Jay-Z Addresses 'Open Letter' to Critics of Cuba Trip

'You're an idiot, baby, you should become a student,' he raps

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Jay-Z performs in Brooklyn, New York.
Jay-Z performs in Brooklyn, New York. Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Although Jay-Z had been silent amid the furor surrounding his anniversary celebration in Cuba last week with Beyoncé, he was certainly paying attention: The rapper spoke up this morning with "Open Letter," a scathing new song addressing critics of his trip.

Jay-Z scoffs at grandstanding elected officials on the track, which was produced by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. "Politicians never did shit for me / Except lie to me, distort history," he rhymes. "Want to give me jail time and a fine / Fine, let me commit a real crime."

Jay-Z and Beyonce Had Permission for Cuba Trip: Source

Three Cuban-American Republicans in Congress, all from Florida, have questioned whether Jay-Z and Beyoncé had a license to travel to Cuba, which is required under the terms of a U.S. trade embargo against the Communist island nation. The couple are said to have obtained the necessary permit for their trip, which has been described as a "people-to-people" cultural mission.

Though he doesn't mention them by name, Jay-Z was evidently unimpressed with the objections raised by Senator Marco Rubio and Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, name-checking "Idiot Wind" as he describes himself as "the Bob Dylan of rap music." He continues, "You're an idiot, baby, you should become a student."

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