US Presidential candidate Barack Obama has met with rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West about ways to use hip hop for positive change.
"I've met with Jay-Z, I've met with Kanye and I've talked to other artists about how potentially to bridge that gap," Obama told Jeff Johnson from the BET Network, "I think the potential for them to deliver a message of extraordinary power that gets people thinking (is massive)."He is also keen to bridge the gap between hip hop and people who dismiss it as an inferior artform, while acknowledging its occasional misogynistic and violent messages. He believes it can also be used as a positive method of communication.
Obama has been very open of his love of hip hop, although claiming to be a bigger fan of old soul music.
