Between the Lines: A Track by Track Breakdown of Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail"

At 12:00 AM last night, Jay-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail was finally unleashed upon the world. Although immediate reactions are already pouring in through Twitter, Facebook, and other websites, we're holding off just a bit before we can say too much about Jay's latest album. Instead, we took a couple of careful listens of the new material and made a few observations about the lyrical content of the album, counting up all the references to pop culture, art, and rich guy stuff we only hear about from Jay-Z. Plus we threw in some album info and quick reactions to the songs to put together Between the Lines: A Track by Track Breakdown of Jay-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail. We'll be sure to have more Magna Carta material as the days go by, but for now here's a few key facts.

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"Holy Grail" f/ Justin Timberlake

Producer: Timbaland, J-Roc & The-Dream

Samples: Contains Elements: Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Length of song: 5:38

Number of verses: 3

Pop culture references: Blue Ivy, MC Hammer, Mike Tyson, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson

Rich guy talk: N/A

Locations mentioned: Justin Timberlake: The streets...Jay-Z: his lobby, the corner store, his window, a villa

Sounds like: Sound and fury.

"Picasso Baby"

Producer: Timbaland, J-Roc & Adrian Younge

Samples: Adrian Younge "Sirens"

Length of song: 4:05

Number of verses: 3

Pop culture references: Blue Ivy, CNN, Fox

Art references: Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Jeff Koons, George Condo, Christie's, The MoMA, Francis Bacon, Jean Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, The Art Basel, Leonardo Da Vinci, Riccardo Tisci, The MET, The Louvre, The Tate Modern, The Mona Lisa, SAMO, Maison Martin Margiela

Rich guy talk: Hublot, Twin Bugattis, Hublot, Lamborghini

Locations mentioned: His casa, his castle, a dirty hotel, condos in his condos, the MoMA, the Art Basel, the Met, the Louvre, the Tate Modern, his kitchen corner, on the stand,

Sounds like: Thanks to a funky Adriane Younge sampe, the beat feels like an upscale "So Ghetto"—"So Boughetto," if you will.

"Tom Ford"

Producer: Timbaland & J-Roc

Samples: N/A

Length of song: 3:09

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: Tom Ford, Wayne Perry, Tumblr, Twitter

Rich guy talk: Tom Ford (obviously!), Burgundies, Riesling

Locations mentioned: H-Town (Houston), Paris, Bordeaux, District of Columbia

Sounds like: The beat sounds like Ryan Leslie remixing "The Whisper Song." Definitely one of the highlights of the record.

"Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit" f/ Rick Ross

Producer: Boi-1da, Timabland & Vinylz

Samples: N/A

Length of song: 4:03

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: The Money Dance (Ross: "I don't bop, I do the money dance," Jay-Z: "Come money dance with the goodfellas." It's a reference to a Chicago-originated dance popularized by Lil Mouse.), Goodfellas, Robert De Niro, Lucky Luciano

Rich guy talk: Gucci

Locations mentioned: Pimp C: Africa...Rick Ross: Europe, that beach...Jay-Z: Rome, the casino, the Verrazano, Venice

Sounds Like: Like a Boi-1da song with more intricate/swinging drum production. One of the album's easy highlights, the moody production is an apt match for Ross and Jay's tag team.

"Oceans" f/ Frank Ocean

Producer: Pharrell Williams & Timbaland

Samples: N/A

Length of song: 3:58

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: BP Oil Spill, Christopher Wallace (Biggie), Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Ocean's 11, Pablo Escobar, Popeye,"Strange Fruit," Muhammad Ali,

Art references: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Shepard Fairey

Rich guy talk: Lamborghini Countach

Locations mentioned: Frank Ocean: Ivory Coast, the ocean...Jay-Z: The ocean, heaven

Sounds like: An epic, grandiose film soundtrack.

"F.U.T.W."

Producer: Timbaland & J-Roc

Samples: N/A

Length of song: 4:02

Number of verses: 3

Pop culture references: Cassius Clay, Martin Luther King, The Rose Bowl, Brody from Homeland, Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, Spike Lee, Air Jordans

Rich guy talk: Black card, Hermes, Maybach

Locations mentioned: The projects, estates, Flatbush, Red Hook, the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Compton, Oxford, the bleachers, front row at the Knicks game

Sounds Like: "One percent of a billion, more than n***** ever seen/Still they wanna act like it's an everyday thing." Jay spits over a bleeping loop about rising from nothing. He also mentions that he likes Homeland.

"Somewhereinamerica"

Producer: Hit-Boy, WondaGurl & Mike Dean

Samples: Embodies Portions: Johnny Guitar Watson "Gangster Of Love (Part 1)"

Length of song: 2:28

Number of verses: 1

Pop culture references: Frank Sinatra, Bun B, SnapBacks, Been Trill, Instagram, Miley Cyrus, Twerking

Rich guy talk: Maybach, Yellow Lambos, White Lexus, Sonos

Locations mentioned: Your neighbor's house, America

Sounds like: A Chips Ahoy commercial. A thousand chips delicious!

