Magna Carta Holy Grail
by Jay-Z
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 370 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 183 out of 370
  2. Mixed: 120 out of 370
  3. Negative: 67 out of 370
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  1. cheiry4
    Jun 21, 2018
    10
    This album literally has no skips. On of my favorite Hov albums. User score deserves to be way higher.
  2. Zwschuette
    Feb 1, 2018
    7
    This album gets a lot of hate, which I get, but many overlook its best qualities. With names like No ID, Mike Dean, J Roc and Travis Scott working on the project their are plenty of inventive sounds. However many of those ideas were not well developed/executed. As many point out JAY also falls flat compared to previous albums. That being said there are redeeming moments for him ("Heaven",This album gets a lot of hate, which I get, but many overlook its best qualities. With names like No ID, Mike Dean, J Roc and Travis Scott working on the project their are plenty of inventive sounds. However many of those ideas were not well developed/executed. As many point out JAY also falls flat compared to previous albums. That being said there are redeeming moments for him ("Heaven", "Nickles and Dimes") but they are few and far between. MCHG has moved the hip hop genre more then it will ever get credit for even if the project itself was somewhat of a disappointment.… Expand
  3. FruitJuice
    Jul 17, 2017
    6
    okay album............................................................................................................................................................
  4. The_Following
    Apr 19, 2017
    6
    Magna Carta May Be Jay's lyrically dumbed downed work to date but it delivers a personal message in the album. The message that no matter how much you accomplish in life, you should never lose sight of where you came from. Personal songs like "Jay-Z Blue" and "La familia" shows Jay-z drive what keeps his drive and his insecurities about fatherhood. As A Unit "Magna Carta" Is a solid album.
  5. RomanKirby
    May 2, 2016
    7
    I found this album refreshing and it was a good reminder to how life is from Jay Z point of view. A good album shame it could of been more original!!!
  6. Sergio2008
    Jan 6, 2016
    6
    Magna Carta Holy Grail is a mediocre Jay Z album. Jay Z, for the most part, just rambles on about his wealth, and talks about "rich people problems." The album would be better served if Jay Z was spitting effective bars, but many lines were flat, uninspiring, and lazy. There is still some gems on the album like "Heaven", "Nickles and Dimes", "BBC", and the interludes. The productionMagna Carta Holy Grail is a mediocre Jay Z album. Jay Z, for the most part, just rambles on about his wealth, and talks about "rich people problems." The album would be better served if Jay Z was spitting effective bars, but many lines were flat, uninspiring, and lazy. There is still some gems on the album like "Heaven", "Nickles and Dimes", "BBC", and the interludes. The production salvages many of the songs that Jay Z under performs in, making the album better than it should be.… Expand
  7. lisiak
    Jan 6, 2016
    7
    I don't understand why there's so much hate on this album. OK it's not his best album, but it's modern and nice album. It's just Hova, what more can I say?! Best track: 'Heaven' :)
  8. ihavevocaloid
    Apr 29, 2015
    7
    For longtime Jay-Z fans and critics, I have almost no doubt that this album would be a disappointment. And yes, it's probably one of the lowest points in Jay's career. He made this album at age 43, and that is most likely the reason why this was such a low point. He's been making music for so long now that he doesn't have anything more creative to come up with (I think I've seen thisFor longtime Jay-Z fans and critics, I have almost no doubt that this album would be a disappointment. And yes, it's probably one of the lowest points in Jay's career. He made this album at age 43, and that is most likely the reason why this was such a low point. He's been making music for so long now that he doesn't have anything more creative to come up with (I think I've seen this written somewhere before, either on here, on iTunes or a professional review). But, overall, I honestly thought this album was decent. It might not be up to what Jay has done before, but this is actually a somewhat decent album in terms of hip hop in general. The first thing I, and many other people, can say in favor of this album, is that its production is great. Jay-Z enlisted some great producers on this album, such as (almost entirely) Timbaland, as well as Travis Scott and a new, on-the-rise, young female producer named WondaGurl. The second thing I can say in favor of this album is that he's "still got the best flow" (as he says in "Tom Ford"). However, the things that made this album one of Jay-Z's worst include the lyrics and originality. He combines an awesome flow with lyrics that are repetitive over the course of the album (um... why would you do that???) and the originality... I could see just about anyone rapping this album... his flow is still different and all but these lyrics are so repetitive that I could even see 2 Chainz rapping this album. However, these poor lyrics are made up for by his "best" flow and production. Grade: B. Highlights: "Crown", "BBC", "Somewhereinamerica", "Tom Ford". Worst songs: "Holy Grail", "Nickels and Dimes"… Expand
  9. Urbanlistener
    Apr 24, 2015
    8
    Hova may be giving his weakest lyrical performance of his career on this album, by the redundancy of his verses, but still, all the songs are well crafted and very enjoyable.
  10. keve16
    Mar 26, 2015
    6
    6.2/10................................................................................................................................................
  11. BrandonTrotter
    Jan 16, 2015
    3
    A horrible album one of the worst JAY Z Albums I have ever heard with only a few moments then and their it shows that JAY Z needs to rely on better production and needs to not use Timbaland beats and go back to the route he took on Blueprint III
  12. hiphop5645
    Oct 30, 2014
    6
    The album is strong lyrically, with impressive beats and hooks that compliment this in the majority of the tracks here. However, some pointlessly short songs (Versus, Beach is Better) and a lack of variation in general makes "Magna Carta Holy Grail" fall short of its full potential.
  13. Muddsjr
    Aug 11, 2014
    6
    Thus far, it certainly isn't the most amazing effort of Jay Z's career, but despite what so many are saying, I don't think its half bad either. I will happily say there are moments that I thoroughly enjoyed.
  14. clppngfan
    Aug 4, 2014
    2
    Easily the most disappointing rap release of the past decade. Jay-Z may have not always been as innovative as artists like Kanye, but he knew how to throw together a solid beat, and back it with his signature flow. Everything he tries on this album pretty much falls completely flat.
  15. Disk
    Jul 15, 2014
    5
    B- "I left feeling like Jay-Z almost threw together an album just because. Some songs on it had absolutely no reason to be on it, let alone exist. Some had potential but were supported with little dedication and much creativity. There were bright spots. I hope Jay-Z takes the time to actually generate an album worth buying here soon instead of developing what is really just a lazy attemptB- "I left feeling like Jay-Z almost threw together an album just because. Some songs on it had absolutely no reason to be on it, let alone exist. Some had potential but were supported with little dedication and much creativity. There were bright spots. I hope Jay-Z takes the time to actually generate an album worth buying here soon instead of developing what is really just a lazy attempt at bringing his name back into the spotlight."

