Jay-Z might be married to the biggest popstar on the planet
and he might be one of the biggest rappers on the planet, but that doesn’t mean
he can release a lacklustre album and call it ‘Magna Carta…Holy Grail’, even
solely for the pun on his surname.
The comparisons to Kanye’s recent ‘Yeezus’ are inevitable,
as two of the most recognisable names in hip-hop. ‘Yeezus’ is a progressive, clearly focused
record with a big point to prove, even if you don’t agree with his views. By comparison, Jay-Z has very little to say,
leading to a soulless and empty album.
As with much of hip-hop, Carter’s lyrics have always been
based on bravado – here we have Picasso
Baby, a whole song about living the high life, whilst in Versus he berates fellow rappers on
their apparent wealth (“The truth in my verses,
versus, your metaphors about what your net worth is”). Carter’s skill stems from clever wordplay,
but that’s often absent on ‘Magna Carta…’. Instead he riffs on social media (“fuck
hashtags and retweets, 140 characters in these streets”), Miley Cyrus (“’cause
somewhere in America Miley Cyrus is still twerkin’”), and family life (“baby
need Pampers, Daddy need at least three weeks in the Hamptons”). Compared with his previous material, this new
work feels too predictable, especially in light of hip-hop newcomers such as
the raw Kendrick Lamar or Joey Bada$$.
As such, it falls on the production to provide
interest. For the most part, it’s a
mixture of different hip-hop styles, in the process lacking much of the
personality we’ve come to expect from Carter following tracks like 99 Problems or Empire State of Mind. Of
course there are samples and song references, most notably from Nirvana on
opening track Holy Grail. And Carter has embraced pop music more than
many hip-hop artists, ‘Magna Carta…’ including features from Justin Timberlake,
Frank Ocean and Beyoncé. Yet with these
three artists, he is overshadowed on each occasion – Holy Grail following on from Timberlake’s Suit & Tie; Ocean providing poignant lyrics to Oceans (“I hope my black skin don’t dirt
this white tuxedo”); and Carter might as well be providing a guest rap on Part II (On The Run) between his wife’s
sultry vocals and the woozy synth and piano lines.
‘Magna Carta…’ isn’t necessarily a bad album, it just feels
lazy and a little dull. With Carter’s hype-inducing
status, this is not the holy grail of hip-hop albums that you might be hoping
for.
2/5
Gizzle's Choice:
* F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit
* Oceans
* Part II (On The Run)
Listen: 'Magna Carta...Holy Grail' is available now.
Watch: Jay-Z will be performing at Wireless festival this weekend.
