Who had a hit with the song "Magna Carta ... Holy Grail"?

Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake had a hit with the song “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail.”

The wording refers to “Holy Grail,” the lead single from Jay-Z’s 2013 album Magna Carta... Holy Grail. The song combines Jay-Z’s rap verses with Justin Timberlake’s sung vocals and explores the pressures, contradictions, and emotional costs of fame. It became one of the album’s most recognizable tracks.

“Holy Grail” was released on July 4, 2013, alongside the album’s unusual Samsung promotional campaign. The song contains elements of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” written by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic. That connection sometimes causes listeners to describe it as a collaboration with Nirvana, but Nirvana does not perform on the track.

The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 56th Grammy Awards. The title is also frequently confused with the album title: Jay-Z and Timberlake had the hit with “Holy Grail,” while Magna Carta... Holy Grail is the album that contains it.