jay z

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), popularly known as Jay-Z, is an American rapper and current president and CEO of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records. He has been one of the most prolific and successful American rappers of the past decade.

Known for his use of freestyling abilities, flow, and blending of street and popular hip hop, Jay-Z became one of the most respected rappers in the music industry before his "retirement" in 2004. He is admired for his ability to craft lyrics from memory, without the use of pen and paper^[1]; he claims his critically acclaimed album The Blueprint was written in only two days.^[2]

Along with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, he is one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, a hip-hop record label which also launched the careers of artists such as Beanie Sigel, Kanye West, Memphis Bleek, Young Gunz, Freeway, and Teairra Marí. He is among the most successful entrepreneurs in hip-hop. As of 2006, he was estimated to be worth around $320 million ^[3].

Hip-Hop musician

Early years

Originally from the infamous Marcy Houses projects, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant(Bed-Stuy) neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, Shawn Carter was abandoned by his father Adnes Reeves when he was twelve years old. Jay-Z attended George Westinghouse High School in Downtown Brooklyn and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey but did not graduate. He claims to have been caught up in selling drugs on the streets of New York in the Marcy Projects. In addition to this, Jay-Z has lyrically alluded to having sold cocaine and marijuana.

According to his mother Gloria Carter, a young Jay-Z used to keep his siblings up at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him a boombox 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.

In his neighborhood, Carter was known as "Jazzy," a nickname which eventually developed into his stage name, "Jay-Z." The moniker is also an 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 80's and early 90's, including "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie." He and Jaz-O once ran into a blossoming LL Cool J in the park and were beaten in a freestyle battle by the self proclaimed G.O.A.T. 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 and Ja Rule in 1995.

Commercial work

From the beginning of his commercial recording career, Jay-Z chose a route that many would consider untraditional. Rather than waiting to get signed to a major label, 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 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Clark Kent and a notable appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.. Although the album received critical acclaim, record sales were modest as they topped off at 420,000 units the first year.

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 Diddy, it sold better than his previous effort, though Jay later explained that this was one of the worst periods of his life. He was reeling from the death of his close friend The Notorious B.I.G. The albums relatively 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.

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 and Timbaland. Charting hits from this album included "Can I Get A..." featuring Ja Rule and "Jigga What, Jigga Who." 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.

In 1999 Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. Despite continued criticism for his increasingly pop-oriented sound and, the album proved to be successful and went platinum three times and sold over 5.6 million records worldwide. Through his lyricism, he was able to retain respect from some of his die-hard fans. Vol. 3 is remembered for its smash hit, "Big Pimpin'" (feat UGK). By this time, Jay-Z was seen as a hip-hop figurehead both by hardcore fans and by the hip-hop industry due to his lyrics and his high album sales. The subject of much criticism, praise, popularity, condemnation, and discussion, Jay decided to begin developing other artists. Around 2000, he and Damon Dash signed various artists (including Beanie Sigel and Freeway) and began introducing them to the public. He next appeared on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which was intended as a compilation album to introduce these new artists, though the album had Jay-Z's name on it to strengthen market recognition and by extension, sales.

2001's The Blueprint is considered by many to be one of hip hop's "classic" albums, receiving the coveted "5 mic" review from The Source magazine. Released on September 11, 2001, the album managed to debut at #1, selling more than 450,000 albums in its first week. Sadly, the success of the album was overshadowed by the terrorist attacks that same day.

The Blueprint was applauded for its production and the balance of "mainstream" and "hardcore" rap, receiving recognition from both audiences. Eminem was the only guest artist on the album, producing and rapping on the single "Renegade",The Blueprint also includes the popular "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "Takeover," a song which takes on rivals Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Nas. A large portion of the material on this album was produced by Kanye West and represents one of his (Kanye's) first major breaks in the industry.

A feud between Jay-Z and Nas culminated in "Takeover", a diss from Jay-Z to Nas, in the fall of 2001.Nas responded with the diss track "Ether", arguably an even more lethal track than Takeover, even though it contained many false/fictious lyrics such as "Rocafella died of Aids" which refers to John D. Rockefeller (the world's first billionaire, who the label was named after). Over the course of the feud, Jay-Z claims that he and Allen Iverson slept with Carmen Bryan, the mother of Nas' daughter, Destiny. The feud was finally resolved in October 2005 with Jay-Z signing Nas to Defjam.

Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's 3.9 million (USA only) selling The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse a double-album . It was later reissued in a single-disc version, The Blueprint 2.1, which retained half of the tracks from the original and went on to sell a further 800 000 copies. The album spawned two hit singles "Excuse Me Miss" and "03 Bonnie and Clyde" featuring Jay-Z's girlfriend of 4 years Beyoncé Knowles.

