Maps of Music

Magna Carta... Holy Grail (2013)

Where the lyrics of Magna Carta... Holy Grail take you, and where it was really made.

The cover photo was taken beside one of the four surviving copies of the 13th-century charter that gave the album its name, displayed in Salisbury Cathedral.

Key places

Main recording sessions at Jungle City Studios (2013)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — After the tour ended, the main bulk of recording sessions for the album took place at Jungle City Studios in New York, a studio run by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. Justin Timberlake and Beyonce were also working on their albums there at the time. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo beside a 13th-century charter copy (2013)

Album cover Salisbury Cathedral — The cover art was revealed on July 3, 2013 in a photo placed next to one of the four surviving copies of the album's namesake, the 13th-century English charter, at Salisbury Cathedral. The copy remained on display there until the end of July. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Magna Carta Holy Grail: twelfth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z
• First made available as a free digital download for Samsung customers via the Jay-Z Magna Carta app on July 4, 2013
• Retail release on July 8, 2013 by Roc Nation, Roc-A-Fella, Island Def Jam, and Universal Music Distribution
• Final release by Roc-A-Fella before the label was shuttered
• Guest appearances by Justin Timberlake, Nas, Rick Ross, Frank Ocean and Beyonce
• Most of the album produced by Timbaland and Jerome 'J-Roc' Harmon
• Other producers include Boi-1da, Mike Will Made It, Hit-Boy, Mike Dean, No I.D., The-Dream, Swizz Beatz and Pharrell Williams
• Promoted through Samsung commercials; no retail singles preceded the album

Background

• On September 23, 2010, Q-Tip confirmed work on the twelfth studio album, with a tentative 2011 release
• By May 2012, reports said Jay-Z was making new music with Roc Nation producer Jahlil Beats
• Before the announcement, Jay-Z served as executive producer for the film The Great Gatsby and its soundtrack
• Three singles: 'Holy Grail', 'Tom Ford', and 'Part II (On the Run)' featuring Beyonce
• The album was supported by three tours: Legends of the Summer, Magna Carter World Tour, and On the Run Tour

Recording

• In late 2011, three songs were recorded, one featuring Frank Ocean, which became 'Oceans', the oldest song on the album
• 'Oceans' and 'Holy Grail' were completed in 2011 during sessions for Watch the Throne
• West wanted both songs for Watch the Throne, but Jay-Z kept them for this album
• After a worldwide tour, the main recording sessions took place at Jungle City Studios in New York
• Jay-Z described a 'minimalist approach' meant to give the album a '1990s feel'
• Timbaland handled the majority of the production

Cover

• On July 3, 2013, the cover art was revealed in a photo beside a 13th-century English charter copy at Salisbury Cathedral
• The logo was inspired by Be Andr's 2009 art piece 'Untitled (art)'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City.
• Raised in Marcy Houses in Bedford–Stuyvesant; mother Gloria Carter raised him and his three older siblings after his father left when he was 11.
• Dropped out of Trenton Central High School during his sophomore year.
• Adopted the stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O.

Career

• Began recording in the late 1980s, contributing verses to Jaz-O's records.
• Co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records; debut album Reasonable Doubt (1996) was critically acclaimed.
• Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) became his most commercially successful album, certified 6× Platinum in the US.
• The Blueprint (2001) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Led Def Jam Recordings as president and CEO from 2004 to 2007.
• Founded Roc Nation in 2008 and later 4:44 (2017) and Everything Is Love with Beyoncé (2018).
• Has 25 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Met with mixed reviews from music critics
• Metacritic: weighted average score of 60 out of 100 from 42 critic scores
• Some praised the production and composition; others were disappointed by the overall theme and found many songs repetitive
• The New York Times (Jon Pareles): Jay-Z had not yet found a reliable alternative to his pop sensibilities
• AllMusic (Andy Kellman): the record was hastily produced
• Spin (Jordan Sargent): songs sounded overly elaborate and unfinished
• Slant Magazine (Jesse Cataldo): a self-important album marred by shallow name-dropping
• The Daily Telegraph (Helen Brown): boastful references heavy-handed, but enjoyable for a lazy listener
• Uncut: mostly succeeded as an attempt to balance great wealth and tough history

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 528,000 copies in its first week
• The 13th consecutive studio album by Jay-Z to top the US chart
• Stayed at number one in its second week with 129,000 more copies
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on release day, tied to a Samsung deal to buy one million copies
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA on September 5, 2013 for shipments over two million copies
• Sold 1,099,000 copies in the US by the end of 2013, the tenth best-selling album of the year
• Nominated in six categories at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards; won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for 'Holy Grail' with Justin Timberlake
• Complex ranked it 23rd on its 50 best albums of 2013 list; XXL ranked it eighth best album of 2013

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was promoted through Samsung commercials and had no retail singles before release
• The first one million Samsung Galaxy users received the free download early on July 4
• The logo was inspired by Be Andr's 2009 art piece 'Untitled (art)'
• The 'Holy Grail' music video, directed by Anthony Mandler, came out on August 29, 2013, making social media history as the first time a clip from major artists debuted strictly on Facebook
• 'Open Letter' was hidden as an easter egg in the back flap of the vinyl packaging, found when the vinyl was re-released in early 2015

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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