"Crown"

Producer: WondaGurl & Mike Dean

Samples: Emboides Portions: Sizzla "Solid As A Rock"

Length of song: 4:33

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: Scott Boras, Robinson Cano, Kevin Durant, ESPN, CNN, The Pope

Rich guy talk: Yellow Lambos, Lexus

Locations mentioned: The belly of the beast

Sounds like: The Sizzla sample has been used by Ja Rule, 50 Cent, and The Jacka. The song's co-producer, WondaGurl, is only 16 years old.

"Heaven"

Producer: Timbaland, J-Roc & The-Dream

Samples: Adrian Younge "Reverie," Contains elements of R.E.M "Losing My Religion," and Jay uses Chief Keef's "Love Sosa" flow when he rhymes, "God is my chauffeur/Boy they loves Hova/From the south side of Chi, to Brooklyn where I growed up."

Length of song: 4:03

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: The Illuminati, Michael Jordan

Rich guy talk: Diablo Yello (Lamborghini), 'Ghini (Lamborghini Murcielago), Maybach

Locations mentioned: Marrakesh, Morocco, the south side of the Chi, Brooklyn, the pearly gates

Sounds like: It has the feel of '60s psychedelia. See also: Kendrick Lamar's "good kid."

"Versus"

Producer: Timbaland, J-Roc & Swizz Beatz

Samples: Embodies Portions: A Tribe Called Quest "Sucka Nigga"

Length of song: :51

Number of verses: 1

Pop culture references: N/A

Rich guy talk: N/A

Locations mentioned: N/A

Sounds like: The theme song to some '60s crime show.

"Part II (On the Run)" f/ Beyonce

Producer: Timbaland & J-Roc

Samples: Jay uses Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up" flow when he rhymes, "Push your ma'fucka wig back, I did that/I been wilding since a Juve."

Length of song: 5:33

Number of verses: 5

Pop culture references: 2Pac

Rich guy talk: Mercedes

Locations mentioned: Heaven, hell

Sounds like: A really great Beyonce song.

"Beach Is Better"

Producer: Mike Will Made It & Marz

Samples: N/A

Length Of song: :55

Number of verses: 1

Pop culture references: Halle Berry, Beyonce

Rich guy talk: The Darby, 1 Oak

Locations mentioned: The Darby, 1 Oak

Sounds Like: If Mike Will was inspired by Yeezus.

"BBC" f/ Nas, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell & Timbaland

Producer: Pharrell Williams

Samples: N/A

Length of song: 3:12

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: Gianni Versace, Pharrell, EPMD, Ma$e, Rakim & Eric. B, Britney Spears

Number of art references: Jean-Michel Basquiat

Rich guy talk: Hermes, Bally Shoes, Gucci Sneakers, Maybach, Cherry M3, MCM, Versace Plates

Locations mentioned: Nas: Giza, Ibiza, the Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Hermes...Jay-Z: Madison Square Garden

Flows he bites: Ma$e's "Feel So Good" with the lines, "What you know about going out, head west/Maybach, 3 TV's all up in the headrest/Mase niggas at Madison Square Garden."

Sounds like: Picture it: the first day of summer. It's a barbecue and the heat causes each Corona to sweat. The Patron and RedBull have given the proceedings a nervous energy. Timbaland sits at the piano and starts plinking away. Swizz begins banging together trash can lids. Pharrell hits his silverware against empty Michelob bottles. Everyone starts chanting along with the hook. Nas raps a little. Jay-Z raps a little. Inside the house, Rick Rubin is asleep on the couch.

"Jay-Z Blue"

Producer: Timbaland & J-Roc

Samples: The Notorious B.I.G "My Downfall"

Length of song: 3:50

Number of verses: 3

Pop culture references: Stevie Wonder, Blue Ivy

Rich guy talk: Mercedes Truck, Mercedes Benz

Locations mentioned: Hamptons, Paris, Eiffel Tower

Sounds like: A blend of Mommie Dearest, Biggie, and a string section, this is a song where Jay gets personal and meditates on fatherhood.

"La Familia"

Producer: Timbaland & J-Roc

Samples: N/A

Length of song: 3:33

Number of verses: 2

Pop culture references: Elvis, Albert Alpo Martinez, NFL, FBI

Rich guy talk: N/A

Locations mentioned: N/A

Sounds like: A broken VHS player

"Nickels and Dimes"

Producer: Gonjasufi, Kyambo Joshua & Mike Dean

Samples: Gonjasufi "Nikels And Dimes"

Length of song: 5:03

Number of verses: 3

Pop culture references: Johnny Cash, Harry Beafonte, Stanley Kubrick, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Lady Gaga, Beauty and the Beast

Rich guy talk: Hublot

Locations mentioned: My town, your momma's house

Sounds like: Moby