Open Letter
Jay-Z Swizz Beatz Lyrics

Ladies and gentlemen
Greetings to all present here.

Goddamnit
An expression to show frustration or emphasis.

Let this shit knock
Let the music play loud and clear.

I done turned Havana to Atlanta
I have transformed from being in Cuba to feeling like I'm in Atlanta.

Guayabera shirts and bandanas
Wearing Cuban and stylish clothing.

Every time you think they got me I switch the planna
I always have a plan and change it before anyone expects it.

Bulletproof this, radio scanners
I made sure I have protection and use scanning devices to keep myself and my people safe.

Ballin' 'til they ban us
We will keep having fun and spending money until they stop us.

You gettin' too much bread, they tryna' jam you
When you become successful and have too much money, they try to find ways to take it away.

Boy from the hood but got White House clearance
I come from a poor background, but I have been granted access and opportunities to the highest level of government.

Sorry y'all, I don't agree with y'all appearance
I don't like how some people present themselves or their ideas.

Politicians never did shit for me
Politicians have never helped me or supported me.

Except lie to me, distort history
All they do is try to manipulate and change the truth for their own benefit.

Wanna give me jail time and a fine
They want to punish me and take my money for no real reason.

Fine, let me commit a real crime
If you want to punish me, then I might as well do something worth punishing.

I might buy a kilo for Chief Keef
I might buy drugs and give them to Chief Keef out of defiance.

Out of spite, I just might flood these streets
I will do things to cause chaos and destruction out of anger or revenge.

Hear the freedom in my speech
Listen to the way I speak, and you will hear the freedom of expression and thought.

Got an onion from Universal, read it and weep
I received a letter from a music label, and it made me very emotional.

Would've brought the Nets to Brooklyn for free
I wanted to help bring a basketball team to Brooklyn without asking for anything in return.

Except I made millions off it, you fuckin' dweeb
I ended up making a lot of money from the deal, but some people are still insulting me for it.

I still own the building, I'm still keeping my seat
I have control over the building and my position, and I'm not giving up either one.

Y'all buy that bullshit, you'd better keep your receipt
Don't believe all the lies and propaganda, or you will regret it.

Obama said chill, you gonna get me impeached
Even Obama warned me to calm down, or he might get into trouble as well.

But you don't need this shit anyway
But why bother with all these political issues and problems?

Chill with me on the beach
Come join me and relax on the beach instead.

Y'all gon' learn today
You are all going to get educated and realize the truth soon enough.

Y'all almost want to start a revolution
Some of you are so passionate and angry that you are ready to start a major movement for change.

You know whenever I'm threatened, I start shooting, bark
You should know by now that I am not afraid to defend myself with force if necessary.

Catch a body, head to Houston
If I have to kill someone, I will flee to another state like Houston.

I'm in Cuba, I love Cubans
I am currently in Cuba and enjoy the company of the locals there.

This communist talk is so confusing
I am not sure what to think about all these discussions of communism and socialism.

When it's from China, the very mic that I'm using
Even this microphone I am using was made in China, a country often associated with communism.

Idiot wind, the Bob Dylan of rap music
People often compare me and my music to the famous musician Bob Dylan.

You're an idiot baby, you should become a student
You are ignorant and foolish, you should instead focus on learning and gaining knowledge.

Oh, you gonna learn today
You are going to realize the error of your ways and become educated soon enough.

Where the fuck have you been
Where have you been all this time, living under a rock?

The world's under new management
The world is changing and being run by different people now.

The new role model, fuck this Zoolander shit
I am the new and better example to follow, forget about superficial things like the movie Zoolander.