    M- "Jay-Z is back with more of the same, minus some production changes for the most part. That’s the thing though, for an album with this name and cover, I wanted (or at least expected) something more conceptual based on it’s source material. What I got here was some interesting concept ideas, thrown on-top of basic trap style rapping and some weak features and hooks. Jay-Z had the chance to bring some needed change to the table, and make a rap album worth remembering, but as a whole, this is a let down with a few memorable tracks.    … Expand
  16. YoungKingHova
    Jun 3, 2014
    6
    Crown, Somewhereinamerica, Tomford, Picasso baby, FWTMYKIGI's beats are so nice
    but other songs were not enough to attract audience.......
    Albums was not classic but it is good albums of 2013.
  17. AquaCulina
    May 3, 2014
    6
    I wouldn't say this is a bad album per se, because there's no denying: the beats are great.

    It's just a huge disappointment. It sounds as if Jay-Z doesn't care anymore. Which might even be true, I mean there truly is no reason for him to care anymore. But still, it doesn't make the album any better. On Jay Electronica's "We Made It" Remix we also heard than Jay-Z still CAN rap... if he    I wouldn't say this is a bad album per se, because there's no denying: the beats are great.

    It's just a huge disappointment. It sounds as if Jay-Z doesn't care anymore. Which might even be true, I mean there truly is no reason for him to care anymore. But still, it doesn't make the album any better.
    On Jay Electronica's "We Made It" Remix we also heard than Jay-Z still CAN rap... if he wants to.

    The lyrical content of this album is so incredibly forgettable, that I just wish Timbaland would've given the beats to someone who can.

    All-in-all an incredibly disappointing album by one of the all-time greatest that only deserves some praise for the great production.    … Expand
  18. ben_zo77
    Feb 5, 2014
    7
    Only reason I'm giving this a 7 is because of a couple very good songs and great production throughout. Honestly, don't buy this album. I got a consistent feeling that Jay was trying to pull a Kanye with the samples, imagery, and grandiose production. It didn't work. For most rappers it'd be good, but it's a huge disappointment coming from Jay Z. The worst part about this album is thatOnly reason I'm giving this a 7 is because of a couple very good songs and great production throughout. Honestly, don't buy this album. I got a consistent feeling that Jay was trying to pull a Kanye with the samples, imagery, and grandiose production. It didn't work. For most rappers it'd be good, but it's a huge disappointment coming from Jay Z. The worst part about this album is that there's several songs that sound like filler, that Jay clearly put a lot of effort into. I've always been a big Jay Z fan, but coming from someone who's still listening to Reasonable Doubt, The Black Album, and the first Blueprint, MCHG is pretty pathetic. Jigga's gone soft; it's time to retire.

