Jay Z

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists. He was the CEO of Def Jam Recordings and he has been central to the creative and commercial success of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole.

Born and raised in New York City, Jay-Z first began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 and released his debut studio album '' Reasonable Doubt'' in 1996. The album was released to widespread critical success, and solidified his standing in the music industry. He went on to release twelve additional albums, including the acclaimed albums '' The Blueprint'' (2001), '' The Black Album'' (2003), ''American Gangster'' (2007), and '' 4:44'' (2017). He also released the full-length collaborative albums '' Watch the Throne'' (2011) with Kanye West and ''Everything Is Love'' (2018) with his wife Beyoncé, respectively.

Through his business ventures Jay-Z has become the first hip-hop billionaire. In 1999, he founded the clothing retailer Rocawear, and in 2003, he founded the luxury sports bar chain 40/40 Club. Both businesses have grown to become multi-million-dollar corporations, and allowed him to start up Roc Nation in 2008. In 2015, he acquired the tech company Aspiro and took charge of their media streaming service Tidal. In 2020, he launched "Monogram", a line of cannabis products.

One of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint-most Grammy awards of any rapper along with Kanye West. Jay-Z also holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the ''Billboard'' 200 (14). Additionally, he is a recipient of the NAACP's President's Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Sports Emmy Award; and has also received a nomination for a Tony Award. Ranked by ''Billboard'' and '' Rolling Stone'' as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, Jay-Z was the first rapper honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, '' Time'' named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early life

Shawn Corey Carter was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on December 4, 1969. He was raised in Marcy Houses, a housing project in Brooklyn's Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood.Birchmeier, Jason. Jay-Z Biography AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2007. After their father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned the family, Jay-Z and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter. Reeves would later meet and reconcile with Jay-Z shortly before dying in 2003. Jay-Z claims in his lyrics that in 1982, at age 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.Adaso, Henry
How Well Do You Know Jay-Z?
About.com. Retrieved August 24, 2007. Along with rapper AZ, he attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn until it was closed. He then attended nearby George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School with rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, followed by a stint at Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, though he did not graduate. According to his interviews and lyrics, he sold crack cocaine and was shot at three times during this period.

According to his mother, Jay-Z used to wake up his siblings at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. She bought him a boombox for his birthday, sparking his interest in music, and he began freestyling and writing lyrics. Known as "Jazzy" around the neighborhood, he later adopted the stage name "Jay-Z" in homage to his mentor Jaz-O. Jay-Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "H. P. Gets Busy", "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie". Jay-Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 1990s. He first became known to a wide audience on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album '' Daddy's Home.'' Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's hype man during this period, although Kane explains that he did not fill the traditional hype man role, and was instead basically making cameo appearances on stage. "When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage." The young Jay-Z appeared on a popular song by Big L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by DMX and Ja Rule in 1995. His first official rap single was called " In My Lifetime", for which he released a music video in 1995. An unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side "I Can't Get with That."

Music career

1995–1997: ''Reasonable Doubt'' and ''In My Lifetime, Vol. 1''

With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold CDs out of his car, and with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, created Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with Priority, Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album '' Reasonable Doubt'' with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G. The album reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was generally favored by critics. This album would later be included in ''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as No. 248 and eventually reach platinum status.

After reaching a new distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up ''In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.'' Produced by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, it outsold his previous release. Jay-Z later explained that the album was made during one of the worst periods of his life when he was reeling from the death of his close friend, The Notorious B.I.G. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he told the stories of his difficult upbringing. The album's glossy production stood as a contrast to his first release, and some dedicated fans felt he had "sold out." However, the album did feature some beats from producers who had worked with him on ''Reasonable Doubt'', namely DJ Premier and Ski. Like its predecessor, ''In My Lifetime, Vol. 1'' earned platinum status in the United States.

1998–2000: ''Vol. 2...'', ''Vol. 3...'' and ''The Dynasty''

In 1998, Jay-Z released '' Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life'' which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, " Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as Swizz Beatz, an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders, and Timbaland. Other producers included DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, The 45 King, and Kid Capri. Charting hits from this album included " Can I Get A...", featuring Ja Rule and Amil, and "Nigga What, Nigga Who", featuring Amil and Jaz-O. ''Vol. 2'' would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies. The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination.

In 1999, Jay-Z collaborated with Mariah Carey on "Heartbreaker", a song from her seventh album, '' Rainbow''. The song became Jay-Z's first chart-topper in the US, spending two weeks atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In that same year, Jay-Z released '' Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter''. The album proved successful and sold over 3 million copies. ''Vol. 3''s most successful single was "Big Pimpin", featuring UGK.

In 2000, Jay-Z released '' The Dynasty: Roc La Familia'', which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but Def Jam turned into a Jay-Z album. The album helped to introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kanye West, and Bink, which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums. ''The Dynasty'' sold over two million units in the U.S. alone.

2001–2002: Feud with Nas, ''The Blueprint'' and ''The Blueprint²''

In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with a Jay-Z line from "Money, Cash, Hoes" that he felt alluded disparagingly to Mobb Deep and Prodigy's dispute with Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Death Row Records. He later performed the song " Takeover", at Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson. A line at the end of "Takeover" referred to Nas, who criticized him on "We Will Survive". Nas responded with a diss track called " Ether" and Jay-Z straightaway added a verse to "Takeover" which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. The feud had ended by 2005, Jay-Z stated Mark Pitts had helped them settle the feud.

On September 11, 2001, hours before the September 11 attacks, Jay-Z released his sixth studio album, '' The Blueprint'', which received a coveted five-mic review from hip-hop magazine '' The Source.'' Written in just two days, the album sold more than 427,000 copies, debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached 2× Platinum status in the U.S. It was lauded for its production and its balance of "mainstream" and "hardcore" rap. Eminem was the only guest rapper on the album, producing and rapping on the song "Renegade". Four tracks were produced by Kanye West and the album represents one of West's first major breaks in the industry. ''The Blueprint'' includes the popular songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", " Girls, Girls, Girls", " Jigga That Nigga", and "Song Cry". , the album had sold 2.7 million copies worldwide. In 2019, ''The Blueprint'' was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", even though its initial success had been overshadowed by the tragic events of 9/11.

In October 2001, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to stabbing record producer Lance Rivera at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City in 1999. For this second-degree felony, Jay-Z was sentenced to three years' probation.

Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's '' The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse'', a double-album. The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number one, selling over 3 million units in the U.S. alone and surpassing ''The Blueprint''. It was later reissued in a single-disc version, ''The Blueprint 2.1'', which retained half of the tracks from the original. The album spawned two massive hit singles, " Excuse Me Miss" and "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", which features Jay-Z's then-girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles. "Guns & Roses", featuring Lenny Kravitz, and " Hovi Baby" were two successful radio singles as well. The album also contained the tracks "A Dream", featuring Faith Evans and the late The Notorious B.I.G.; and "The Bounce", featuring Kanye West. ''The Blueprint 2.1'' featured tracks that do not appear on ''The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse'', such as "Stop", "La La La (Excuse Me Again)", "What They Gonna Do, Part II" and "Beware" produced by and featuring Panjabi MC.

2003–2005: ''The Black Album'' and initial retirement

After visiting the south of France, Jay-Z announced work on his eighth studio album '' The Black Album'' at the opening of the 40/40 Club. He worked with several producers including Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Timbaland, Eminem, DJ Quik, 9th Wonder

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