Rap superstar Jay-Z has begged Simon Cowell to let him sit on the judging panel during the next series of his British reality show "The X Factor".
The singing contest, which featured a performance from the star's wife Beyonce Knowles in 2008, launched the career of Leona Lewis - and the "99 Problems" hitmaker is keen to get involved.
He tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "Simon, if you need any help for the next series, let me know man and I'm your judge. There is a lot of untapped hip-hop talent in the U.K. and if they want my help finding some for the final 12 I am sure I could assist." And Jay-Z has his eye on launching current judge and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole's career in the U.S.
He adds, "I keep a close eye on the music industry throughout the world and I know how hot Cheryl is in the U.K. The U.S. market is the toughest one to break into, but once you do it is by far the most lucrative. I think Cheryl has that talent to do it."
"There is nobody in the U.S. like her right now, and I would be very interested in helping her break the U.S. market this year. Bey has seen her perform and she told me how impressed she was. I checked her out and I was impressed as well."
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