Jay Z's new track Spiritual speaks on America's recent police shootings

Jay Z: "I'm just a boy from the hood that's got my hands in the air in despair". Photo / Steven McNicholl

Rapper Jay Z has released a new song in response to the police shootings of two black men along with a statement attacking police brutality.

The rapper said that he wrote song Spiritual a while ago, but never finished it. He's now released it on his streaming service Tidal.

"I trust God and know everything that happens is for our greatest good, but man ... it's tough right now," he says.

The song's lyrics repeat: "I am not poison, no I am not poison - just a boy from the hood that's got my hands in the air in despair, don't shoot, I just want to do good".

Alton Sterling was shot in Louisiana on Tuesday after being pinned to the pavement by two white officers.

A Minnesota officer shot Philando Castile dead while he was in a car with a woman and a child, just a day later.

A demonstration against their deaths ended in further tragedy as a sniper opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas, killing five officers and injuring six others on Thursday evening.

Jay Z appears to have written the song at least two years ago, as his statement mentions the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in 2014.

The black teenager was shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, sparking mass protests and rioting.