EXCLUSIVE: Jay-Z Supports Barack With Free Shows

Hip-Hop star Jay-Z will lend support to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and encourage young people to vote by giving two free concerts this weekend, AllHipHop.com has learned.



Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, will perform a free show in Detroit on Saturday (October 4) followed by another free performance in Miami on Saturday (October 5).



Tickets for the free concerts will be distributed at Obama’s local campaign offices, AllHipHop.com has confirmed.



Obama, who admitted a fondness for Jay-Z and Kanye West, expressed his support for Hip-Hop during an interview with MTV Host/Hip-Hop personality Sway, following a presidential rally in Greensboro, North Carolina.



He also praised the entrepreneurial mind state that rappers often possess.



“In the past, musicians oftentimes were commodities.” Obama told MTV News. “They were just shuffled around…they did well, but they didn't have the vision to say, 'I'm going to build a business. I'm going to build my own studio. I'm going to create my own production operations.' I think they're a lot more sophisticated than in the past, and that is a wonderful thing."



In related news, Obama will debate Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain two more times: once in Tennessee on October 7 and again in New York on October 15.