Jay-Z: 'Rappers are today's poets'

Jay-Z has declared that rappers are "the poets of our generation" and insisted that he does not plan to censor any of his lyrics.

According to NME, the hip-hop star was speaking in an interview about the political impact of his music. He maintained that his connections with President Obama do not mean that he has to tone down his controversial lyrics.

"Sometimes there are hard truths in rap, they're not packaged with pretty ribbons. Sometimes the realities of the situations are harsh and they need to be told," he said.

"We're the poets of our generation! Those truths and those honesties need to be told and sometimes that will rub people the wrong way but that don't mean you don't tell them… I think when rap is done brilliantly it can inform you of a problem, things that are going on."

Jay-Z also commented on his performance at last year's Glastonbury Festival, insisting that criticisms of his headlining appearance were "archaic".

"[Glastonbury] was like winning the first Grammy for me," he explained. "It was one of those times that was almost like knocking the door down. It was almost like the people saying, 'No, we want that to happen, it's the natural progression, we like rap, we like rock, we like everything'.

"It was just that last archaic thinking that was in the way of this festival's prestige, [the idea] that it should be held this way forever. If we believe that a thing that's started should be held forever I'd still be a slave, right? Things change and the world changes. I think it's best to embrace change."

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