Jay-Z takes aim at all those who have questioned his spirituality on the new Rick Ross song "Free Mason". At the top of the year, while on New York radio, Jay dismissed rumors that he was a member of the illuminati, worshiped the devil and had Satanic images in the video for "On to the Next One".
"I got a lot of money," Hov told Power 105.1 radio host Ed Lover on January 13. "When people get a lot of money, they start getting those rumors, like Tom Cruise, Willie Smith. That's ridiculous."
On "Free Mason," which is a play off the rumors that Jay is a Freemason, Hov shoots back.
"N---as couldn't do nothing with me, they put the devil on me," Jay raps. "I would have preferred n---as squeeze the metal on me/ Rumors of Lucifer, I don't know who to trust/ The whole world wants my demise, turn the music up.
"If y'all n---as fear me, just say y'all fear me," he adds. "F--- all these fairy tales/ Go to hell, this is God engineering/ ... I said I was amazing/ Not that I'm a Mason .../ I'm on my third six, but a devil I'm not. ..."
John Legend, who appeared on Ross' last LP, Deeper Than Rap, via "Magnificent," is also on the track. He harmonizes on the song and sings toward the end.
"Never let it be said I didn't win," he sings. "Never say Legend didn't go in/ I just want to die on the top of the world/ Making love to my favorite girl."
But Ricky Rozay bats leadoff on his record. He starts off saying he'll die before being viewed as punk.
"All-white mansion, I'm the child of God/ All black diamonds, times were hard/ New Rolls-Royce, guess you made it n---a/ All-white neighborhood, you their favorite n---a/ My top back like JFK/ They wanna push my top back like JFK."
"I was a roadie on the Blueprint 3 tour for a few dates," Ross said in May of how the song came about. "It started off in St. Louis. I was just messing with everybody, kicking it with everybody, letting Jay hear my ideas and concepts. When you get the deluxe version of this album, we documented when I played the record. I played the track and my first verse," Ross recalled. "I put in the PS3 behind the stage.
"Played it, [Jay] listened to it," he continued. "We played it, backed it up, played it again. Played it, backed it up, played it again. Backed it up, and he spit his verse. It's gonna be magic for people to see Jay do his 'Rain [Man]' when he's rubbing his head, like he pulling his rhymes outta his mind. Just to see somebody come up with a verse that potent in less than two or three minutes ... 'cause it was just a snippet. The beat may have played for a minute and a half and started over," a process Ross says was repeated a few times as Jay composed. "He had his 16, an idea for the chorus. Trey Songz, all of us standing around in awe."