Recent years

In 2003, Jay-Z toured with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Sean Paul while finishing work on what was announced as his final album, The Black Album. Notable songs on the album included "What More Can I Say," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," "Change Clothes," and "99 Problems." The latter was a cross-over hit comparable to The Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" which some believe pays homage to the now-rare old-school rap style. A few of the songs done on this album portray a more personal side of Jay-Z; for example, "Moment of Clarity" sheds light on his feelings towards his estranged father and coping with his death. It also deals with accusations that he sold out to reach a wider audience. "What More Can I Say" addresses the "biting" accusations with which many critics have impugned him.

In 2004, there was a runaway hit remix project by Danger Mouse called The Grey Album in which Jay-Z's Black Album vocals were blended with instrumentals sampled exclusively from The Beatles' White Album (which subsequently embroiled the DJ in a lawsuit that was later dropped with EMI, the owner's to the Beatle's work). This was made possible by an a cappella version of the "Black Album" that Jay-Z released with the specific intent for others to mix. The success of "The Grey Album" led to a rainbow of Black Album remix projects including "The Red Album," "The Blue Album" and so forth.

Also in 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with Linkin Park. The project was named Collision Course, and contained a six track EP, as well as a making of DVD. Some of the mash ups tracks were entitled Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From You, Jigga What/Faint, and Numb/Encore.

Technique

In his earliest appearances, Jay-Z's style was less polished; he had a propensity for rhyming fast, which gradually lessened over the years. By 1996, he had become more known for his metaphors and similes, as well as being a rapper to stress the ordeals of the drug-dealer's life. Later, flow would become a big part of his style.

He has often pointed to his ability to switch from emotionally provocative material like "Song Cry" to mainstream topics, such as "Big Pimpin'" as a sign that he straddles a line between material and intelligent rhymes that not a lot of artists have been able to do. However, he has been criticized for selling out to reach a mainstream audience, and he has acknowledged this on the song "Moment of Clarity".

Recently, producers and artists alike have been praising Jay-Z's ability to create verse after verse completely in his head without the aid of a pen and paper. He uses a difficult technique pioneered by himself and the late Notorious B.I.G as detailed in the August 2006 issue of XXL magazine celebrating the release of Jay-Z's first album "Reasonable Doubt". Jay-Z is on the cover. Rhymes are formulated entirely in the artist's head and the track is subsequently recorded in the studio without written lyrics.

Retirement

On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert at Madison Square Garden, which would later be the focus of his film Fade to Black. This concert was his "retirement party." All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators like The Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, Freeway, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Twista, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown, Pharrell and R. Kelly with special appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur; the mothers of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur respectively.

While Jay-Z had attested to a retirement from making new studio albums, various side projects and appearances soon followed. Included in these were a greatest hits record, mash-up projects and concert appearances with R. Kelly, Linkin Park and Phish. These appearances have kept his name in the spotlight and furthered peoples' speculation that he would not remain retired for long.

Jay-Z was the executive producer of Fort Minor's debut album The Rising Tied. Mike Shinoda got together with Jay-Z himself, as well as his Linkin Park bandmate Brad Delson, and they went over what tracks they thought should make the album.

According to VIBE Magazine Jay-Z has been quietly working on a new album in his private Chelsea, New York City studio with Dr. Dre.^[4] A range of producers including Just Blaze, Kanye West, Scott Storch and Pharrell have all purported to be sending Jay beats for his "new project," and Hype Williams (director of many Jay-Z videos) claims the rapper recently asked him to help with the album.^[5]

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the release of Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z performed a show at Radio City Music Hall on June 25th, 2006 and a rehearsal show at New York's Nokia Theatre one day prior. These shows will be followed by a world tour in September, calling at various cities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.^[6] While locations for the tour have been confirmed, no dates have yet been given apart from 4 dates in the UK and 1 in Ireland^[7]

Famed director Hype Williams recently told Billboard.com that he is getting ready to shoot Jay-Z's newest single, which would be the first from the comeback album.

Sources at Def Jam Records told SOHH exclusively that Jay-Z's new single, "Show Me What You Got," will be released some time in October. While rumors are that Jay-Z is scheduled to work with video director Hype Williams, the single's video will apparently be directed by F. Gary Gray ("Friday," "The Italian Job").

Rolling Stone Magazine recently reported that the new album (according to published reports and interviews, titled "Kingdom Come") would be released on November 14th, but announcements displayed on the screens at the end of concerts on his "Jay-Z World Tour" state that "he is coming back on the 21st of November". In recent months, producers such as the Neptunes, Kanye West, Cool & Dr. Dre and The Runners have leaked information about working with Jay-Z.

