Legend ... Jay-Z talks to The Sun
HE helped get the first black man into the White House - and now JAY-Z reckons he knows how to fix Broken Britain too.
The power to bring change, he says, in in our own hands.
The US rapper who picked up a Brit for Best International Male Solo Artist on Tuesday tells The Sun in an exclusive interview that change will only come if people use their vote at the next election.
he picked up Best International Male
However, he reckons neither GORDON BROWN nor DAVID CAMERON have the charisma of PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
Jay-Z said: "Everyone needs new blood once in a while. And Britain needs it to shake up the country. People are calling it Broken Britain, so there's obviously a problem.
"Someone needs to reinvigorate and galvanise the country and give it something to believe in. That means a leader with charisma to get the youth out to vote.
"The rise of the BNP is also a problem. Power is dangerous in the hands of the wrong person and it's up to the people to get them out of there - which goes back to voting.
"We have to use that power. We can't just sit back and not vote - that's dangerous.
"I've never met Brown or Cameron but Britain needs to look at America and Obama to see how he did it. He connected with the young and gave them something to believe in. He made references to rap and let the kids know they were accepted.
"Before Obama, people in my neighbourhood were disillusioned. They thought nothing would happen no matter who was in office. But Obama changed that and really connected with people. He heard us and so we voted.
"Britain needs a leader who can do the same, who understands the youth and deals with their needs and what they have to say."
Jay-Z - real name Shawn Carter - is a close friend of the President and worked on his election campaign, holding several free concerts to help his campaign register voters.
Despite a recent backlash against Obama, the 40-year-old music mogul believes his first year as President has been successful, stressing the importance of his healthcare plans.
He says: "Obama's meeting a lot of resistance but I think he's doing fine. We all knew the job he was taking on. He may have been dealt the worst hand ever in American politics. What I admire about him is he's taken it on head-on.
"Who can say no to healthcare with a clear conscience?
"Britain has a National Health Service to be proud of but in America, people have lost people in their lives because they didn't have the proper healthcare.
"A friend of mine who is 41 just went to the doctor for the first time to get a check-up. That was the first time in his life he could afford health insurance. It shouldn't be happening."
We met at Jay-Z's central London hotel the day after the Brit Awards and as it was announced he will be headlining this year's Wireless Festival and play June dates in Manchester and Birmingham.
He admits to feeling a little fragile after late-night celebrations but is overjoyed with his latest award.
He says: "I'm proud. I'm pleased. I never get jaded with it. Every day I look at my life and it's unbelievable, like living a dream.
"Making music is my love. It's not arduous, not a task, and it's not a job. I'm making music, touring the world and playing in front of people. It's unreal. Britain is like my second home.
"I have a real connection here with the place and the people. I like Britain's honesty, and the sarcasm - my sense of humour is dry so it blends well.
"And I love the excitement for music here. There's great music. Last night, watching DIZZEE RASCAL win, I was so proud for him. He was the most excited person there.
"I said congratulations backstage and he said, 'Man, that means so much coming from you.' Britain is an important country to me."
Jay-Z and his three siblings were brought up by his single mum Gloria in the tough Marcy project in Brooklyn, New York City. He started dealing drugs at 13.
Today he is worth more than £100million, having sold around 50million albums worldwide and expanded into clothing ranges, merchandise and music production and management. He takes his position as a role model seriously.
"For kids who come from nothing, when they see my journey, they think, 'That's just a regular guy from Marcy projects - a place like where I'm from. The possibility is there. In order to achieve your dreams you have to know they are possible."
The star, who married singer BEYONCE KNOWLES in 2008, is critical of David Cameron's proposals for tax breaks for married couples should the Conservatives win the next General Election.
He says "Only love keeps families together. I don't believe it's his business to say that families should stay together or not. My mom was a single parent. She did just fine raising four kids and working hard herself."
Although he rarely talks about Beyonce, Jay-Z does say that if they ever have children, he would want them to have a normal upbringing.
"It does gets difficult for us sometimes but I think it would be harder if you had to isolate yourself. What good is fame if you become a prisoner of it?
"I go out. I don't like to section myself off from the public. You have to live your life the way it is. If people want to take pictures or whatever, it's just part of the thing you have to deal with.
"People get used to you and seeing you in the mall. I'd be the same if there were children around too. I'd never isolate them."
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