Jay-Z's Full Biography
Shawn Corey Carter, popularly known as Jay-Z, (Jigga and The HOV) was born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn and was raised in the Marcy Projects. He used rap music as an outlet and a way to express himself in his teens and eventually Jay-Z got his start on an episode of Yo! MTV Raps in 1989. After selling millions of records through his Roc-A-Fella label, Jay-Z started his own clothing company. In 2008, he married the famous performer and actress Beyoncé Knowles.
Jay-Z's Early Life And Education
Shawn Corey Carter, popularly known as Jay-Z, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 4, 1969. He was the youngest of four children and had a tumultuous childhood after his father left the family when he was only 11 years old. Jay-Z grew up in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn with his mother.
During his challenging teenage years, Carter engaged in drug dealing and gun-related activities, which he often references in his autobiographical music. He attended multiple high schools, including George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn, where he went to school with the renowned rapper Notorious B.I.G.
Jay-Z's Career
Late ‘80s
In 1989, Shawn teamed up with Jaz-O to record "The Originators," resulting in an appearance on Yo! MTV Raps. Jaz-O, who resided in Marcy Projects with Jay, served as a mentor and was a senior artist. Afterward, Shawn began using the stage name Jay-Z in tribute to Jaz-O, his childhood nickname "Jazzy," and the nearby J/Z subway station near his Brooklyn residence.
Late ‘90s
In 1996, Jay-Z, Kareem Burke, and Damon Dash founded Roc-a-Fella Records, marking the start of Jay-Z's successful career in the music industry. He then released his first album, "Reasonable Doubt," which soon became a hip-hop classic.
The album's tracks, including "Can't Knock the Hustle" with Mary J. Blige and "Brooklyn's Finest" featuring Notorious B.I.G., helped it peak at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 charts.
In 1997 Jay-Z released “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1” featuring “The City is Mine” and “I Know what Girls Like”.
In 1998 came the release of his album "Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life" in 1998. The title track, "Hard Knock Life," sampled its chorus from the Broadway musical Annie and became Jay-Z's most well-known single to date.
The album earned Jay-Z a Grammy award, a nomination for "Hard Knock Life," and was the beginning of a dynasty for one of hip-hop's most famous artists.
December 1999 saw the release of Jay-Z’s album “Vol. 3…The Life and Times of Shawn Carter” which put him on top for the new millennium.
2000’s
Jay-Z's album "Vol. 3" produced the hit track "Big Pimpin" and the album, “The Dynasty: Roc la Familia” dropped in 2000 featuring "I Just Wanna Love U”.
In 2001, Jay-Z's critically acclaimed and, some say, best album of the decade, "The Blueprint", was released. That album brought us songs like "All I Need", "Girls, Girls, Girls," and "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". “The Blueprint” sold 500,000 copies in less than a week after its release.
In late 2002, "03 Bonnie & Clyde," a duet with Beyoncé, was released off of “The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse”. This album was a double disc with features by Rakim (WuTang), Dr. Dre, Lenny Kravitz, and as mentioned, Beyoncé.
After reviews stating the album was too long and should have been consolidated to one disc, Jay-Z did just that. He took the best of both and released “The Blueprint 2.1” which was much more successful.
In 2003 Jay-Z announced his retirement from the rap game and with that he released “The Black Album”. This was accompanied by “The Black Book”, an autobiography; the S. Carter Collection, a line of sneakers for Reebok; and a final sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden in New York.
He, of course, was far too popular to retire and went on to release:
“Unfinished Business” 2004
“Kingdom Come” 2006
“American Gangster” 2007
“The Blueprint 3” 2009
“Jay-Z: The Hits Collection” 2010
“Watch the Throne” 2011
“Magna Carta Holy Grail” 2013
“4:44” 2017
Jay-Z's Business Ventures
Jay-Z has a long list of extraordinarily lucrative business ventures to his credit, and Forbes has referred to him as an icon with the natural ability to turn anything he touches into gold. Some of those include:
Roc-a- Fella Records: Founded by Jay-Z, Carter Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Artists included: Queen Bey and Jay-Z, Kanye West, TI, and Juice Beats. It went defunct in 2013.
Rocawear: In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to the Iconix Brand Group for $204 million. Jay-Z, however, kept his stake in the company and continues to oversee the marketing, licensing, and product development.
Roc Nation: Founded in 2008. Artists include: Rhianna, Shakira, Alicia Keys, and J. Cole.
Equity in Uber: Jay-Z has a substantial investment in the ride-share program.
Alcohol and Cannabis Brands: Jay-Z teamed up with Bacardi in 2012 to introduce D'ussé, which has since become a cultural sensation and a highly regarded cognac brand. His cannabis brand is called Monogram, and is only just getting started.
Tidal: A streaming service co-owned by Beyoncé to compete with Spotify.
President of Deaf Jam Records
Roc-a-Fella Films: Featuring films like, Streets is Watching, Paper Soldiers, and Paid In Full.
40/40 Club: A Luxury Sports Bar in New York, NY owned by Jay-Z.
Jay-Z's Personal Life
Jay-Z and Beyoncé got together in 2001 and married in 2008. They share three children together; Blue Ivy, and twins, Sir and Rumi.
Jay-Z's Net Worth
With a net worth of $3 billion, Jay-Z is by far the richest rapper in the world. Given everything he has accomplished in his life to date, it makes sense.
