C to the izzu! B to the izzay! That’s right Hova himself (Jay-Z ) and his lovely wife Beyoncé Knowles-Carter visited Havana, Cuba last week for what we can only assume was a luxurious vacation. In the face of scrutiny from Florida’s Congressional representatives, Jay-Z released a rap song about his vacation, in which he alludes to collusion with the Obama administration and calls out the angry lawmakers.
Because our elected government officials have nothing better to do during this time of economic crisis than to keep tabs on celebrity vacations, the popular pop power-couple has come under fire for visiting the communist nation due to the strict travel sanctions against Cuba. Despite the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Z’s trip to Cuba was sanctioned by the US government, law-makers in Florida still raised uproar over the trip.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio released a statement on Monday which said, “U.S. law clearly bans tourism to Cuba by American citizens because it provides money to a cruel, repressive and murderous regime. The Obama Administration should explain exactly how trips like these comply with U.S. law and regulations governing travel to Cuba.”
Rather than wait for the White House to respond, Jay-Z put out his own statement in the form of rhyming verses over drumbeats and music samples, colloquially known as a rap song. The lyrics to the song include vague barbs at the officials who criticized his trip.
Politicians never did s**t for me
Except lie to me, distort history
Wanna give me jail time and a fine
Fine, let me commit a real crime.
The song also suggests that Jay-Z was in cahoots with President Barack Obama in getting approval for the trip.
Obama said “chill, you gonna get me impeached”
But you don’t need this s**t anyway
Chill with me on the beach.
Shockingly, the White House issued a statement in response to the new song. White House Press Secretary said, “I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury. The White House, from the president on down, had nothing to do with anybody’s … travel to Cuba. That is something that [the] Treasury handles.”
The Treasury explained that they approved the rappers travel plans as part of a cultural exchange with the neighboring nation, and that Jay-Z neither represented US interests nor met with any government officials while there.
The song also contains lyrics about Jay-Z’s minority share in the New York Nets, saying that he plans to unload his shares in the team because he kept his receipt and still gets to keep his seats in the stadium. The White House has not yet responded to the rapper’s admission of his own bad investment.
Image Credit: AP