Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail album is going to change the course of history. Well, that’s how the singer and Samsung have been promoting the new album . The duo even came up with the genius idea to display the album’s cover art side by side with a copy of the real Magna Carta .
The Salisbury Cathedral in England houses one of four remaining copies of the Magna Carta. It is a place that people from around the world visit to view an 800 year old document that altered the course of history. The cathedral also houses a copy of the Magna Carta Holy Grail cover art, a self-important album cover of no significance.
Could you imagine walking into the Salisbury Cathedral to gaze upon the Magna Carta, the real document, only to have an album ad shoved in your face. What statement is Jay trying to make here? Do you press a button and hear Kanye say: “Imma let you finish you tour, but I got to say. Jay-Z made the best Magna Carta of all-time.”
And Jay-Z did make a pretty good Magna Carta. I mean, Justin Timberlake’s on it. Rick Ross is on it too. He even steals lyrics from Nirvana and REM to add to the album’s importance. Did the feudal barons of King John do that? I don’t think so. They were too busy building the foundation of the U.S. Constitution.
Surprisingly, the Dean of Salisbury June Osborne had no problem with putting Jay-Z’s album on display in the cathedral.
Osborne said : “We are delighted that Jay-Z has chosen Salisbury Cathedral, home to the finest of the four surviving Magna Carta, as the location for the global premiere of his artwork. We know how important the Magna Carta, and all it represents, to people across the globe. The ideals it embodies are still relevant today. Jay-Z, through his album, is creating a huge awareness of this historic document and its modern significance to a huge audience in the run up to its 800th anniversary in 2015. We hope to welcome many of his fans here this summer to see the artwork in the Chapter House alongside our Magna Carta.”
Here’s a photo from Life + Times of the Magna Carta Holy Grail artwork on display.
Oh, I see. Jay-Z is using his album to promote awareness to the Magna Carta and tourism to the Salisbury Cathedral. And I here I though that this was just some big marketing ploy to get people to buy phones.
What do you think about Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail being displayed next to the real Magna Carta? You can check out the unveiling of the artwork here or listen to Jay-Z’s new song here . Oh, and don’t forget to buy your phone and download his album when it gets released next week.