Jay-Z has taken yet another step in becoming hip-hop’s answer to Bono. The rapper has made a new documentary focusing on the world’s water crisis, with the film making its debut at United Nations headquarters Thursday night.

“The Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life” is the product of Jay-Z’s partnership with the U.N. and MTV (which will air the doc on Nov. 24) to raise awareness on the global issue amongst youth.

“I was looking for a cause to attach myself to,” Jay-Z said at the U.N. screening. That cause ended up being water, he said, “because it’s the most basic need.”

In the documentary, Jay-Z is filmed visiting children in Angola and South Africa, where there is little to no access to clean water. The 36-year-old rapper stopped by the area during his worldwide tour this fall.

“So many people that I’ve seen can’t get clean water. It’s a crime,” he says in the film. “I’m on a mission, and I will not forget.”

Jay-Z also announced at the screening that proceeds from an upcoming concert in New York will go to Water for Life, a U.N. initiative which, according to www.un.org, was created to “promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015.”






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