Remy: Jay-Z's Cuba State of Mind
President Barack Obama's recent announcement that he intends to normalize relations with Cuba after more than half a century means Americans may soon be able to travel directly to the Carribean island without defying their government or flying to Canada first.
In 2013, rapper Jay-Z vacationed in Cuba with his superstar wife, Beyonce, and defended his trip to the communist dictatorship notorious for persecuting artists and musicians with the song, "Open Letter."
Reason TV's Remy responded with a song of his own.
"Remy: Jay-Z's Cuba State of Mind" Written and performed by Remy. Produced by Meredith Bragg. About 2 minutes.
Original release date was April 12, 2013 and the original writeup is below.
"Boy from the hood, I got White House clearance," says rap impresario Jay-Z in his newest song, "Open Letter," in which he defends his recent vacation to Cuba.
The trip, which he made with his wife Beyonce, is the most controversial celebrity junket at least since former basketball star Dennis Rodman shuffled off to Pyongyang to shoot hoops with Kim Jong Un. Jay-Z says that the Obama administration helped arrange the trip, an assertion that White House spokesman Jay Carney has denied. (For more on Jay-Z's response to the controversy, go here.)
Whatevs. In his latest video for Reason TV, Remy wonders why Jay-Z was chilling in a country that has imprisoned rappers such as Angel Remon Arzuaga and members of the punk band Porno para Ricardo.
Listen now to "Remy: Jay-Z's Cuba State of Mind."
Written and performed by Remy. Produced by Meredith Bragg.
About 2 minutes. Scroll below for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube page to get automatic notifications when new materials go live.
Follow Remy on Twitter at @goremy and on You Tube here.
For all of Remy and Reason's collaborations, go here.
Lyrics:
Yeah I got the hot kicks
and we got the cold beans
got the new '58
Packard with the 14's
Yeah we got the bread lines
clocking til we got some
every building crumbling
Communism's awesome
Place is so amazing
people taking rafts dude
no one even tried that to
escape that poop cruise
And we got the torture
maybe ought to muster
thugs so bad you'd think
you're playing ball at Rutgers
Yeah we got the banned books
nothing rhymes with Treasury
jail for magazines
even if you're David Gregory
Got me on surveillance
on Big Brother's island
Che Guevara's racist
someone tell his stylist
In Cuba
violent leaders who you're afraid of
there's nothing you can do
Now you're in Cuba
a worldwide leader in executions
and child prostitution
let's hear it for Cuba