The new album will mark Jay's first solo release since 2003's The Black Album. He has since made guest appearances on remixes with Kanye West, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, and Linkin Park, as well as songs with Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, and Pharrell Williams, among others.

"I Declare War" concert

Having been such a visible artist in the late '90s through the early 2000s, Jay has been the subject of more rap-related controversy than most artists in mainstream hip-hop. Some of these have been resolved, some are ongoing, and some have simply dissipated.

On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert was entitled the "I Declare War" Concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event to whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war on. As he had previously "declared war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events, many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out assault by Jay upon his rivals. However, an anticipated response to subliminal shots taken by The Game and Cam'ron never materialized.

The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as President and CEO of Def Jam, complete with an on-stage mock-up of the Oval Office. Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of Rocafella records artists, Ne-Yo, Teairra Mari, T.I., Young Jeezy, Akon, Kanye West, Paul Wall, the LOX, and P. Diddy.

At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many beefs to rest to the surprise of hip-hop fans. Instead of declaring war, he declared that he was the "United Nations of this rap shit." The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous beef between Jay-Z and Nas. The two former rivals shook hands and shared the stage together to perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is Yours," from which "Dead Presidents" had sampled the vocals on the chorus. (Nas's verses were rapped over the "Dead Presidents" beat in the vein of a mix song done by DJ Statik Selektah.) Nas later performed songs of his own.

Beefs between other artists were also brought to a close (or put on hold) at the Powerhouse show. The event brought together for the first time in years, P. Diddy and The LOX, both who had a longstanding animosity due to a contract agreement between P. Diddy and The LOX and the latter's departure from Bad Boy Entertainment. Shortly after the concert, the beef was fully rectified.

The event also saw the return of Beanie Sigel from incarceration. There had been some speculation that Beanie Sigel was going to depart from Rocafella Records, but this concert proved otherwise. Beanie and The LOX's Jadakiss also officially ended their own beef when they, Jay-Z, the rest of the LOX and Sauce Money (who had been thought to have some animosity towards Jay) all performed the song "Reservoir Dogs."

The Return of Jay-Z

It has been confirmed that Jay-Z is prepping the release of a new single in October and will follow-up with his comeback album on November 21, 2006 titled Kingdom Come. ^[8] Sources at Def Jam Records told SOHH exclusively that Jay-Z's new single, "Show Me What You Got," will be released some time in October. Jay-Z is scheduled to work with video director Hype Williams, the single's video will reportedly be directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Italian Job). The album will feature producers like, The Neptunes,Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Kanye West, Cool & Dre, The Runners and Coldplay's Chris Martin (single entitled "Beach Chair").

Rumored to appear on the album are Rakim, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Eminem, Nas, Raekwon, Busta Rhymes, and others. Despite being turned down by several Wu Tang Clan members in the past, most notably when GZA turned down a Rocafella deal in 2002, Jay is looking to unite the Rocafella and Wu Tang families once again after the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard with the features of Method Man, Ghostface, and Raekwon on Kingdom Come.

Hip-Hop entrepreneur

Apart from being President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, Jay-Z is also one of the owners and founders of the Roc-A-Fella empire, which includes Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc-La-Familia, Roc-A-Fella Films and Rocawear.

At heart, Jay-Z is an entrepreneur like his fellow hip-hop-moguls-turned-friends Russell Simmons and Sean "Diddy" Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. He redirected the hip hop culture from hooded sweatshirts and baggy jeans to button-ups and crisp jeans, and received GQ's International Man of the Year award.

Roc-A-Fella Records

Jay-Z co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Def Jam purchased a 50% stake in the company in 1997 for a reported $1.5 million ^[9].

In late 2004, Jay-Z, Dame Dash and Biggs sold their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records and the label was retained as an Island Def Jam imprint. Soon thereafter Jay-Z was appointed the new President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings by Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid. Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by disagreement between Jay-Z and Dash as to what new ventures Roc-A-Fella could undertake.

The publicized split between Jay, Dash and Biggs led to the former partners sending jabs at each other in interviews. Dame Dash has made comment that after the break up he was portrayed as "Osama Bin Laden" to ensure that rappers would stay with Jay and not sign with him.^[10] Dash currently operates the recently-founded Dame Dash Music Group as a joint venture with Island Def Jam producing former Roc-A-Fella artists such as Beanie Sigel.

Rocawear and fashion

Co-founded in 1999 by Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Rocawear designed for and sought out a share of the lucrative urban fashion market already being capitalized on by labels like Phat Farm.

