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Jay Z calls Barack Obama 'the greatest rapper of all time'

The president inducted the rapper into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Christopher Hooton
Friday 16 June 2017 08:16 BST
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(Getty)

Of all the musical genres, the 'greatest of all time' is undoubtedly most fierce in hip-hop.

It's been chewed over for years and will continue to be for many more, but Jay Z has come up with an answer.

Being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this week, Jay thanked scores of rappers who inspired him on Twitter, including OGs like Rakim, KRS, Nas, Biggie, 2pac and Andre 3000, and more recent artists like Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Drake and Ab-Soul.

He capped off the list of thanks: "And the greatest rapper of all time OBAMA".

(Getty (Getty)

It's interesting that Jay conceives Obama as a rapper, perhaps because of his truth-telling, his desire to reach people and his path to become president.

Obama himself discussed the latter as he inducted Jay into the hall of fame, saying in a video:

“I like to think Mr. Carter and I understand each other. Nobody who met us when we were younger men would have expected us to be where we are today.

“We both have wives who are significantly more popular than we are...

"Like all of you, I am a fan, and I’ve been listening to Jay since I was a young and hungry state senator.”

"I’m proud to help present this award to a true American original.”

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