Jay-Z (top) with a friend (bottom) in, circa 1988 Carter was born in the borough of and was raised in, a housing project in the neighborhood. After their father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned the family, Shawn and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter. Reeves would later meet and reconcile with Jay-Z before dying in 2003. Jay-Z claims in his lyrics that in 1982 at age 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. Along with future rapper, Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn until it was closed down.
He then attended the nearby with future rappers and, followed by a stint at in, though he did not graduate. According to his interviews and lyrics, during this period he sold and was shot at three times.
According to his mother, Carter used to wake up his siblings at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. She bought him a for his birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began and writing lyrics. Known as 'Jazzy' around the neighborhood, Carter later adopted the showbiz/stage name 'Jay-Z' in homage to his mentor. Jay-Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including 'The Originators' and 'Hawaiian Sophie.' Jay-Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper in the early 1990s. He first became known to a wide audience on the 'Show and Prove' on the 1994 album.
Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's during this period, although Kane explains that he didn't fill the traditional hype man role, and was instead 'basically making cameo appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage.' The young Jay-Z appeared on a popular song by, 'Da Graveyard', and on 's 'Time to Build', which also featured early appearances by and in 1995.
His first official rap single was called ', for which he released a music video. An unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side 'I Can't Get with That.' Music career 1995–1997: Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime, Vol.
1 With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold CDs out of his car and, with and Kareem Biggs, created as an independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with, Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album with from acclaimed producers such as and and an appearance.
The album reached number 23 on the, and was generally favored by critics. This album would later be included in Rolling Stone's ' as No. 248 and eventually reach platinum status. After reaching a new distribution deal with in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up.
Produced by, it sold better than his previous effort. Jay-Z later explained that the album was made during one of the worst periods of his life when he was reeling from the death of his close friend, The Notorious B.I.G. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he told the stories of his difficult upbringing. The album's 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. Like its predecessor, earned platinum status in the United States. 1998–2000: Vol.
And The Dynasty In 1998, Jay-Z released which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, '. He relied more on and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as, an upstart in-house producer for, and.
Other producers included, and. Charting hits from this album included ', featuring and, and ', also featuring Amil. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies. The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination. In 1999, Jay-Z dueted with on ', a song from her seventh album,. In that same year, Jay-Z released. The album proved successful and sold over 3 million copies.
3's most successful single was ', featuring. In 2000, Jay-Z released, which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but Def Jam turned into a Jay-Z album. The album helped to introduce newcomer producers, and, which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums.
The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S. 2001–2002: Feud with Nas, The Blueprint and The Blueprint 2 In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against after he took an issue with a Jay-Z line from ' that he felt alluded disparagingly to Mobb Deep and his dispute with, and. He later performed the song ', at 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like. A line at the end of 'Takeover' referred to, who criticized him on 'We Will Survive'. Nas responded with a diss track called ' and Jay-Z straightaway added a verse to 'Takeover' which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. The feud had ended by 2005, Jay-Z stated had helped them settle the feud.
On September 11, 2001, hours before the, Jay-Z released his sixth studio album, which received a coveted from hip-hop magazine. Written in just two days, the album sold more than 427,000 copies, debuted at number one on the and reached 2x platinum status in the U.S. It was lauded for its production and its balance of 'mainstream' and 'hardcore' rap.
Was the only guest rapper on the album, producing and rapping on the song 'Renegade'. Four tracks were produced by and the album represents one of West's first major breaks in the industry. The Blueprint includes the popular songs ', ', ', and '. As of February 2012, the album had sold 2,700,000 copies worldwide, even though its initial success had been overshadowed by the tragic events of 9/11. In October 2001, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to stabbing record producer at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City in 1999.
For this second degree felony, Jay-Z was sentenced to three years probation. Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's, a double-album. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 3 million units in the U.S.
Alone and surpassing The Blueprint. It was later reissued in a single-disc version, which retained half of the tracks from the original. The album spawned two massive hit singles, ' and ', which featured Jay-Z's future wife. 'Guns & Roses', featuring, and ' were two successful radio singles as well. The album also contained the tracks 'A Dream', featuring and the late; and 'The Bounce', featuring.
The Blueprint 2.1 featured tracks that do not appear on The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, such as 'Stop', 'La La La (Excuse Me Again)', 'What They Gonna Do, Part II' and 'Beware' produced by and featuring. 2003–2005: The Black Album, initial retirement and collaborative albums. Jay-Z in 2003 After visiting the south of France, Jay-Z announced work on his eighth studio album at the opening of the 40/40 Club. He worked with several producers including, and.
Notable songs on the album included ', ', ', and '. The Black Album has sold more than 3 million copies in the US. Jay-Z collaborated with and released a collaborative studio album,.
On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert—billed as a 'retirement party' at in, which would later be the focus of his film. All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators like (in the form of his backing band), Freeway, and with special appearances by Voletta Wallace and, the mothers of and 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, as well as the release and tour of, the second collaborative album between Jay-Z and R. In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group, in which they released their collaborative, which featured of both artists' songs, as well as a concert DVD. The album's only single, ', went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and was performed with Linkin Park live at the Grammys, with a special appearance by, who added verses from the song '.
