Jay-Z continues his dive head first into high-culture performance with a music video for the Nirvana-sampled track "Holy Grail", the first single, featuring Justin Timberlake crooning the silky-smooth hook, from hip hop artist Jay-Z's latest twelfth studio album, "Magna Carta... Holy Grail." The pair just finished their joint stadium tour "Legends of the Summer" earlier this month, so the premiere of the "Holy Grail" visual comes in appropriate time. In a surprising move, Beyoncé's husband decided to unveil the song's music video first via his Facebook page, rather than the money-making platform of VEVO.
The build-up to this release was nothing short of perfection. The smooth and mellifluous "Holy Grail," album's surprisingly moody opener, featuring the sickest lyric laydown the 20/20 Experience man has perhaps ever done. Initially premiered by Funkmaster Flex tonight on Hot 97, the song features a powerful hook from Timberlake which was co-written by The-Dream and a pulsating beat from Timberlake which switches up several times. Midway through the song, Jay-Z and Timberlake interpolate lyrically sampled rock group Nirvana's 1991 hit single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
The build-up to this release was nothing short of perfection. The smooth and mellifluous "Holy Grail," album's surprisingly moody opener, featuring the sickest lyric laydown the 20/20 Experience man has perhaps ever done. Initially premiered by Funkmaster Flex tonight on Hot 97, the song features a powerful hook from Timberlake which was co-written by The-Dream and a pulsating beat from Timberlake which switches up several times. Midway through the song, Jay-Z and Timberlake interpolate lyrically sampled rock group Nirvana's 1991 hit single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Courtney Love has said in an interview that she gave permission to use the lyrics earlier this year. In exchange, Jay-Z allowed Courtney to cover "99 Problems" for her performance at the Sundance Film Festival. The Holy Grail was the cup or chalice rationally used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, which was the subject of much medieval legend and romance. As Jay-Z mulls over the pitfalls of fame and introduces a time capsule - lyrics from Kurt Cobain's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - "We are all just, Entertainers , I feel stupid and contagious," Jay-Z also raps while Timberlake cycles through every tortured artist cliché short of a crucifixion metaphor.
Director Anthony Mandler chops up the song to tell a cautionary tale of what happens when it all falls down. While they may appear to have everything, we see that their life is not as glamorous as it seems. Behind the bright lights and lavish lifestyle hides the dark side of fame. The rapper and the singer mostly stand (or sit) around and rap and sing in the dark interiors of a giant mansion; there are slick camera movements, expressive lighting and shadows, candelabras, and an upside-down car in flames. Modern dancers draped in billowing sheets up the artsiness quotient, as does the enormous room that is empty save for a single painting on the wall.
Director Anthony Mandler chops up the song to tell a cautionary tale of what happens when it all falls down. While they may appear to have everything, we see that their life is not as glamorous as it seems. Behind the bright lights and lavish lifestyle hides the dark side of fame. The rapper and the singer mostly stand (or sit) around and rap and sing in the dark interiors of a giant mansion; there are slick camera movements, expressive lighting and shadows, candelabras, and an upside-down car in flames. Modern dancers draped in billowing sheets up the artsiness quotient, as does the enormous room that is empty save for a single painting on the wall.
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