    Low points include awkwardly featuring Justin Timberlake, "Picasso Baby" where Jay pathetically tries to convince listeners he's a badass, and "Jay Z Blue" where he goes from the "I'm rich and cool" message of most of the rest of the album and raps about his kid's Pampers. ~ 7.3/10

    Best track: "Heaven" -- note: This track is what this album should've been about. With the title Magna Carta Holy Grail he could've taken on subjects like the New World Order, the establishment, religion, and his legacy and created something legendary. Instead, as mentioned, he raps about Pampers.

    Other notable tracks: **** "Oceans", "Crown", "Part II (On The Run)", and "Beach Is Better" -- note: Why is "Beach Is Better" not longer?    … Expand
  19. axelkoch
    Jan 27, 2014
    7
    Between all the ups and downs in Jay Z’s career, his latest release, "Magna Carta… Holy Grail", is about in the middle and therefore, it’s only fitting that the rapper himself named it the sixth-best of his twelve solo albums (although I’d actually put it up one position, since I wasn’t the biggest fan of Vol. 2). Stylistically, the now unhyphenated Jay Z doesn’t notably change, but ratherBetween all the ups and downs in Jay Z’s career, his latest release, "Magna Carta… Holy Grail", is about in the middle and therefore, it’s only fitting that the rapper himself named it the sixth-best of his twelve solo albums (although I’d actually put it up one position, since I wasn’t the biggest fan of Vol. 2). Stylistically, the now unhyphenated Jay Z doesn’t notably change, but rather puts all his different musical experiments – that aren’t all too much, admittedly – in a blender, garnishing it with a newly gained father point-of-view, as his first child Blue Ivy was born a year and a half before "MCHG" dropped and it is his first album since then. What that means for the 16 tracks on the album is that there is a fair share of fine rapping and reasonably meaningful lyrics and a smaller portion of outstanding compositions in all levels. This smaller portion consists of the elaborately sophisticated Frank Ocean collaboration "Oceans" and the more old-school while still thought-evoking "Heaven", Jay Z’s first take, if I’m not forgetting anything, on religion. That isn’t to say that the rest of the LP are disposable goods, but that these two songs are some of his all-time best and deserve multiple listens. Though the prevailing mediocrity isn’t exactly a positive attribute for an album, the lacking of a bad song is – something rather rare on a Jay Z album. The result of all of this is an entertaining hour of well-made hip hop and an assurance that Shawn Carter is still not to be counted out of the rap game.… Expand
  20. Hypocritics
    Jan 16, 2014
    2
    Take a handful of decent instrumentals, and basically brag about the buttload of money you have for an album. Welcome to Magna Carta Holy Grail.
    Jay-Z has made up for the materialism of his albums on past projects by cutting the filler out of his raps, collaborating with high quality artists, and throwing in a few personal tracks. Everything I just mentioned, is absent from MGHG. 90%    Take a handful of decent instrumentals, and basically brag about the buttload of money you have for an album. Welcome to Magna Carta Holy Grail.
    Jay-Z has made up for the materialism of his albums on past projects by cutting the filler out of his raps, collaborating with high quality artists, and throwing in a few personal tracks. Everything I just mentioned, is absent from MGHG. 90% of the rap is filler, including "HUH!" after every line to aid his lazy flows. He collaborated with Rick Ross (talentless fraud) on perhaps the most pitiful song he has ever made. "Jay Z Blue", his attempt at being personal, features desparate BIG samples thrown in at complete random. Not to mention he sounds like a whiny rich parent who needs, "at least three weeks in the hamptons" and therefore the baby is a problem (boo hoo)! La Familia could be mistaken for 2 Chainz.

