by Arkitekt
Magna Carta Holy Grail is a breath of fresh air. Jay-Z seems to bring more versatility to this album compared to his last couple of releases. Tracks like “Oceans” and “Heaven” are deep concepts that may take a few repeats to understand the full complexity of his lyrics. Other songs like “Part II (On The Run)” and “Jay-Z Blue” are more personal and show great originality that Hov seemed to be missing lately. Then, there are bangers like “Tom Ford”, “F.U.T.W.”, “Crown” and “BBC” that’ll make you turn your volume all the way up.
The main problem I had with the album is “La Familia”. I don’t even like Lil’ Wayne, but the beat and Jay’s flow just don’t work. The other setback was the shortened “Versus” and “Beach Is Better”. For one, nobody wants to hear a song under a minute…not even if it’s on a free mixtape. Jay’s flow on “Versus” is pretty weak and the added keys (most likely from Swizz) come off corny. However, the beat on “Beach is Better” goes hard. I just wish it was a full length song.
Overall, Magna Carta Holy Grail was a lot better than I expected. After Blueprint 3 and Watch The Throne, I felt that Jay-Z no longer had it in him to create superior albums. I know I’m not the only one who felt that Jay was dumbing down his flow and lyrics to fit in with the new generation of Hip-Hop. Nevertheless, MCHG is a gem, and has some of the best tracks of the year on it.