In 2005, Jay-Z bought out Rocawear co-founder Dash for an estimated $30 million and has sought to expand the company's reach by developing the S. Carter high-end clothing line. Jay also has a line of Reebok sneakers aptly named The S.Carter Collection, which holds the record for fastest-selling Reebok shoe in history ^[11] and made him the first non-athlete to have a signature line of sneakers. In the spring of 2006, he is in collaboration with Swiss luxury-watch maker Audemars Piguet ^[12].

Entertainment and lifestyle

Jay-Z co-owns The 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar which started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City, NJ. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Singapore. Roc-A-Fella also distributes Armadale, a Scottish vodka, in the U.S.

Jay-Z is a part owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team, and is one of the franchise owners interested in relocating the team to Brooklyn. In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering a takeover of Arsenal F.C., an English football team ^[13].

Personal life

Criminal charges

Jay-Z was accused of stabbing record executive Lance "Un" Riviera for what he perceived was Riviera's bootlegging of Vol 3...Life and Times of S. Carter. The stabbing allegedly occurred at the record release party for Q-Tip's debut solo album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a now defunct night club in Times Square, New York City, on December 9, 1999. Jay-Z's associates at the party were accused of causing a commotion within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover when he supposedly stabbed Riviera in the stomach with a five-inch blade.^[14]

Jay-Z initially denied the incident and pleaded not guilty when a grand jury returned the indictment. Jay-Z and his lawyers contended he was nowhere around Riviera during the incident and they had witnesses and videotape evidence from the club that showed Jay-Z's whereabouts during the disturbance. Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge which resulted in a sentence of three years probation. The New York Post reported that Jay-Z had bought out Riviera for $600,000 to cease his cooperation with prosecutors, and without the cooperation of the victim, prosecutors had to cut a plea deal that would not interfere with Jay-Z's touring plans. Riviera also dropped a civil suit, where he asked for $40 million.^[15]

Jay-Z makes reference to the trial and incident on his songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", off The Blueprint, "Threat," off The Black Album and "Dear Summer", which was included in Memphis Bleek's 2005 release 534.

Rival rapper Cam'ron has since claimed on his song "You Gotta Love It" that Jay-Z had actually "stabbed Him over Charli Baltimore".

Romantic life

Jay-Z was featured on Beyonce's hit single "Crazy In Love." He made yet another appearance on Beyoncé's 2006 hit, "Deja Vu". The couple have never publicly discussed their relationship, but have reportedly been together for almost four years. Beyoncé has stated that she believes that not publicly discussing their relationship has helped them. Jay-Z has said in a People Magazine article that "We don't play with our relationship."^{citation needed]}

Jay-Z did remark during a goodbye party for departing Def Jam head Lyor Cohen in 2004 that he and Beyoncé will "marry very soon."^[16] It is rumored that the couple will marry in November 2006 in Anguilla. ^[17]

Jay-Z and Beyoncé were listed as a Power Couple on Time Magazine's 100's Most Influential People of 2006.

Other

In 2002, Kashmere High School in Houston, Texas hosted Jay-Z as "principal for a day" [1].

After his retirement, Jay-Z has also become involved in philanthropic activity. On August 9, 2006, he met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the organization's headquarters in New York. The rapper pledged to use his upcoming world tour to raise awareness of – and combat – global water shortage. Already on the look-out for a way to, in his own words, "become helpful", he had been made aware of this issue during a visit to Africa. The effort will take place in partnership with the UN, as well as MTV, which will produce a documentary entitled Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life, scheduled for airing on November 24.^[18]

Grammy Award history

• Career Nominations: 18
• Career Wins: 5

Discography

For extended information see Jay-Z discography.

Albums

• 1996: Reasonable Doubt
• 1997: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
• 1998: Streets Is Watching (Soundtrack)
• 1998: Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life
• 1999: Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter
• 2000: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
• 2001: The Blueprint
• 2001: Unplugged
• 2002: The Best of Both Worlds
• 2002: The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse
• 2003: The Black Album
• 2004: Unfinished Business (with R. Kelly)
• 2004: Collision Course (with Linkin Park)
• 2006: Kingdom Come

Top 20 Singles

Filmography

• Streets Is Watching (1998)
• Hard Knock Life (2000)
• State Property (2002)
• Paper Soldiers (2002)
• Fade To Black (2004)

See also

• Best selling music artists
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

External links

• Rocafella profile

• Def Jam Records
• S. Carter Academy
• The 40/40 Club
• Rocawear
• Roc With Me: V.I.P.
• Jay-Z at MusicBrainz
• Jay-Z at the Internet Movie Database
• Jay-Z at Last.fm
• Jay-Z at All Music Guide
• Jay-Z at MTV.com
• Newsweek Entertainment profile
• Jay-Z at TheRapCella.Com
• Jay-Z NEWS

References