Timbaland, Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz

Flashback to 2003, peak through the window of a sunny house in Trinidad and you would find one of the biggest Jay-Z fans on the planet, me. However, times have changed and so has the Rap icon’s music, not for the better but for the worst. As proof of this, listen to his new song, “Open Letter”.

Proving that his relevance to the Hip-Hop game is now fuelled by propaganda and special interest media pieces instead of the quality of his music, Jay-Z raps about the scandal created by his recent trip to Cuba and many his business ventures in “Open Letter”. Yet, what could have been a fiery answer to his critics boils down to a clumsily written song boasting more hot air in the pack than actual potato chips. This certainly isn’t Kanye West’s “Theraflu”.

Some rappers should just stay retired. Listen to Jay-Z’s “Open Letter” below as I remember the good old days by replaying The Black Album: