Barack Obama has consulted with rap stars Jay-Z and Kanye West, as he ramps up his bid to become the next president of the United States.
Obama, "B-Rock" to urban music magazine Vibe, has revealed he has met with the two rap superstars, courting the votes and hoping to win the minds of America's hip-hop community.
As each of the country's individual states make their choices as to who will be the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, Obama has claimed that he would employ hip-hop artists to educate the American people should he be chosen to lead the Democrats into an election and then become president.
Asked about hip-hop on US TV show What's In It For Us, Obama said he felt that the music could be used as tool to engage young people on issues like education and crime. "I've met with Jay-Z. I've met with Kanye. And I've talked to other artists about how potentially to bridge that [communication] gap."
But Obama also admitted there are some aspects of hip-hop he's not quite so down with. "The thing about hip-hop today is it's smart, it's insightful, and the way that they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable. I understand people want to be rooted in the community, they want to be down, but what I always say is that hip-hop is not just a mirror of what is. It should also be a reflection of what can be."
"There are times, even on the artists I've named, and the artists that I love, that there is a message that's sometimes degrading to women, and uses the N-word a little too frequently."
"But also something that I'm really concerned about is [they're] always talking about material things about how I can get something; more money, more cars."
In rapper Common's The People, one of last summer's biggest songs across the US, he uses the line "My raps ignite the people like Obama", while the song's music video features the flashing of an Obama 08 bumper sticker.
Nonetheless, Obama is not the only Democratic hopeful who's been embraced by musical land of hip-hop. Early last year super-duper producer Timbaland threw Democratic frontrunner Hilary Clinton a fundraiser in Miami.
