Jay Z - Biography

Last Editor: anaafeliciano				Jay Z Biography -   Name : Jay Z Birth name : Shawn Corey Carte Nickname : S-dot,Young Hov,Jazzy, Hova,Jigga,J-Hova, Jiggaman,Iceberg Slim, Lucky Lefty,Joe Camel Date of birth : December 4, 1969 Place of birth : Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Profession : Rapper, songwriter, MC, record executive, record producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, businessman, fashion designer, media mogul Genre : Hip hop Years active : 1990–present Height : 6' 1½" (1.87 m) Spouse : Beyoncé Knowles (4 April 2008 - present)

Jay Z Trivia -

"Ghostwriter" for such stars as: Foxy Brown, Ma$e, Dr. Dre, and others. His ex-girlfriend's pregnancy led to a miscarriage two years ago, a fact he laments in the song "This Can't Be Life", from 2000's The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000). He has had six consecutive albums make #1 debuts on The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts: "Volume 2: Hard Knock Life"; "Volume 3: The Life and Times of S. Carter"; "The Dynasty/Roc la' Familia"; "The Blueprint"; "Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse", and "The Black Album". Since his album "Hard Knock Life/Volume 2", every Jay-Z solo album has gone at least double platinum. His "The Blueprint 2" has sold a total of 3 million copies. He created urban clothing line 'Roca Wear' His latest album is, "The Black Album", which he says will be his last. Calls "Reasonable Doubt" the favorite of his own recordings because "it's the first.". Calls "Blueprint 2" his weakest album because of "too many songs.". The second rapper to have his own signature sneaker, the S. Carter by Reebok. (Master P was first, affiliated with Converse.) It went on to become one of the biggest-selling sneakers of 2003. "The Black Album" is to be accompanied by his autobiography, "The Black Book". Ends the feud with Rapper Nas. Is good friends with Eminem. They have worked together three times since 2003. Has often been called "The God MC." This is why he has been called Hova. J-Hova (Jehovah). He and Beyoncé Knowles are buying a house in Miami as well as in London, England. Discovered rapper Malicious Jynx. July 2004: Has a sneaker deal with Reebok to create his S. Carter sneaker line. Is portrayed by Jimmie Walker in rapper Cam'Ron's video "Wet Wipes". Was among the guests at Usher Raymond's 26th birthday party. Ranked #10 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists. In 2004, it was reported that he had amassed a fortune worth $286 million as founder of Roc-a-fella Entertainment. Good friends with Ralph Fiennes. Son-in-law of Matthew Knowles and Tina Knowles. Brother-in-law of Solange Knowles. Along with his wife Beyonce, is good friends of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Ranked #7 in the 2008 Forbes The Celebrity 100 list. It was controversially announced on February 2, 2008 that Jay-Z would headline Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, becoming the first major hip-hop artist to headline the British festival.

Jay Z Detailed Biography -

Shawn Corey Carter, also known as Jay-Z, Jigga, and Jay-Hova was born on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York. He is a rap/hip hop performer and record label executive. He was one of the most popular and successful U.S. rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s and often claims to be the best rapper alive, (which is hard to dispute, but since he has 'retired', Eminem is widely considered to be the best.) He is one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, a successful hip-hop label which also launched the careers of Beanie Sigel, Kanye West, Memphis Bleek, Young Gunz, Freeway, and others. Known for his metaphoric lines, freestyling abilities, crafty word play, and blending of street and popular hip hop, Jay-Z became one of the most respected rappers in the music industry before announcing his retirement from recording in 2004. Jay-Z was later appointed the president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, after Roc-A-Fella was sold to the company. As of 2005, he is estimated to be worth around $320 million . Several rumors indicate that Jay-Z is planning on releasing a new album (though it may contain only previously un-released material) in 2006, 10 years after his 1st release. In February 2006 when asked who he was producing for next longtime collaborator Pharrell dropped several names, among them were Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, and... (last but not least) Jay-Z. Originally from the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, Carter was abandoned by his father Agnes Reeves when he was twelve years old and he was consequently raised by his mother Gloria. This had a profound effect on him, and as a young man, he claims to have been caught up in selling drugs on the streets of New York in the Marcy Projects. He was known as "Jazzy" in his neighborhood, a nickname which eventually became his stage name, "Jay-Z." The name Jay-Z is also a homage to his musical partner Jaz-O (a.k.a., the Jaz) as well as to the J-Z subway lines that go from Manhattan to Brooklyn. According to his mother, a young Jay 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, which sparked his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing rhymes, and followed the music of many artists popular at the time. Eventually he started recording at Jaz's house; Jay-Z can be heard on several of The Jaz's early recordings, including The Originators and Hawaiian Sophie, which began his popularity as an artist. 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". Jay-Z co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with partners Damon Dash and Kareem “Biggs" Burke. In 1996, he released his debut album Reasonable Doubt, with beats from popular producers like DJ Premier and DJ Clark Kent and appearances by The Notorious BIG, and received critical acclaim, though its sales didn't meet expectations. Here he began his history of announcing retirement, only to repent and release another album; he would do this several more times in his career.