    This album, if it weren't by Jay, would be a career wrecker.    … Expand
  21. JamieVic
    Jan 10, 2014
    4
    Before MCHG had hit the shelves, I viewed a trailer which previewed the production of the album and I was blown away by how the album was going to sound. I was definitely hyped. After I had heard the album, I felt like the trailer ruined the album for me. Much like how Kanye West released the best tracks of Cruel Summer. Holy Grail was the intro song which I was looking forward to the mostBefore MCHG had hit the shelves, I viewed a trailer which previewed the production of the album and I was blown away by how the album was going to sound. I was definitely hyped. After I had heard the album, I felt like the trailer ruined the album for me. Much like how Kanye West released the best tracks of Cruel Summer. Holy Grail was the intro song which I was looking forward to the most but I felt like it was Justin Timberlake's song. I was hoping it'd be an aggression filled banger but it was a story-telling journey with a hard beat. The album did redeem itself with bangers like Tom Ford, BBC and Picasso but overall, the album was filled with corporate theme songs about wealth and making business. The album was a sellout.. and I mean it by selling out to what the non-Jay Z fans wanted.… Expand
  22. Arteezy
    Jan 10, 2014
    6
    Besides the first two tracks, this album is wack...
    Besides the first two tracks, this album is wack...
    Besides the first two tracks, this album is wack...
  23. SuperChompIt
    Nov 20, 2013
    4
    Seeing as Jay Z is one of the supposed legends in rap, then I expect him to come up with something a little better than this. All it seems he has done here is have a mid-life crisis and come up with a rash, half-hearted attempt to remain a rap superstar, and keep his name on the map.

    Well, in my opinion, I think that Jay should concentrate more now on being a father rather than being a    Seeing as Jay Z is one of the supposed legends in rap, then I expect him to come up with something a little better than this. All it seems he has done here is have a mid-life crisis and come up with a rash, half-hearted attempt to remain a rap superstar, and keep his name on the map.

    Well, in my opinion, I think that Jay should concentrate more now on being a father rather than being a rapper, as, unlike Nas' latest release (which was innovative, creative, and above all GOOD), MCHG is full of trap-style, 'modern' club beats, with Jay spitting bars that do nothing but drone on and make him sound like someone who has gained perhaps a little too much fame.

    Some of the tracks are bearable, notable ones being 'Holy Grail' and 'Part 2 (On the Run)'. However, the credit for this should go to the featuring artists (Justin Timberlake and Beyonce) who add a little melody and style to what can only be called a..well..boring album.

    All in all, if Jay Z really does want to stay in the game, then he really needs to go back to his old self and take a leaf out of Nas' book who is still releasing incredible music 19 years after his debut. He needs to make something blueprint-esque, and modernise it, rather than this obvious pull for mainstream success and attention that'll only alienate long term fans that waited painfully for a new release from their favourite rapper, only for him to slap them in the face and practically insult them after years of loyalty.

    I am very disappointed.    … Expand
  24. MrFireApple
    Nov 4, 2013
    9
    JAY Z once again pushes the envelope with this album. He succeeded once again to sell me the dream with this album! I never thought I'd see Justin Timberlake and the king of rap make emsemble collaboration. JAY Z keep it up bro!
  25. Ryanlap
    Nov 3, 2013
    4
    I'm a fan of jay z. I loved watch the throne which he did with fellow friend Kanye west. I was anticipating Magna Carta because of this. The first single holy grail I was impressed me. I loved Justin's performance. And I Also loved the beats. But the problem with the album is that I feel jay z's writing and the beats of this album come across tired and lazy. A lot of Timbaland and mikeI'm a fan of jay z. I loved watch the throne which he did with fellow friend Kanye west. I was anticipating Magna Carta because of this. The first single holy grail I was impressed me. I loved Justin's performance. And I Also loved the beats. But the problem with the album is that I feel jay z's writing and the beats of this album come across tired and lazy. A lot of Timbaland and mike will made it overflow this album as well. The three stand outs are holy grail, beach is better which is a creative song only at 55 seconds, and Picasso Baby. The three worst songs are fu** with me you know I got it a terrible verse with Rick Ross, la familia is lazy and boring, and part 2 on the run beyonces voice is nice but god that song is a snooze fest. Other songs like Tom ford and heaven are only ok. So unfortunately jay Z does not bring us the rap album of the year… Expand
  26. PRTYNTGRVS
    Oct 23, 2013
    6
    The problem with this album is failed expectations. When Yeezus first came out I was spell bounded by how different it was from his work on Watch The Throne with Jay Z. Then as the Yeezus reviews were piling high with praise Jay comes out with overly hyped Samsung commercials that hinted at "new" rules, reflective tracks about family, Rick Rubin, Pharrell, Timbaland and descriptions ofThe problem with this album is failed expectations. When Yeezus first came out I was spell bounded by how different it was from his work on Watch The Throne with Jay Z. Then as the Yeezus reviews were piling high with praise Jay comes out with overly hyped Samsung commercials that hinted at "new" rules, reflective tracks about family, Rick Rubin, Pharrell, Timbaland and descriptions of hip hop and internet as the "Wild West". At some point he says "Hip Hop is about emotion". The thing is that this is what the album lacks. Tracks like "Tom Ford" and "Picasso Baby" both reiterate his wealth and opulence but have really, really great instrumentation and beats. But look Jay Z, we get it you're filthy rich, you've said it millions of times. "F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit" has terrible flow, "F.U.T.W" *sigh* (geez the hook on this), and "La Familia" is, sorry, not really intresting lyrically and musically. Another point that I did not enjoy was the hype over "Jay Z Blue". I'm sorry but a song that was hyped to be a reflective piece about fatherhood, didn't come off towards me as memorable or emotional, fabricated would be a better word for it. The "Mommie Dearest" references were a bit overused and creepy the song overall didn't really mean much, even the Notorious B.I.G samples came off as a nuisance, and the attempt to bring in acoustic guitars to make himself appear vulnerable comes off as an artificial plea for "emotion". At this point, track 14, the running time of the album begins to take its toll as more meaningless raps and catchy beats begin to feel tired, dull and uninteresting. It is evident by this point that Jay Z hasn't grown much musically from Watch The Throne.

