Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has recently been named Billboard's No.1 Greatest Rapper of All Time. It caused some controversy with these rappers on spots 2-10: Kendrick Lamar, Nas, 2Pac, Eminem, The Notorious B.I.G., Lil Wayne, Drake, Snoop Dogg, and Nicki Minaj.
One reacted on Twitter: "Maybe the most successful rapper, but idk about 'greatest.'" Another one pointed out that Beyoncé's husband of 15 years "definitely has the longevity and his networking skills A1…but I genuinely think he prolly not even top 5 😭 top 10 maybe."
But even "most successful" isn't an accurate title for Jay-Z. In March 2023, a month after the rankings were released, Billboard published another chart where Future had replaced him as the fifth most successful rapper of all time. Filling out the top 4 spots were Drake, Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West.
Of course, fans also had mixed reactions to it, with many of them citing Hova's massive net worth. But did you know that in 1999, he almost ended his career before it even peaked due to a bootlegging scandal? It's no wonder he's now vigilant around fake albums like that one time a fan asked him to autograph one...
How Bootlegging Almost Ended Jay-Z's Career In 1999
On November 30, 1999, Jay-Z held a listening party at Irving Plaza for his then-upcoming album, Vol.3... Life and Times of S. Carter. He performed a few tracks that night. It was supposed to be a celebration. However, the album wasn't supposed to come out until December 28. Bootleggers had leaked it a month earlier.
Tensions were running high that night. Before Jay-Z had gone up on stage, Dame Dash reportedly shouted into the microphone, "F--- the bootleggers!" After the event, the Holy Grail performer and his crew went to the Kit Kat Club where Q-Tip also had a party for the release of his debut solo album, Amplified.
There, Jay-Z stabbed record exec, Lance "Un" Rivera. "Before I even realized what I was doing, I headed back over to him, but this time I was blacking out with anger," the former said of the altercation following a heated confrontation. "The next thing I knew, all hell had broken loose in the club."
Rivera is the CEO and co-founder of Untertainment with Notorious B.I.G. He had been suspected of the original Vol. 3 leak. After he'd told police officers the name of the assailant — Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter — the latter turned himself into the NYPD Midtown South Precinct in Manhattan. He was booked for felony assault in the second degree. He got out within a few hours after a $50,000 bail.
With the help of defense lawyer, Murray Richman, Jay-Z Jay was able to take a plea deal that reduced his 15-year sentence to a 3-year probation. At the time of his trial, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Jamaal "Shyne" Barrow had just been tried for a similar incident. The former was acquitted while the latter was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
"When he walked I knew they'd be even more aggressive about getting a conviction in my case, making an example of me where they'd failed with Puff," Jay-Z wrote in his 2010 memoir, Decoded. "So I settled and took probation. No way was I going to allow myself to be a sideshow for the state."
How Jay-Z Reacted To A Fan Asking Him To Autograph A Fake Album
During a quick signing session outside his New York workplace, The Hollywood Fix caught Jay-Z refusing to autograph a fake vinyl of The Black Album. "That one ain't even real," he told the fan.
In his book, the Heart of the City hitmaker shared his honest thoughts about bootlegging, saying: "There is no analogy between bootlegging and anything that happens in the streets, unless you count n---as going up in stash spots and straight robbing you."
In 2013, Jay-Z reflected on his 1999 trial during an interview with Vanity Fair. "I did wrong and I paid," he said back then. "You've got to realize where I’m coming from; we fought all the time. It’s just what you did." He noted that he "wasn't that same guy anymore."
"You went to the club; you had fights; sometimes bottles got thrown, sometimes knives came out," he explained. "You know how many times I had that sort of fight? I still had the bravado of the same guy I was, and I had to realize that I wasn't that same guy anymore."
Why Did Jay-Z Stop Making Music?
The Blueprint artist hasn't released an album since Everything is Love — his debut album with Beyoncé as musical duo, The Carters. In July 2022, during an appearance on Peacock's Hart to Heart, Jay-Z admitted to Kevin Hart that he wasn't making any music these days. "I'm not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album," he said.
However, he clarified that he wasn't retiring just yet. "But I never want to say I'm retired... It's a gift, and who am I to shut it off? It's open to whatever," he said. "It may have a different form, a different interpretation. Maybe it's not an album. Maybe it is. I have no idea, but I'm just gonna leave it open." How very Rihanna of him...
