Raine Magazine

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HOVA

Course, some light had to be shed on Jay-Z’s announcement of his 12th album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail”. Its release date is on none other than America’s trademark day, July 4th. He announced his new album drop with a three-minute commercial during the halftime of the NBA finals fifth game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. The three-minute black and white commercial ignited rap enthusiasts everywhere. Jay-Z collaborated with Samsung to promote his album and Samsung has already purchased 1 million copies just for their customers strictly. The album would be available for all Samsung users through an app to listen 72 hours prior to Hova’s official album drop date. With Samsung’s $5 purchase per album, that’s already $5 million in sales already – has Jay-Z already hit platinum before his release?!1371565528_1556_hovAfter the commercial however there was much twitter speculation of how Hova sold out to do this collaboration – these devotees should kindly evaluate whether they know Jay-Z’s history and brains behind his decisions. Samsung and Apple are the two dominant shares in the U.S smart phone industry. This is not the first time, Jay-Z has partnered with a cellphone company to market his music; he has done so back in 2003 with Nokia to promote “The Black Album”. With his Made in America music festival, he partnered with Budweiser to bring about more intoxicated fun for his fans, he even cunningly used his tiny stake in the Brooklyn Nets to raise his public profile. Clearly, his true fans can see the genius behind Jay-Z marketing strategies along with his dope beats.In the commercial, it shows Jay-Z working in the studio with producers such as Rick Rubin, Timberland, Pharrell Williams and Swizz Beatz ending the scene with “We don’t have any rules, everyone’s trying to figure it out—that’s why the Internet is like the Wild West ... We need to write the new rules.”Now, tell me. Who’s excited for July? What do you think of Hova's latest drop? Comment below to let us know what you think!