JAY-Z received a special treat from his pal BONO when he visited Ireland last month (Jun08) - the rocker gave the rap superstar a special preview of U2’s new album.

The 99 Problems hitmaker played a gig in Dublin at the end of June, and he took some time out of his busy schedule to pay a visit to Bono, who is currently working on the band’s forthcoming LP.

And Jay-Z was flattered when the singer decided to bounce ideas off him.

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He says, “I heard about four tracks. And the thing about Bono is, he’s in the studio like a kid, excited and singing the lyrics back, asking what I think. That’s passion, only passion. Trust me. He doesn’t have to do it.

“Music is a challenge. Music’s like, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ Don’t matter if you make seven, eight great albums. U2 are arguably one of the greatest bands ever. (But) if their next album is not great, people are going to say they’re finished! U2!”

-ContactMusic

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