Jay Z Became The First Rapper To Enter Songwriter`s Hall

The first African American to have served as United State president Barack Obama praise Jay Z as a kindred spirit and inspiration as the hip-hop mogul became the first rapper to enter the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday. The elite club also welcomed Motown records’ pathbreaking founder Berry Gordy and Swedish hitmaker Max Martin at its annual induction. An evening of performances by top stars that, like songwriters, stayed decidedly lower-key than televised award galas. Obama made a surprise appearance by video to present the honor to Jay Z, who grew up as Sean Carter in a troubled housing project in Brooklyn and has gone on to become one of music’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. “I like to think Mr Carter and I understand each other. Nobody who met us as younger men would have expected us to be where we are today,” Obama said of the rapper, who with his wife Beyonce actively campaigned for the first African-American president. Obama said he relate...