With all the talk of Beyonce
popping out Blue Ivy and Jay Z becoming a dad, some people may have overlooked
the fact that he also made something else this year. The release of his 12th
studio album, grandiosely named, Magna Carta…Holy Grail has been pinned as one
of the hip-hop events of 2013. So does it live up to the hype?
One aspect of the album that is hard not to notice, right
from the beginning, is Jay Z’s willingness to collaborate with an array of
other megastars from the pop and hip hop music world. In fact, the album begins
with the soulful voice of Justin Timberlake. The eager Jay Z fan has to wait around
1 minute and 30 seconds into the first track to hear Jay Z at all! Other tracks
feature artists such as Rick Ross, Frank Ocean and, of course, Shawn Carter’s
baby-mama herself, Beyoncé.
