Open Letter Lyrics

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  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

On this album-teasing track Jay Z took the gloves off and addressed multiple issues making headlines at the time; such as his controversial wedding anniversary trip with Beyoncé to Cuba, the standing of his ownership stakes in the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center arena, his new deal with Universal Music Group, and more.

“Open Letter” was premiered on April 11, 2013 on HOT 97’s “Ebro in the Morning” radio show, after being recorded the previous night. Host Ebro Darden had been at the recording session and provided ad-libs for the track. Trey Songz was also present, and provided operatic backing vocals.

The track is available to stream exclusively on TIDAL, and was included as a bonus track on the Third Man Records-produced vinyl edition of Magna Carta… Holy Grail.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did JAY-Z say about "Open Letter"?
Genius Answer

That goes on the vinyl. Jack White he makes these uh, aside from being a brilliant musician, he makes, he has this vinyl store. So he makes this special edition, so we gonna put that on the vinyl, and it’s in a letter, and you can play the letter, it’s amazing. You open the letter and you can actually play the card, like a vinyl.

Source

Translations
Genius Answer
What was the controversy surrounding this song?
Genius Answer

These lyrics address Jay’s controversial trip to Cuba in 2013, which at the time was believed to be illegal under U.S. law. They were cleared of any wrongdoing, but not until December 2014.

His lines at the end of the first verse also attracted controversy, with a press conference hastily conjured so that the President could deny he was in communication with Jay about this track, or his trip to Cuba.

What has Swizz Beatz said about the track?
Where can I listen to this track?
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