Saturday, October 1, 2011 5:28am ET by  
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Jay-Z has said that hip-hop has mellowed over the years

Jay-Z has said that he thinks that hip-hop and rap have become less intense over the years.

The 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' rapper says that marijuana is a big factor behind this 'mellowing out':

"Public Enemy were a great force in the 80s. Chuck D was a powerful speaker and a great thinker. The intensity of life on the street in the 80s is right there in that mix. Hip hop sounds get mellower in the 90s, when people started smoking more weed."

In an interview with Q Magazine, the rapper who is expecting a baby with his wife, Beyoncé, he said that the silver screen influences a lot of rap music: 

 "I think films are a major influence on any rapper. One of the ways you deal with your surroundings is almost to imagine you are in a drama on the big screen. It sounds crazy but it can help you survive to see yourself in terms of a story. You could write a whole book on what hip hop has taken from 'The Godfather' and 'Scarface' and all those gangster films."

Check out Jay-Z's song, 'Otis', from his Kanye West collaboration album, 'Watch The Throne' and his performance of 'Wonderwall' and '99 Problems' from Glastonbury 2008: