Jay-Z Drops Obama's Name After Cuba Flap, White House Says Not So Fast
Jay-Z and Beyoncé spent their fifth wedding anniversary celebrating in Cuba, apparently unaware that United States citizens cannot legally travel to Cuba without very specific permission from the government. Since returning, the Carters have caught some flack for their romp down in Castro's backyard, which inspired Hova's latest song, "Open Letter."
The track finds Jay feeling pretty pissed about the whole situation ("Politicians never did sh*t for me"), so much so that he threatens to start supplying the hood with cocaine again like he did in his drug dealing days ("I might buy a kilo for Chief Keef / Out of spite, I just might flood the streets"). Nearly a million people have streamed the song in the roughly 24 hours it has been out, but it's a lyric about President Obama that is starting to stir up controversy.
Jay raps, "I turned Havana into Atlanta... Boy from the hood but got White House clearance... Obama said, 'Chill you gonna get me impeached/ You don’t need this sh*t anyway, chill with me on the beach'." Now, we all know that Jay and Bey are tight with Barry and Michelle, so much so that journalists began inquiring as to whether or not Obama did, in fact, write Jay a special note of permission for the Cuba trip.
Billboard reports that White House Press Secretary Jay Carney addressed the matter during a press conference yesterday. "I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury," he quipped, "because Treasury offers and gives licenses for travel, as you know, and the White House has nothing to do with it."
Apparently concerned that his jokey response might come off as sounding like he was dodging the question, he continued "I am absolutely saying that the White house from the President on down had nothing to do with anybody's travel to Cuba that is something that Treasury handles."
What will this incident do to friendship between the First Family and the Carter-Knowles clan? STAY TUNED.
[Photo: Getty Images]