A million different reviews are currently circulating around Jay-Z’s latest album Magna Carta Holy Grail, but how about one conducted by a senior citizen? Ellen Grossman, a New Yorker who Jay-Z encountered on a subway train during his Road To Brooklyn series, was given the opportunity to review Jay-Z’s work. And she dropped a few gems about the project.
Last year, Jay-Z released his series titled Road To Brooklyn, and during one of the episodes the rapper/mogul boards a subway train bound for Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center (this was way back when Hov still owned interest in the Brooklyn Nets). On the train he meets Grossman, who doesn’t recognize Jay-Z by face. She does recall who he is by name (“Oh, you’re Jay-Z!” she says). MTV News tracked her down and had her discuss the project. Being a visual artist, Grossman was able to adequately articulate her views on the project.
“[He’s saying] that the money’s nice, but there’s life beyond that, that he’s exploring,” Grossman says in the video commentary. “I picked that up from the papers but I felt it in the man too, when I met him. That he had a depth to him.”
MTV had her single out some of her favorite songs, and they included “Holy Grail,” “BBC,” and the Beyoncé-featured “Part II (On the Run).” No love for “Tom Ford”? Check out the video below.
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Photo: MTV News
