Holy Grail is American hip hop artist Jay-Z’s song from his twelfth studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail. It features vocals from singer Justin Timberlake and serves as the album's first single.
Jay-Z is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. In 2012, Forbes estimated Carter's net worth at nearly $500 million. He has sold approximately 75 million records worldwide from all of his albums, while receiving 17 Grammy Awards for his musical work, and numerous additional nominations.
And Justin Timberlake is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, andbusinessman. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The New Mickey Mouse Clubas a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as the lead vocalist and youngest member of the boy band 'N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.
Well, for Holy Grail , it was produced by The-Dream, Timbaland and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional production from No ID and contains elements of Nirvana's 1991 hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Following the release of the album, the song charted in many regions, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song received mixed reviews from music critics.
On August 2, 2013 Jay-Z revealed to Power 106 that he and fellow tourmate Justin Timberlake had begun shooting the music video for "Holy Grail". The music video was directed by Anthony Mandler and was released on August 29, 2013 on Facebook, making social media history as the first time a clip from major artists debuted strictly on the site. The music video became the first clip by a major music star to premiere on Facebook — and with a 24-hour exclusivity window to boot. The premiere utilizes Facebook's proprietary video player, which will have the exclusive on the clip before YouTube and any other video provider until noon EDT on Friday Aug. 30.
"What we’re doing with Jay Z today is really exciting and we think emblematic of the evolution fo music and how musicians can connect with their fans," says Nick Grudin, head of content partnerships for Facebook. "And we think that is particularly evident in Jay Z’s approach here, which will really allow him to go direct to a massive and instant global audience. It's something that only Facebook I think can really deliver in this way, given the scale of the audiences musicians have and the global nature of those audiences and the social dynamics of what happens when they engage on Facebook."
With over 17 million Facebook fans for Jay Z and 25 million for Justin Timberlake, the combined reach for "Holy Grail" is significant -- especially when compared to Twitter, where Jay Z's @S_C_ account has only 2.9 million followers and @jtimberlake has 24.9 million, slightly below his Facebook following. Plus, the portfolio of artists in Jay Z's Roc Nation family and beyond (Shakira, Rihanna, wife Beyonce) are among the platform's most-followed personalities.
Justin Timberlake and Jay Z take a deep, dark look at celebrity in their music video for Holy Grail!
As the opening track of Jay's Magna Carter… Holy Grail, you know it delivers (complete with a wink to Nirvana)!
The video even chops the original arrangement up and turns it into a brand new masterpiece. Definitely worth the second it takes you to press play, LOLz!
This particular music video is extra special because it's the first clip by a major music star to premiere on Facebook (with a 24-hour window until other video sites like YouTube or Vevo can access it)!! Makin' history!
Also In most of Jay-Z’s music it sounds fun—the “Big Pimpin’” music would lose much of its effect if it took place at, say, a Wal-Mart—but on his latest, “Holy Grail,” Jay makes a late grab at the Hollywood sadcore that’s previously been the domain of Drake. While he’s still celebrating the good life, Jay seems ambivalent whether being a celebrity is good for him as a person. Let’s run down the pros and cons of being the world’s most famous rapper, as outlined by “Holy Grail.”
The song had a hot-shot debut on many charts upon the release of the album, despite not being released as an official single. It debuted at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, being at the time the second highest debut on that chart of the year. It has since peaked at number four and has remained in the top 10 for 16 weeks. It has sold over 2 million copies in the US as of October 2013.
After entering at number twenty four, "Holy Grail" peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
Jay-Z had a four-day argument with Kanye West over this and another Magna Carta… Holy Grail track whilst recording their joint album Watch The Throne. "We had this whole plan when me and Kanye did [the] Watch The Throne album that we would go right into our solos after that," Jay explained in an interview with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe. "Soon as I thought we had wrapped up Watch The Throne, I made two records - I had 'Holy Grail' and 'Oceans.'"
"[There were] no lyrics on 'Holy Grail' and I recorded 'Oceans' and I played those records for Kanye," he continued. And he was like, 'No those have to go on Watch The Throne', so we spent four days arguing about those records and I was explaining to him why it wasn't right for this project and I had a whole idea for making this album called Magna Carta... the Holy Grail [part of] the name came after."
