Magna Carta... Holy Grail
Jay-Z's first solo album since 2009's The Blueprint 3, released initially on Samsung mobile devices, finds him working with marquee names including Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, and Nas.
The moment it was released in 2007, the iPhone became a signifier of taste and prosperity, and like all status symbols, it quickly worked its way into rap lyrics, earning name checks from dozens, if not hundreds, of rappers eager to associate themselves with Apple’s trendy gadget. The Samsung Galaxy, on the other…
Hova returns with a record that's inconsistencies can be forgiven thanks to the immaculate nature of its peaks.
It’s not that people hate the super-rich; it’s that they don’t like the isolation that being super-rich signifies.
Check out our album review of Artist's Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail on Rolling Stone.com.
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.
Clash reviews 'Magna Carta... Holy Grail', the 12th studio album from American rapper Jay-Z
<p>Jay-Z's music is almost in danger of being overshadowed by the hoopla surrounding the album's release, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong></p>
Hoary and pompous, Magna Carta definitively signals the rapper’s shift toward creative insignificance.
Jay Z's new album is perfectly enjoyable but does nothing to ease the sense that his position as the "King of Rap" is in question, finds Helen Brown.