not great”. There were a couple of great ones, but a fairly large number failed to inspire, even if they weren’t bad. Tracks like “Crown”, “F.U.T.W.”, “Jay Z Blue” all fall under this distinction, along with “BBC”, the weakest link on the album. Given the stable of producers in the studio, the beats were a mild let down. It should be pointed out though, that this opinion would remain unchanged if 10 nobodies provided the backdrop for Magna Carta.
In a somewhat weird twist, Rick Rubin was actually not involved with the making of the album, though he was seen posted on the couch in all of the commercials, seemingly exhausted from hours of work in the studio. The fact that Jay could not corral DJ Premiere and or reunite with Just Blaze on this project was a bit depressing. They both belonged in that studio session.
Fight Night: Winner By Sixth Round KO
As we all know, few people have influenced hip-hop, and for that matter, American culture as much as Shawn Carter. From additions to our collective lexicon, to fashion trends, to creating the most successful crossover between sports and music (and vice versa) in history, the man has done it all. But “it” doesn’t nearly have the same impact if the music doesn’t connect with the people. Jay Z is an artist first. His brand was built on an untouchable combination swagger (remember, he “invented swag”) and pure lyricism. But none of his victories in the boardroom, the locker room or on Madison Ave are possible without the music. The music is the ultimate catalyst. Therefore, it is in Jigga’s best interest to keep that five alarm heat coming from the booth.
Hov debued the cover art for Magna Carta next to the actual Magna Carta! Love him or hate him, this is major. #FactsOnly
Jay Z often talks about moving the culture forward; nobody did this more within hip-hop in 2012 than Nas, with his release of Life Is Good. This year, MCHG is doing much of the same. This LP was the truest mark of Jay Z’s transformation as an artist, for it is his subject matter that separates him from every other rapper in the game. On this album, he took it to new places.
On top of rhyming about fame, ballin and his stone cold fox of a wife; Jay decided to tackle issues such as his insecurities about being a father and the discomfort that comes with being the one that “made it” out the hood. He challenges others, particularly young African-Americans, to strive for greatness and he challenges America to accept the contributions and influences African-Americans have made to American culture. With the “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” sequel “Part II (On The Run)”, Hovi hit on the emotion of love, in what is the best collaboration the couple has put out in years. He was even thorwin shade at fellow sports agents; a first in hip-hop history. And with all that, one staggering fact looms over MCHG which isolates it from every other Jay Z work to date…
Jay barely talks about the dope game at all on this record! A stark contrast from his prior works, some of which seemed like they were executive produced by Brian De Palma. Just try and to count the blatant drug references on this album; you’ll only come up with about 10 (give or take) over 16 songs. For years, Jay has absorb criticism over his content; Magna Carta almost feels like a repentance, of sorts, for all the years he rapped about money, cash, hoes and moving weight.
His propensity to flip the tongue is nothing new. But it’s the unique way an artist can reach the pinnacles of what most people would define as success and still maintain multiple layers of self-awareness — with varying degrees of complexity — that is most impressive. That is why this album was different.
The tagline for Magna Carta Holy Grail was “New Rules”. Jay Z thrives on “new rules”.
It’s how he created Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc Nation, created a highly successful clothing line, was instrumental in the move of a New York City professional sports team, became a sports agent capable of attracting some of the biggest names in sports and sold 1 million records — before the album officially dropped — with the help of his own app (massive data mining allegations aside).
Sidebar: Even if Billboard didn’t want to recognize the first mili, MCHG has remained atop their chart for an additional two straight weeks— the first rap album to pull that off in almost two years.
Jay referred to Magna Carta Holy Grail as his fourth best album. Though his fourth best project surpasses most of his competition. Given the changes his life has undergone in the last 15 years, it’s not an accident that his music has evolved. Jay Z is beyond hip-hop royalty, he’s cultural royalty. Yet he’s cognizant of the responsibility that comes along with the position that he’s inherited. That being, the man who serves as a proxy for the community of the underprivileged, while simultaneously possessing the most profound effect on culture of any non-political figure this nation has seen in many years.
And somewhere in America, Miley Cyrus is still twerkin.