    In all brutal honesty, I just was not feeling this LP. The production is a really strong, great instrumentation and great cameos from Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce. However, Jay Z plays the lyrics safe and narrow minded about wealth and his pretentiousness of him being "the sh*t." The only reason this album went platinum the day it was released was because Jay Z sold 1 million copies to Samsung. No comment. Remember in the beginning when I said, there hasn't been a memorable Jay Z album with widespread acclaim like his previous works? Don't expect it to come any sooner or now.

    Follow @PRTYNTGRVS for more music reviews    … Expand
  27. MovieGuys
    Oct 8, 2013
    10
    All the songs in the album aren't well-done, but Holy Grail is definitely the best. I give a 10/10 for that song alone. It has a personal message and is very exhilarating. Normally I don't appreciate that type of music, but there's something about this song that stands out from the rest of the bunch.
  28. Jas019
    Oct 7, 2013
    5
    To me, this album is a huge disappointment. Firstly, Jay Z's flow is simply non-existant. It seems like he's trying to rap as an aspiring young artist like Big Sean or even Tyga. On top of that, his lyrics are not on the level they need to be. This is Jay Z! Not 2 chainz or Trinidad James! His lyrics are juvenile and it seems like he was extremely lazy in writing his verses. The only thingTo me, this album is a huge disappointment. Firstly, Jay Z's flow is simply non-existant. It seems like he's trying to rap as an aspiring young artist like Big Sean or even Tyga. On top of that, his lyrics are not on the level they need to be. This is Jay Z! Not 2 chainz or Trinidad James! His lyrics are juvenile and it seems like he was extremely lazy in writing his verses. The only thing going for MCHG is the production. There are some explosive beats like crown and F***withmeyouknowIgotit. But F***withmeyouknowigotit is a prime example of a situation where the production is far superior to the lyrics and the delivery. As a Jay Z fan I am ashamed and saddened that this album had huge potential and the opportunity was lost.… Expand
  29. crespo1991we
    Sep 25, 2013
    9
    The production definitively is the major attraction of this album, while Jay Z might have dumb down his flow and lyrics on some tracks, but he makes up for those ones on several tracks such as Heaven, Nickles and Dimes and Jay Z Blue.
  30. mone06
    Sep 20, 2013
    4
    This ablum sucks to me. I dont know it doesnt seem like Jay-Z. Some of songs on this album sound like he wants to sound like these young rappers out here that all use the same flow. Made the mistake of buying this album twice CD and Playstore. Wish i can get a refund. Only Four songs on the album are worth the time to listen to.
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Most Discussed Album of 2013
51
#51 Most Shared Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 42
  3. Negative: 2 out of 42
  1. The Source
    Dec 19, 2013
    80
    Despite lackluster showings on the title track, and the anti-climactic first two verses of "Picasso Baby," a track presence that has stood the test of time for almost two decades eventually shines though. The second half of the aforementioned "Picasso Baby" shows off Jay-Z at his peak. [Sep 2013, p.97]
  2. Q Magazine
    Aug 20, 2013
    40
    Magna Carta... Holy Grail isn't a dreadful record but it's a redundant one. [Sep 2013, p.103]
  3. Expert Witness (MSN Music)
    Aug 13, 2013
    83
    Give it up to the one where Beyonce pledges gangsta devotion and, best of all, the one where the "billionaire" (he says) looks back at the betrayals of his own departed head of family with something that feels like dread.
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