After listening to Magna Carta Holy Grail a number of times I think I have finally grasped my thoughts on this.
Jay-z is at that place every great player reaches, in the twilight of their career, at their best they can look as good as they have always looked but they can no longer do it consistently. If you examine their performance closely you see the smoke and mirrors. Michael Jordan had no business winning the MVP, in 97-98 he had some truly terrible games in that season, like 39 shots 26 points bad, but he every once in a while he could look like the old Jordan and would make you forget about the terrible contested fade away.
HOV on MCHG, is throwing away verses, left and right, just displaying a shocking level of mediocrity in some songs, his great albums and songs are so taught so lean, verse every line is so tightly compacted, endlessly re-readable, just a wealth of double meanings, metaphors and simile, lyrical wizardry that IMO nobody is better at.
and on actually good on interesting production you see that rumble back to life, like on Crown, Beach is Better, Oceans, but for the most part we get mostly safe BORING Timbo production who as well is in the twilight of his career, pumping out ********, that pales in comparison to prime Timbo.
Overall, it's a mediocre uninteresting boring album by a great rapper.
6/10
Also nobody is on a wack collaboration streak like Jay-z and Beyonce. On the Run. :x :x Hollywood. :x Lift Off
. The main point that I keep seeing repeated on here by some is that MCHG lacks substance. While this album isn't completely or 100% filled with deep or insightful tracks, I love the 5 track set up of Oceans, F.U.T.W., somewhereinamerica, Crown, and Heaven. I can't see how anyone can actively listen to those tracks and say he didn't drop any substance on this.
