Speaking in a short film, commissioned by the New York Times, Jay-Z talks about the history of American drug policy and its legacy of racial discrimination.

“Drugs were bad, fried your brain, and drug dealers were monsters, the sole reason neighborhoods and major cities were failing," says the Brooklyn-born rapper, speaking about drug use in the '80s. "No one wanted to talk about Reaganomics and the ending of social safety nets.”

"Even though white people sold and used crack more than black people, somehow it was black people who went to prison," he says, noting the racial disparity in the USA's treatment of drug crime.

Jay-Z also speaks about his own history as a hustler in the video but criticised the label of himself as the "sole villain" in the narrative and points to government officials who didn't appropriately deal with the drug problem.

"Rates of drug use are as high as they were when Nixon declared this so-called war in 1971. Forty-five years later, it's time to rethink our policies and laws. The War on Drugs is an epic fail."

You can watch Jay-Z's full video here: