Jay-Z - Open Letter

“Cocky teenager talking his way out of trouble” is a look that’s wearing a little thin on Jay-Z these days – particularly since he’s a grown-up whose biggest qualm is that he took a highly publicised and possibly illegal vacation in Cuba with his adoring wife, and now some politicians are calling him out on it. With that in mind, his gripes on the new, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz-produced track Open Letter come across as a bit silly, though petty comebacks like “they wanna give me jail time and a fine? / fine, then let me commit a real crime” and “Obama said ‘chill, you gon’ get me impeached’ / ‘you don’t need this shit anyway, chill with me on the beach’” definitely raise a smile, and Swizz’s “y’all gon’ learn today” hook is a catchy one.