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About

Genius Annotation

This song is about racism still being alive in America, but “Somewhereinamerica” there are people of all races embracing African American culture. As Hov has said before, it is harder to teach racism when your child is connected to the culture.

Q&A

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

What did JAY-Z say about "Somewhereinamerica"?
Genius Answer

Hov talked about the track’s concept in a 2013 interview with Elliott Wilson:

[Wilson]
It’s funny cause they say how personal Magna Carta… Holy Grail is, but you could call it political in a lot of senses. Like, that song “Somewhereinamerica,” you could take the catchphrase of Miley Cyrus twerking and that’s catchy, but it’s humor and wit, with a deeper message behind it…

[Jay Z]
Yes, and that’s the thing, like reviews… Think about trying to get that line. You hear that Miley Cyrus, you’re going to come to the wrong conclusion that you really understand the story. People are like, ‘Why’s he saying Miley Cyrus in the song?’ Don’t you understand? It’s hard to understand the intention behind it. Again, it uses wit and it’s catchy, but the real story is about racism. The whole song is, somewhere in America, you can’t teach racism when your child is connected to the culture. It’s very hard to.

Translations
Genius Answer
Who produced this track?
Genius Answer

The track was produced by Hit-Boy, with assistance from Mike Dean and DJ Camper. In a July 2013 interview with Revolt Hit-Boy dissected the making of the beat:

Why does JAY Z reference Miley Cyrus?
How did Miley feel about being called out by the God MC?
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