The Anthony Mandler directed clip was the first major music visual to be debuted on Facebook's video platform. The promo shows both Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake exploring the limitations that the excesses of fame imposes and the song itself was rearranged to accommodate the artistic needs of the clip. It includes a TV showing footage of boxing great Mike Tyson being knocked out by underdog Buster Douglas in a 1990 fight, which is referenced in Jay's lyrics. "We talked a lot about that. How do you become trapped by that which you worked so hard to build? Just when you think you have everything, the universe can take it all back in just one second," Mandler explained to MTV News. "There was definitely a connection between his own life, and (famous investor, aviator, and engineer who became a recluse) Howard Hughes and Mike Tyson. Tyson was a hero to many, he was almost invincible, and then, he gets knocked down by a guy like Buster Douglas. Jay definitely felt the connection there."
Holy Grail is composed in a D minor key, and plays in common time at a tempo of 72 beats per minute. The vocals ranges from a G3 to C6. Jay-Z lyrically sampled rock group Nirvana's single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", after receiving permission from Courtney Love who owns the rights to the original song. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Jay-Z stated that "Holy Grail" was "the map for the album" and that it set the tone for the rest of MCHG. When the song was first recorded for Watch the Throne Jay-Z thought it would get lost on the album and decided to keep it as the "center piece" for his next album. The song's lyrics can be interpreted as Jay-Z's and Timberlake's love-hate relationship with fame.
Holy Grail Lyrics
[Verse 1: Justin Timberlake]
You take the clothes off my back
And I let you
You steal the food right out of my mouth
And I watch you eat it
I still don't know why
Why I love you so much
Ohhh
You curse my name
In spite to put me to shame
Have my laundry in the streets
Dirty or clean
Give it up for fame
But I still don't know why
Why our love is so much
Yeah
[Hook]
And Baby
It's amazing I'm in this Maze with you
I just cant crack your code
One day you screaming you love me loud
The next day you're so cold
One day you here, one day you there, one day you care
You're so unfair
Sipping from the cups
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail
[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Blue told me remind you niggas
Fuck that shit y'all talk about
I'm the nigga, uh caught up in all these lights and cameras, uh
But look what that shit did to Hammer, uh
God damnit it I like it
The bright lights is enticing
But look what it did to Tyson
All that money in one night
30 mill for one fight
But soon as all the money blows, all the pigeons take flight
Fuck the fame, keep cheating on me
What I do, I took her back, fool me twice
That's my bad, I cant even blame her for that
Enough to make me wanna murder, Momma please just get my bail
I know nobody to blame
Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself
[Bridge: Justin Timberlake]
And we all just entertainers
And were stupid, and contagious
And we all just entertainers
[Hook: Justin Timberlake]
And Baby
Its amazing Im in this maze with you
I just cant crack your code
One day you screaming you love me loud
The next day you're so cold
One day you here, one day you there, one day you care
You're so unfair sipping from the cup
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail
[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Now I got tattoos on my body
Psycho bitches in my lobby
I got haters in the paper
Photo shoots with paparazzi
Can't even take my daughter for a walk
See them by the corner store
I feel like I'm cornered off
Enough is enough
I'm calling this off
Who the fuck I'm kidding though?
Im getting high
Sitting low
Sliding by
In that big body
Curtains all in my window
This fame hurts
But this chain works
I think back
You asked the same person
If this is all you had to deal with
Nigga deal with
It, this shit aint work
This light work
Camera snapping, my eyes hurt
Niggas dying back where I was birthed
Fuck your iris and IRS
Get the hell up off of your high horse
You got the shit that niggas die for
Dry yours
Why you mad
Take the good with the bad
Dont throw that baby out with the bath water
Youre still alive
Still that nigga
Niggas you survived
You still getting bigger nigga
Living the life
Vanilla wafers
In a villa
Illest nigga alive
Michael Jackson thriller
[Hook: Justin Timberlake]
And Baby
Its amazing I'm in this maze with you
I just cant crack your code
One day you screaming you love me loud
The next day youre so cold
One day you here, one day you there, one day you care
You're so unfair sipping from the cups
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail
[Verse 4: Justin Timberlake]
You get the air right out my lungs
Whenever you need it,
And you'd take the blade right out my heart
Just so you can watch me bleed
And I still don't know why...
(Don't know why)
Why I love it so much...
Yeah...
And you play this game
In spite to drive me insane
I got it tattooed on my sleeve forever in ink
With guess who's name
But I still don't know why
(Don't know why)
Why our love is so much
Yeah...
[Hook: Justin Timberlake]
And Baby
It's amazing Im in this maze with you
I just cant crack your code
One day you screaming you love me loud
The next day youre so cold
One day you here, one day you there, one day you care
Youre so unfair
Sipping from the cup
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail
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