The first single from Jay-Z’s forthcoming album, The Blueprint³, is causing controversy among hip-hop artists. Jay-Z already took steps to dampen any conflict with Auto-Tune fan T-Pain, who may have been upset by the sentiment behind "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).” Jay-Z told New York radio station Hot 97: "If T-Pain got to feel a little brunt behind that, then I'm cool with that.”

"I'm all about the culture,” he told the station. “It's bigger than the politics. If T-Pain felt like he wanted to never talk to me again, I would have been cool with that. I'm not saying Auto-Tune is wack. But leave that for them [presumably a reference to T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, etc.]; it's not for everybody. That's how you stagnate hip-hop. You listen to the radio, and every single has Auto-Tune. So we have to get rid of that part."

Meanwhile, Twitter has been abuzz with rappers offering their thoughts on “D.O.A.” Jim Jones calls Jay-Z: “An old sucka, LOL. We back, and if he kilt Auto-Tune then we must be Easter, the resurrection, LOL." New York’s DJ Webster, who produced the heavily Auto-Tuned “Dancing on Me,” also tweeted on the subject: "Who heard old ass Jay Z hating?" This Auto-Tune conflict isn’t likely to go down in history with the great hip-hop feuds, but Jay-Z makes a salient point. It’s definitely time to put a lid on this device, which has been painfully overused.

[via VH1]