US President Donald Trump has responded to Jay-Z's comments about his attitude, tweeting that he needed to be informed that his policies had helped unemployment among black Americans to be at the "LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!".
Jay-Z initially slammed Mr Trump on CNN's The Van Jones Show claiming he was only appearing to fix problems within the US on the surface and that lower unemployment among black Americans doesn't make up for the president's attitude.
"It's not about money at the end of the day…money doesn't equate to happiness. It doesn't. That's missing the whole point. You treat people like human beings...that's the main point," said Jay-Z, who is no stranger to flashing his material wealth.
Jay-Z on The Van Jones Show. Source: CNN
"Money doesn't equate to happiness. It doesn't. That's missing the whole point."
He then added Mr Trump's election was due to the US not addressing certain socio-economic problems.
"You don't take the trash out, you keep spraying whatever over it to make it acceptable. As those things grow, you create a superbug. And then now we have Donald Trump, the superbug," he added.
Mr Trump responded by tweeting that Jay-Z needed to be informed about his policies.
"Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!"
Jay-Z said that Trump's election laid bare the persistence of racism in the United States and voiced dismay at the president's reported quip that he did not want immigrants coming from "shithole" countries in Africa or predominantly black Haiti.
"It's real hurtful. Because it's looking down at a whole population of people and it's so misinformed because these places have beautiful people and beautiful everything," Jay-Z said.
Jay-Z is in the running for eight Grammys on Sunday amid acclaim for his latest album "4:44," a strikingly introspective work in which he addresses institutional racism, apologizes to Beyonce for infidelity and supports his mother as she comes out as a lesbian.
The black unemployment rate of 6.8 per cent is the lowest on record and has reached levels not seen since the end of President Bill Clinton's administration.
During the candid interview, Jay-Z also opened up on the #MeToo movement claiming it "needed to be uncovered for the world to correct itself".
- With AFP and AAP
