S. Samuel
Mega producer Swizz Beatz has stepped forward to add some details behind Jay-Z's new "Open Letter" anthem and how the unexpected track came together.
Swizzy confirmed rumors and buzz about the entire smash coming together within a 24-hour time span this week.
“Shout-out to Timbaland. I started the beat in Jay’s office,” Swizz revealed in an interview. “And then we moved to the 40/40 [nightclub] because I had the portable drum machine and everything. Then Tim came in and was like, ‘That thing is crazy.’ You know what I’m saying? We were all just vibing and then the next thing I know, Jay calling me in the morning with verses and I’m like, ‘You serious about this?’ Then when we get to the studio, we just start vibing like back in the days. It was just one of those moments that anybody [who] got to see it was very privileged.” (Hot 97)
Photos from the studio session surfaced online Wednesday (April 10) night.
What happens when Jay-Z hits the studio with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland? The three work on new music of course. Swizz Beatz took to his Instagram account to tease a collaboration between Jay-Z, himself and Timbaland. When can we expect to hear the new tunes? As soon as possible according to Swizzy, but the sooner the better. Hov and two legendary producers collaborating? That’s that sh*t I do like. (Rap Dose)
The track has even forced White House officials to address Jay’s lyrics.
Rapper Jay-Z’s latest track is getting poor reviews from the White House. In the song, entitled “Open Letter,” Jay-Z brags that he “got White House clearance” for his recent controversial trip to Cuba with wife Beyonce. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney today denied the White House had any involvement with their trip, saying the Treasury Department handles all clearances for travel to Cuba. “I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury,” Carney joked. In the song, Jay-Z also recounts a conversation he had with President Obama about his trip. “Obama said, ‘Chill, you, gonna get me impeached… We don’t need this s-t anyway, chill with me on the beach,” he raps in the nearly three-minute song. (ABC News)
On the record, Jay makes references to his recent trip to Cuba, the Brooklyn Nets and more.
“I done turned Havana to Atlanta,” Hov raps. “Every time you think they got me I switch the plan up/Bulletproof this, radio scanners/Ballin’ ’til they ban us/You gettin’ too much bread, they tryna’ jam you/Boy from the hood but got White House clearance/Sorry y’all, I don’t agree with y’all appearance/Politicians never did sh*t for me/Except lie to me, distort history/Wanna give me jail time and a fine/Fine, let me commit a real crime/I might buy a kilo for Chief Keef/Out of spite, I just might flood these streets/Hear the freedom in my speech/Got an onion from Universal, read it and weep/Could’ve bought the Nets to Brooklyn for free/Except I made millions off it, you f*ckin’ dweeb/I still own the building, I’m still keeping my seat/Y’all buy that bullsh*t, you’d better keep your receipt/Obama said chill, you gonna get me impeached/But you don’t need this sh*t anyway/Chill with me on the beach” (“Open Letter”)
Check out Swizz Beatz’s interview:
