Shawn Corey Carter certainly needs no introduction. For 17 years, Jay-Z has done it all. From record breaking albums sales, countless chart topping hits, awards, clothing lines and so much more. He went from hustling on the blocks of Marcy Projects in Brooklyn to billionaire CEO/entrepreneur. All while becoming a hip hop icon and legend in the process. Jay's influence and how he changed the game multiple times basically explains why his following has been so strong for so long. You won't find too many of today's rappers that wouldn't agree with that. To me, Jay has one of the most impressive discographies in the history of hip hop. Which consists of 12 solo albums and 3 collaborative albums. Of those 12, 3 of those are borderline classics. His 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt, 2001's The Blueprint and 2003's The Black Album. But with every release, Jay's music continues to adapt to what is new or relevant in hip hop while still being the same old Jay at the same time. Well now it continues here. Album number 15. Magna Carta...Holy Grail. Arguably the most anticipated release of 2013. The promotion for the album was unique. Jay announced the release of the album in a Samsung promo commercial during this years NBA Finals (which has now lead to multiple commercials). Then he decided to release the album on July 4th digitally via the Magna Carta...Holy Grail phone app. This is just Jay again changing the game with the way he does things. Now because his last project, 2011's Watch The Throne, was a collaborative album with Kanye West I won't reflect on that one as much. But I will go back to 2009's The Blueprint 3 which to me was a good album. Yes it sounded overly commercial and filled with numerous guest features but the production and the stories told on it took away from all of that. That's just the type of thing he does. This time around, I'm a little disgruntled. I thought after multiple listens this album is just barely above average. Which in my eyes spells disappointment considering the level of hype and promotion this album got. First off to get it out way, I clearly understand that Jay's content and topics have all changed in recent years and he's not the same. Just like he said on his last album, "niggas want my old shit buy my old album". People should understand that old Jay is in the past. This new Jay is all were gonna get now. Nothing but him rapping about his riches, his power, luxurious things etc. Things a common wealthy business man would rap about. Flaunting basically. It's all very present on this album. I feel like if he's gonna rap about that stuff that's cool but I think he should talk about it in a way to inspire these young dudes as appose to just shoving it in their faces in a "I have this and you don't" type of attitude. Basically...at his age and where he is right now, Jay needs to be more of a mentor with his music. Show these young rappers how they can get to where you are instead of basically laughing at them for not having what you got. Instead the feel I get, especially from this album, is that he making the kind of tracks these young dudes make but at the same time rapping about the stuff I just mentioned. Yeah he'll make meaningful songs and lyrically tell a story but that's all blanketed by the flaunt-rap. This is really the one thing that troubles me about Jay-Z. Honestly, the production saved the hell out of this album. If you saw the promo commercials you saw every producer he worked with on here. Timbaland, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, Rick Rubin as well as a few others. Jay lyrically and especially flow wise sounded a bit well...boring. Not counting the meaningful message songs, his flow on a lot of songs sounded lazy and tired and a lot of his lyrics sounded completely rushed. This was the one thing that frustrated me about this album. Well now let me break down songs I liked and disliked. The album got off to a good start with the first two tracks. The intro track "Holy Grail" was dope and that's really thanks to Justin Timberlake. He really brought that song to life with a soulful yet powerful hook. His singing on that was amazing and was the best thing about the song. Then the second track "Picasso Baby" had this funky electric guitar and drums production done well by Timbaland. The beat switches up towards the end to an even better drum beat that kind of sounds similar to "99 Problems". On here Jay makes references to many art related things like famous artists and such. Like when he says "sleeping every night next to Mona Lisa, the modern day version with better features". Try and guess who he's talking about. I guess he's just showing his appreciation for fine art (which also explains the album cover and images in the booklets). Good song. The track "F.U.T.W." (or Fuck Up The World) I didn't like at first but grew on me after a couple of listens. It has this smooth piano filled beat courtesy of again, Timbaland. Could have done better with the hook but the song is still enjoyable. My biased side comes into play on the track "BBC" because of yes....Nas. Honestly I don't think I would have even listened to this more than once if it wasn't for him. What I didn't understand was why Nas wasn't credited on the track list because that sure was a full verse he dropped. Oh well....still a cool song. The song "Part II (On The Run)" may have been the most surprising to me. It's a duet that features his queen Beyonce' and I'm guessing this is supposed to be the sequel to their first ever track together "03 Bonnie & Clyde". This song had a strong throwback feel. Like those rap and R&B collaborations from the 90's. But again, just like the intro song, this was a case where the singer shined the most because Beyonce' made it listenable with her dark and soothing vocals. She fit the mood of the track more than Jay's lyrics did. Still...a surprisingly good song. "Jay-Z Blue" is the track dedicated to his new baby daughter. He talks about fatherhood and balancing that and his career. Now anyone that has been following Jay all these years know that every now and then he likes to borrow a line or two from Biggie. Here he samples his ad-libs and mixes in Big's lines with his own. Though I don't think the "Mommy Dearest" movie skits weren't needed, this was a nice song that I'm sure Blue Ivy will appreciate when she old enough to understand it. Well now the things I disliked. Right of the back, "FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt". No song on here pissed me off more. First of all, I really don't like hearing Jay-Z rapping on trap beats even though that's what's popular now. On here he delivers the worst flow and lyrics on the whole album. It features Rick Ross who's verse was just as bad if not worse that Jay's. I feel like Jay lowered himself to Ross's level as far as lyrics and flow on here. To top it all off it has a repetitive hook and I absolutely despise repetitive hooks. I mean this sounds like something that would be on a Maybach Music mixtape. Not a Jay-Z album. Terrible song. He had two interludes on here, "Versus" and "Beach Is Better" and my problem with both is the fact that...they're interludes. These should have been full songs. Especially "Versus". I think it was totally pointless to make these interludes. Either extend them or take them off the album. "Tom Ford" is a track I'm trying to force myself to like but i just don't see it happening. This has a futuristic video game sounding beat that honestly sounds like a track Kanye scrapped from Yeezus and Jay took it. It just sound off overall. Speaking of Yeezus, the track "Heaven" sounds like Jay's version of Kanye's "I Am A God". Comparing himself to God and calling out all the conspiracy theorists that constantly connect him with the Illuminati. It's not that this was a bad song but I felt like he should used the "heaven" concept in a different way besides doing what Kanye did. Even though he did it better than him. "Crown" is a song that I saw a lot of people enjoyed but it may have to grow on me. It has this deep and distorted sounding beat that sounds like something else that belonged to Kanye first. I was surprised to see that it was produced by Travis Scott. Wouldn't have guessed it. But I don't know, something is off about this. It just has to grow on me. In conclusion, this album was saved by production. Thus making it just above average for me. I give it a final grade of a B-. This is one of those albums that will have to grow on me over the course of time I suppose. In my honest opinion, I think Jay-Z is at a point in his career where the mic needs to be hung up. Not because he sucks now or whatever but because there's nothing else he has to prove. He done and accomplished everything a rapper can accomplish. Now all he should be worried about is all his business endeavors and his new family. Leave this rap shit to these new young guys. But still, like I mentioned, be more of a teacher and a mentor to them. Show them how to get to where you're at. They all look up to Jay and he should acknowledge that more. We all know he's a legend for more reasons than one, but right now, at his age, I think it's time to close the rap chapter of his life story and move on to the next. I'll be the first to say it, thank you Jay-Z. Hip hop thanks you. There will only be one Hov. Nothing can change that. End.
Final Grade: B-
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