Magna Carta... Holy Grail

Magna Carta... Holy Grail

by Jay-Z
Magna Carta... Holy Grail

Magna Carta... Holy Grail

by Jay-Z

CD

$18.99 
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Overview

Like few other album openers, "Holy Grail" encapsulates what follows it and reflects a particular point in an artist's career. It's a vigorous if not particularly moving track, principally produced by Timbaland and J-Roc, which expresses bewilderment and conflicting emotions about rising from poverty to opulence. The first of a few early-'90s references is made -- the chorus of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is quoted -- and Jay-Z is as triumphant and as troubled as ever. He doesn't enter until the 80-second mark, preceded by a theatrical verse and hook from summer 2013 tour partner Justin Timberlake. As with a significant portion of Magna Carta...Holy Grail, it has a dashed-off, created between business engagements quality -- maybe there wasn't enough time to ask Timberlake who translated his version of the Hebrew Bible ("Sippin' from your cup 'til it runneth over"). Likewise, the album's remainder is sporadically energized, played safe with just enough timely pop-culture references and sonic curveballs to demonstrate that Jay-Z still has his finger on the pulse. He has Timbaland and J-Roc -- also co-producers of Timberlake's 20/20 Experience -- involved with most of the tracks, highlighted by a pair that sample Adrian Younge's 2011 psych-soul masterpiece Something About April, as well as some brilliantly bleary and prickly work on "F.U.T.W." Significantly lighter lifting is done by a cast that includes the likes of Pharrell and Swizz Beatz, as well as Kyambo Joshua and Mike Dean, who shine on the scuffed-up Gonjasufi-sampling finale "Nickels and Dimes." For all the lyrical flaunting of material wealth -- revolutionary art, designer fashion, yachting, globe-trotting -- the greatest ostentatious display here is in the enlistment of 2012/2013's hottest producer, Mike Will, for a single minute-length track. Unsurprisingly, it's the wildest, most advanced moment on the album. He still drops some casually brilliant reminders that he remains one of the best, as on "Oceans" ("Only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace/I don't even like Washingtons in my pocket") and on "Nickels and Dimes" ("Pardon my hubris, Stanley Kubrick/With eyes wide shut, I could cook up two bricks"). ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date: 07/09/2013
Label: UNIVERSAL MUSIC DISTRIBUTION
UPC: 0857018004144
Rank: 64701

Tracks

  1. Holy Grail
  2. Picasso Baby
  3. Tom Ford
  4. F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit
  5. Oceans
  6. F.U.T.W.
  7. Somewhereinamerica
  8. Crown
  9. Heaven
  10. Versus
  11. Part II (On the Run)
  12. Beach Is Better
  13. BBC
  14. Jay Z Blue
  15. La Familia
  16. Nickels and Dimes

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jay-Z   Primary Artist
Frank Ocean   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Beyonce   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Rick Ross   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Pharrell Williams   Vocals
Justin Timberlake   Vocals,Featured Artist
Nas   Vocals
Timbaland   Vocals
Taffy   Vocals,Vocals
The-Dream   Vocals
Ken Lewis   Sampling
Brent Kolatalo   Sampling
Danny Flam   Trombone
Swizz Beatz   Vocals
Travis Scott   Vocals
Zofia Borucka Moreno   Vocals

Technical Credits

Dave Grohl   Composer
Darryl McDaniels   Composer
Pharrell Williams   Composer,Producer
Justin Timberlake   Composer,Additional Production
Sean Combs   Composer
Peter Buck   Composer
Stuart White   Engineer
Jerome Harmon   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Ali Shaheed Muhammad   Composer
Mike Dean   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Mike Mills   Composer
Michael Stipe   Composer
Boi-1da   Producer
Kasseem Dean   Composer
B. Dixon   Composer
Malik Taylor   Composer
Timothy Mosley   Composer
Timbaland   Producer,Additional Production
Ernest Wilson   Composer
Jonathan Meadows   Composer
Demacio Castellon   Mixing,Engineer
James Fauntleroy   Composer
The-Dream   Composer,Producer
K. Bennett   Composer
Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young   Editing,Engineer
Bill Berry   Composer
Christopher Wallace   Composer
Shawn Carter   Composer,Executive Producer
Jonathan Davis   Composer
Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua   Producer
Ari Marcopoulos   Photography
Marz   Producer,Producer
Adrian Younge   Composer
Brian Roettinger   Art Direction
Lenny S.   A&R
Eric Weissman   Sample Clearance
Hit-Boy   Producer
Ramon Rivas   Engineer,Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Garland Mosley   Composer
Tina Woods   Composer
Miguel Collins   Composer
William Roberts   Composer
Nasir Jones   Composer
Kyambo Joshua   Composer
Matthew Samuels   Composer
Terius Nash   Composer
Marquel Middlebrooks   Composer
Michael Williams   Composer
No I.D.   Additional Production
Chauncey Hollis   Composer
Sumach Valentine   Composer
Willo Perron   Creative Director
Mike WiLL Made-It   Composer,Producer
Ryan Kaul   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Swizz Beatz   Producer
Bobby Dixon   Composer
Ken "Duro" Ifill   Mixing
Kurt Cobain   Composer
Krist Novoselic   Composer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Kirk Bennett   Composer
Carlos Broady   Composer
C. Wallace   Composer
Matt Weber   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Christopher Breaux   Composer
M. Middlebrooks   Composer
Travis Scott   Producer
Darhyl Camper   Composer,Producer
Dominique Dunn   A&R
Anderson Hernandez   Composer
Vinylz   Producer
Jacques Webster   Composer
Zeke Mishanec   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Johnathan Lee   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Nashiem Myrick   Composer
WondaGurl   Programming,Additional Production
Jaycen Joshua   Mixing
J. Davis   Composer
Chris Godbey   Engineer
Freddie Hubbard   Composer
Gregory Green   Composer
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