Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has praised the business acumen of modern-day hip-hop musicians.

Speaking to MTV, Mr Obama admitted that he has US rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West on his iPod, but struggles to find the time to listen to them.

"What I've appreciated, watching this hip-hop generation, is to see how entrepreneurial they've been,” he told MTV. “In the past, musicians oftentimes were commodities.

"I think they're a lot more sophisticated than in the past, and that is a wonderful thing."

Mr Obama, who will face Republican John McCain in November's US general election, has won the support of a host of stars from the music industry.

Last week, it was revealed that he had officially endorsed the release of a compilation of songs which have featured during his campaign.

CLICK HERE to see which musicians have joined his campaign.