Jack White Gives Props To Jay-Z

On January 26, two Jack White-produced songs by music legend Wanda Jackson will debut on iTunes (they’ll also be available on vinyl, via Third Man Records). Jackson lends her pipes to Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’s No Good” and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over.”

The always industrious White Stripes leader and Dead Weather drummer recently sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss the past decade. In the interview, he explains how he came up with “Seven Nation Army,” and compares himself musically to Jay-Z.

Here’s an excerpt:

Do you like Jay-Z? People may think you don’t like hip-hop.

I love hip-hop if it’s done with a sense of the blues, even if the person who is creating it isn’t thinking that at all. I think Jay-Z is just incredible. The Black Album is one of the best albums of the decade.

When you say you’re working on the same world or the same level as Jay-Z, what does that mean exactly?

I think that what he’s saying in his lyrics is honest. His ideas about metaphor are really reflective about what struggle is. He has a lot more room to work than I do. He can get away with a lot more than I can. And I’m envious of that because he can stretch into metaphors that I would love to do. You can get away with a lot of interesting stuff in hip-hop.

Jay-Z and Jack White? Somebody hook that up!