Jay-Z visits real Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral

Rapper takes a tourist trip to historical document which inspired 'Magna Carta Holy Grail'

Jay-Z took a trip to Salisbury Cathedral to see the real Magna Carta earlier this week.

The Sun says that the rapper visited the tourist hotspot last Sunday (July 14) before his headline set at this year’s Wireless festival, so he could get a first-hand look at the historical document which inspired the title of his new album ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’.

Earlier this month (July 3), Jay-Z had revealed the artwork for his LP alongside the cathedral’s copy of the 1215 Magna Carter, which is one of the four remaining copies of the famous citizen’s charter. According to reports, he spent an hour with the Dean of Salisbury, The Very Reverend June Osbourne, over the weekend, with a source revealing: “Jay-Z kept the visit quiet because he didn’t want it to become a big publicity stunt. He travelled down from London in a small group in his classic Aston Martin.

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“Jay was genuinely touched to see his album near to the real-life Magna Carta in the chapter house. He took the occasion seriously and felt honoured to be there. He chatted to the Dean and posed for a few pictures with fans when they asked.”

Meanwhile, Osborne said: “It was great to welcome Jay-Z to Salisbury Cathedral. He was clearly moved by seeing the original Magna Carta. He was a delightful guest and we discussed the work we seek to do here to further the cause of social justice. I think it may have surprised some of our visitors.”

Jay-Z released ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ last week, and it was revealed yesterday (July 17) that the LP has already broken US streaming records on Spotify after clocking up 14 million plays. The album also had the biggest single day for streaming an album in US Spotify history, and went straight to Number One in the Official UK Album Charts last week.

Read interviews with Jay-Z’s collaborators on the record in the current issue of NME, on newsstands now or available digitally.

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