Jay-Z Commissions Ari Marcopoulos for 'Magna Carta...Holy Grail' Imagery

Jay-Z‘s forthcoming drop Magna Carta…Holy Grail is set to hit stores July 4 — with the first million Samsung Galaxy users already enjoying the 13-track LP courtesy of Samsung’s priority campaign. Promotion leading up to the album release saw the unveiling of a three-minute Samsung advertisement during the NBA finals followed by a few short viral commercials. Amid the hard-to-miss promotion tactics were a slew of striking black and white images of Jay-Z plastered in Times Square, New York. Courtesy of Ari Marcopoulos, these monochromatic photos offer a preview into the rapper’s collaboration with the Dutch photographer. In addition to offering direction on the album cover, Marcopoulos captured a series of still life photos during Jay-Z’s recording sessions, giving directional input on the visuals reflecting the feel of the album over the course of three to four days. While the images are yet to be released, here is a preview of the collaboration.