Jay-Z

Real Name: Shawn Corey Carter
D.O.B.: December 4th, 1968 Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, New York

Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records

Jay-Z, is something more than a hip-hop rap artist. He has just stepped down as the 'Boss of hip-hop' and moved in the direction of bigger things... Ten platinum-plaqued studio albums, ex-retiree, former president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings and founder/CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records. In addition, he co-owns The 40/40 Club and the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. Known for his flow and blending of street and popular style, he can compose lyrics without the use of pen and paper. His critically acclaimed album The Blueprint was allegedly written in only two days. After announcing his retirement from recording music in 2003, he returned in late 2006 with the album Kingdom Come which sold 680,000 copies in its first week, Jay-Z's highest-selling album in a one-week period. As the richest hip-hop Entertainer having a net-worth estimate of $600 million, Jay-Z runs this motherfucker!

The Early Years

Originally from Marcy Houses housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn in New York City, Jay-Z was abandoned by his father Adnes Reeves when he was twelve years old. Jay-Z attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with rapper AZ, until it was closed down. After that he attended George Westinghouse Information Technology High School in Downtown Brooklyn, with fellow rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, but did not graduate. He claims to have been caught up in selling drugs, to which he refers in his music. According to his mother Gloria Carter, a young Jay-Z used to wake his siblings up at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him a boom box for his birthday and thus sparked his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing rhymes, and followed the music of many artists popular at the time. It is stated that he beat Busta Rhymes in a rap battle, but also has lost to DMX.

In his neighbourhood, Carter was known as "Jazzy", a nickname that eventually developed into his stage name, "Jay-Z". The moniker is also a homage to his musical mentor Jaz-O (a.k.a. Jaz, Big Jaz) as well as to the J/Z subway lines that have a stop at Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn. Jay-Z can be heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Jaz/Jay-Z collabo, High Potent dropped the unheard 12 inch cut, "HP Gets Busy" 12inch (Get Live, 1986). Within a few years Jay recorded "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie". He also collaborated with Inglewood, California producer Three-1-Zero. His career had a jump start when he battled a rapper by the name of Zai. The battle caught the eye of many record labels, as Jay-Z was able to hold his own against Zai. He also made an appearance on a popular song by Big L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by DMX Q-Man and Ja Rule and Shazim Hasan in 1995. His first official rap single was called "I Can't Get With That" which he also released a music video for.

Career Opening

From the beginning of his commercial recording career, Jay-Z chose a route that many would consider untraditional. When no major label gave him a record deal, Jay-Z created Roc-A-Fella Records as his own independent label. After striking a deal with Priority to distribute his material, Jay-Z released his 1996 début album, Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Clark Kent and a notable appearance by Notorious B.I.G. Despite reaching only #23 on the Billboard 200, the album was a critical success.

After reaching a new distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Executive produced by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, it sold better than his previous effort. Jay-Z later explained that the album was made during one of the worst periods of his life. He was reeling from the death of his close friend The Notorious B.I.G. 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. Jay-Z mentioned on the YES Network's "CenterStage with Michael Kay" show that if he could do one thing in his career over, it would be Vol. 1, claiming that "it [the cd] was this close to being a classic, but I put like, a few songs on there that ruined it." Example is that he was referring to "I Know What Girls Like" and "(Always Be My) Sunshine", both of which were produced by Bad Boy beatmakers and criticized as a commercialization of his sound. Like its predecessor, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 also earned Platinum status in the U.S.

1998's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". He also relied more on flow and brilliant wordplay, and he continued 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 tapped for beats include: 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" which featured Amil too. Vol. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it was certified 5x platinum in the United States and has to date sold over 8 million worldwide. The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination.