Jay-Z Streams ‘Holy Grail’ Featuring Justin Timberlake
In the weeks following the announcement of his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay-Z teased out anticipation for individual tracks by releasing their lyrics through the album’s Samsun Galaxy app. The sheet for “Holy Grail” drew particular notice for its take on Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with the refrain “And we all just/ Entertainers/ And we’re stupid/ And contagious.”
Just after the album was released for free to a million Galaxy users on July 4th but before its release to the general public, Jay-Z‘s Life + Times site began streaming “Holy Grail.” The song features Justin Timberlake singing alone until Jay-Z cuts in about a minute and a half in, and the Nirvana chorus includes a take on the source’s melody as well.
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Courtney Love dished on the use of those lyrics last month in an interview with the Huffington Post. “I’m letting Jay-Z use lyrics – Francis would freak [if she knew this.] Jay-Z’s huge and we’re friends. I mean we’re not besties or anything….” she said, and later added, “They [used it] without asking, which is kind of nervy but the business side has been taken care of so it’s fine.”