Artist: Shawn Corey Carter A/K/A Jay-Z

Date of Birth: December 4, 1969

Reppin': Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, New York


As a hustler in New York, Jay-Z used his drug money to finance a career in music and released independent records in the late '80s. Gloria Carter, Jay's mother, was an avid record collector. As a child, young Shawn Carter would sit down at the dining room table writing songs and music while his mother cleaned the house with the music playing. However, as Jay grew older and spent more time hustling, there was less time he had available for transcribing lyrics. As a result, Jay-Z developed an almost genius skill that few others could emulate, even now. That genius skill? Jay has repeatedly boasted that he completely puts together his rhymes in his mind and commits them to his memory, without ever writing them down.

Damon Dash and Jay-Z were their own distributors for a while, sellling tapes out of a trunk to whoever would buy them. Together with friends Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Jay-Z created Roc-a-Fella Records, a risky strategy for cutting out the middle man and making money for himself. Of course, they needed a quality distributor, and when he scored a deal with Priority Records, he was set to release his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt".

Upon its release, "Reasonable Doubt" was a modest commercial success; driven by the strength of "Ain't No Nigga," a gold single featuring Foxy Brown, and followed by another strong single featuring Mary J. Blige, "Can't Knock the Hustle," Jay-Z had quickly made a name for himself with the public. However, critics and seasoned rap listeners recognized his talent more than the mainstream did and lauded "Reasonable Doubt", so when it came time for the follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, expectations were high (even more so with a new distribution deal with Def Jam). Much like Reasonable Doubt, this album also featured some impressive production courtesy of high-profile producer DJ Premier, and collaborations with P-Diddy (then Puff Daddy), Babyface, and Foxy Brown. Though debuting at Number 3 in November 1997, the album didn't score any big hit singles and was seen as a minor critical and commercial disappointment by many, despite the fact that the album itself was a solid collection of great beats and fluid rapping, even if it didn't have a breakthrough single. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he spun the tale of his hard knock upbringing and had a few seductive anthems for the clubs.

With two albums under his belt, Jay-Z was already being recognized as one of the top performers in rap due to his top-notch lyrics, street themes, and mezmerizing delivery, but he still kept setting the bar high. His soundtrack to the self-directed, produced and written short Streets Is Watching featured the smash "It's Alright" with protege Memphis Bleek.

Huge crossover/mainstream success and more street cred came with the album Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life. It remained atop the Billboard chart for five weeks, spawned one of the most successful tours in hip-hop history, and cemented the reputation of Jay-Z as a major talent and someone who had the ability to crossover without losing his hardcore fan base. Each subsequent album has raised the status of the rap and fashion mogul at the head of the Roc-A-Fella empire and influenced hip-hop significantly.

Jay-Z has become the biggest name in hip-hop, a title that he has earned and claimed for himself at the same time with a cool, collected arrogance evident from his classic debut, Reasonable Doubt. Back when the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur were deep in the most infamous battle in music history, Jay-Z was a quiet challenger to the throne, waiting in the wings for his shot at the title.

When the life of the Notorious BIG was ended, Jay-Z emerged to claim the much revered, mythic throne of "King of New York" and ultimately, the King of Hip-Hop. The prophecy he laid out on the track "Brooklyn's Finest" with B.I.G. had come to fruition.

Jay-Z has had his share of battles in and away from the recording studio. He has responded to confrontations by many worthy opponents including Nas, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and Jadakiss. Jay also received three years probation in October 2001 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault for stabbing record executive and former business associate Lance "Un" Rivera, reportedly over claims that Rivera was deeply involved in the bootlegging of his then soon-to-be released album "Vol 3...Life and Times of S. Carter."