Being that its the man's birthday and all, this is a post anyone who happens to know me was pretty much expecting at some point. Let's talk about JAYZ's "MagnaCarta...HolyGrail." But first, for shiggles and giggles, we'll have a brief sidebar about what the Magna Carta and the Holy grail actually are.
The Magna Carta was written in 1215 AD to restrict the power of Kings. The Feudal Barons got together after realizing that they were the ones taking all the risks as subjects of their respective kings, and were basically like,
"nah, playa you really need to chill with all these liberties you're taking for yourself and keeping from us. You're not gonna be taxing us and taking our titles and possessions for wars that you basically keep losing."That is the actual transcript from the meetings about the charter. Kidding. But seriously, too bad the serfs couldn't have a similar conversation with the Feudal Barons. I'm sure they had a few points of contention themselves.
The Magna Carta is seen as the ancestor to the idea of constitutional law. Kind of a big deal. Hence the ''New Rules'' ad messaging used in promotion of JAY's project.
The story of The Grail really has more Celtic, than Christian origins, but it was later co-opted by some in the Euro-Christian version of the faith. So, basically (in the most influential version of the story) this guy Joseph grabs the cup/bowl/dish (depending on the interpretation) from the last supper, the one when Jesus was passing out the First Communion, and Joseph catches the Christ's blood when he was hanging on the cross. Okay so fast forward a bit. Christianity has caught on in the land of Arthurian legends. There is supposedly a lineage of people who are supposed to protect the Grail and it's power, as well as guarding those who possess rights to it. The grail travels through all kinds of stories in its time even making it to modern day fiction. It shows up in movies like, The Da Vinci Code & most importantly its the thing Sean Connery and Harrison Ford have to find in Indiana Jones: And The Last Crusade.
I know. So Awesome.
So JAY Z creates an album with this theme and title to push the idea of finding that special place in the sun, that divine spark that lives in all of us (read: him), and creating a new set of rules in a changing world, and industry. Wonderful. A little high on the marketing side of things, but Jay is a business man. That's been clear since day one. He will do what is necessary to market his idea. The coolest part was he released this project with no singles, and he's somebody's dad. Like, he's old. I don't mean that as a diss. But to be his age, in his genre, and still selling records... its unprecedented. He's basically like Bob Dylan, or Paul McCartney, or Iggy Pop at this point. People want their music. They know it, and we know it. All they have to do is keep releasing quality, and tour. This is not struggle rap of any kind.
Can he live?
There is much criticism of the album, again I'm not sure why. First off (critics, both professional and twitteratti), we live in the world of ads. If you bought every single iota of the campaign, and expected the second coming of Christ, please check yourself. What we got instead was a different delivery of the project meant to shape the whole experience, and an album that has crazy production, the right features, quality raps (albeit not perfect), and stories. It's simple. This is what excellent sounds like. He's not supposed to keep having to re-invent himself, but he can refine. That's the point. Wine doesn't re-invent the grapes, you let em sit and they get better over time. The flavors strengthen, the color, the taste. Excellence. No, It's not as hungry or excitable as Watching Movies With The Sound Off (Mac Miler), Born Sinner (J. Cole) or The Gifted (Wale) nor is it as demanding as Yeezus, But this isn't his 2nd album, or even his 8th, of course it's going to be different. He's graduated, again.
Lots of people weren't happy about the Samsung deal. He sold a million copies to Samsung, to be used as incentive for users downloading an app that contained extras, for all those who wanted them. On the release date, users had a chance to download a free copy of the album, first come first serve. We (the users) crashed the Samsung servers because of demand. Many critics felt that the arrangement was too commercial. Too corporate. Too, whatever. So clearly people aren't aware of the pioneering deal with the Black Album also being included as a package deal for two-way pagers. Chris Richards of the Washington Post, in particular, irked my nerves with his review. He says:
''Throughout “Magna Carta,”...[he] pretends he’s a threat to a system he’s so eagerly become a part of, as if his life as a champion capitalist is some perpetually escalating act of subversion. Hooray? Rooting for this man in 2013 is like rooting for Pfizer. Or PepsiCo. Or PRISM."
Rooting for this guy is really not like rooting for a corporation, because I bet if Jay Z didn't pay his taxes, he'd be right next to Lauryn Hill, Wesley Snipes, and Ronald Isley in the clink. His being a wildly successful African-American climbing the capitalist ladder, actually is an act of subversion. I'm not saying we all need to run out and sell our albums on smart phones, or even to be rising capitalists, I'm just saying are we mad because dude is successful? I don't understand this need to be pissed at people because they happen to be good at life. I may not like Donald Trump, but I'm not pissed at him for being successful. Also there was opposition to the app's need for access to your phone, like all other apps we willingly sign on to don't require the same things.
Now back to the music. The first few seconds of the album are exhilarating. Anytime you have another recognizable artist (JT), known for being cool and smooth, singing like he was trying to save somebody's soul, you're doing the right thing. The rest of the album moves along with confidence. It's sure of itself. That's the thing I like most about this album. It knows who it is, what it is, who and what it wants. Getting there in art, and in life is a product of time and maturity. The guy who basically said he was allergic to marriage and commitment has been in a relationship with the same woman for 10 years, married for 5, and they just had a kid. Maturity. Growth. Confidence. That's what we're here for.
Toward the end of the album there is a spot from Biggie on the song about Blue, and parenting/married life. Listening to this vulnerable cauldron of hypothetical mixed with real frustrations and fears, one can't help but drift a bit from Jay Z's life to wonder what Biggie's journey would have looked like. Would he have made it to the same career pinnacles? Would we be as critical of him? For someone who rose out of that large shadow, Jay Z seems to be rapping libations for the whole game, for the people who are here, and for the people who aren't still with us.
This album asks questions about the nature of a legacy, if immortality is possible, if dreams should still be chased (...f*** it I want a Billi). It's not perfect, but it's honest. It's made with quality components, and given to us from the most consistent rapper of our times (if not the best).
That's not a difficult thing for me to root for.
Favorite Songs: Holy Grail, Tom Ford, Nickel & Dimes ;)
Which song is my Alarm: Tom Ford
Guilty Pleasure Song: ...youknowIgotit
Best Features: BBC, Oceans, Part II
Best Song To Blast At the MOMA: Picasso Baby
