Jack White has opened up on how his latest album was influenced by the hip-hop sound of Jay-Z and Kanye West.

The former White Stripes star, who released latest album ‘Boarding House Reach’ last Friday, opened up in an interview with Beats 1’s Lars Ulrich.

“I really wanted to find musicians who played with hip-hop artists onstage – who backed up Kendrick or Jay-Z or Kanye or something,” he said.

“I thought that was a special musician that can [take] what’s on a hip-hop track, where it’s a sample or a drum machine, but replicate it live with real drums and real bass.”

He also opened up on his decision to issue a cell phone ban for his upcoming tour, claiming that it is motivated by the way that technology often affects the way that crowds react to him.

“I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would … If I finish a song and go, ‘Ta-da!’, and it’s crickets, I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know what to do now.'”, White told Lars Ulrich. 

“Am I supposed to play a heavier song, a faster song? Do you want me to play acoustic? Do you want me to leave? I’ll leave!’ But what I don’t like is, ‘Is that how they really feel, or are they just not even paying attention because they’re not engaged … because they’re texting?'”

“When you go to a movie theater, a symphony, church, whatever – there are all these moments in life where people put those away and engage,” White added.

“And I love the idea of rock concerts being punk as hell and there are no rules. I love that. But I don’t like the idea that I have no idea what to play next. And I need that. Because I’ve walked offstage before like, ‘Man, I don’t know what to do anymore. If this is how it’s going to be from now on, it’s going to be very difficult.” 

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