timbaland-jay-z-swizz

Ya’ll gon’ learn today. Fresh from his trip to Cuba, Jay-Z surprises with a new song, which he premiered on Hot 97 this morning. The hip-hop icon teams with super-producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland on “Open Letter.”

Hov doesn’t hold back, addressing recent hot topics including his controversial trip to Cuba with Beyoncé

(“I done turned Havana to Atlanta”), his ownership stake in the Brooklyn Nets (“I still own the building, I’m still keeping my seats”), his new deal with Universal Music (“Got an onion from Universal, read it and weep”), and more.

“We almost wanna start a revolution/ You know whenever I’m threatened, I start shootin’,” raps Mr. Carter. “The world’s under new management, the new role model, fuck the Zoolander shit.”

Swizz explained how the collaboration came together.

“[Beyoncé] came in the studio and Just Blaze came in the studio and this thing just extended to another level,” he told Hot 97. “The whole thing started with me making a track in Jay’s office, and it just led to ‘Open Letter’ and people learning about things today.”

Hear Jay take ‘em to school with his “Open Letter.”