The EP sold over 1 million copies in the US. Jay-Z was the executive producer of, the debut album of, the hip hop of Linkin Park rapper. Jay-Z also planned to retire in 2004. Later in 2004, Jay-Z was named president of Def Jam Records, which led to Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs selling their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z taking control of both of the companies. Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash as to what direction Roc-A-Fella could undertake. The publicized split between Jay-Z, Dash, and Biggs led to the former partners sending jabs at each other in interviews.
2005–2007: 'I Declare War', Kingdom Come and American Gangster. Jay-Z at a concert in 2006. On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert was entitled the 'I Declare War' concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. 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-Z upon his rivals.
The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as President and CEO of, complete with an on-stage mock-up of the. Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of records artists, as well as, and.
At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and. 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'.
Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006, titled. Jay-Z's comeback single, ', was leaked on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the to step in and investigate. Jay-Z worked with video director, and the single's video was directed. The album features production from, and 's (single entitled '). The first week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, which said was 'the highest single-week total in Jay's decade long career'.
This album has sold 2 million copies in the US. Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled on November 6, 2007. After viewing the Ridley Scott, Jay-Z was heavily inspired to create a new 'concept' album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler. The album is not the film's official soundtrack, although it was distributed.
Jay-Z's American Gangster depicts his life in correlation to the movie American Gangster. At the start of the album's first single, ', Jay-Z offers a dealer's manifesto while making references to political figures of the late 1980s with the lyric: 'Blame for making me to into a monster, blame and, I ran contraband that they sponsored, before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert.' Also notable about the 'Blue Magic' music video was Jay-Z flashing €500 euro notes; professor called this a 'turning point in American pop culture's response to globalization.' The album has sold 1 million copies in the US. On January 1, 2008, Jay-Z resigned as president of Def Jam. 2008–2011: The Blueprint 3 and Watch the Throne In the winter of 2008 it was announced that Jay-Z become the first major hip hop artist to headline Britain's.
Tickets sold out quickly. Former headliner of condemned the festival organizers for choosing Jay-Z to headline a traditionally guitar-driven festival. 'I'm sorry, but Jay-Z?' Gallagher asked, swearing.
Glastonbury has a tradition of, kind of, guitar music, do you know what I mean? And even when they throw the odd curve balls in on a Sunday night—you go, 'Kylie Minogue? I don't know about that', do you know what I mean?—but I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury, no way, no, no. As controversy mounted, Jay-Z replied, 'We don't play guitars, Noel, but hip hop has put in its work like any other form of music. This headline show is just a natural progression. Rap music is still evolving. We have to respect each other's genre of music and move forward.'
Jay-Z opened his Glastonbury set with a tongue-in-cheek cover of Oasis's iconic song ', and went on to deliver a performance heralded as a successful response to pre-festival criticism. Jay-Z during his Glastonbury performance He also headlined many other summer festivals in 2008, including in Denmark, in Norway and in London. During Kanye West's concert of August 6, 2008 at Madison Square Garden, Jay-Z came out to perform a new song and he and Kanye proclaimed that it was to be on The Blueprint 3.
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On May 21, 2009, Jay-Z announced he would be parting ways with Def Jam, and had struck a multimillion-dollar deal to sign with, with whom he would start his imprint which would serve as a record label, talent/management agency, and music publishing company and also partnered up with production team to start a record label called. Jay-Z's 11th studio album was originally to be released on September 11, 2009, but was instead released in North America on September 8, 2009, due to increasing anticipation. Its international release followed on September 14.
It is his 11th album to reach No.1 on the Billboard 200 and has surpassed Elvis Presley's previous record, making him the current solo artist record holder. On October 9, 2009, Jay-Z kicked off his tour for, during which he supported his new album in North America. In a Shave Magazine review of his performance at in, Jake Tomlinson expressed that 'It was the type of smooth performance you would expect from the hip-hop superstar.' The review gave this performance 4 stars. His North American tour continued until November 22, 2009. At his concert on November 8, 2009, at 's, joined him on stage and performed 'Hard' for the very first time, then performed 'Run This Town' with Jay-Z. Among his success, Jay-Z has ventured into producing Broadway shows.
Along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, Jay-Z helped produced the play Fela!, a musical celebrating the work of the late Nigerian star. Jay-Z said he was inspired by the power of Kuti's work and his life story, which resulted in his interest to help produce the musical. Is a story about an African pioneer and political activist who made his first moves on the scene during the 1970s. Jay-Z performing at the in April 2010. On January 23, 2010, Jay-Z released a track, ', with, and 's and, as well as performing it at the telethon.
In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in a pair of concerts in Detroit and New York. The event was dubbed. The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue.
Jay-Z was the supporting act for on the Australian and New Zealand leg of their, beginning in, New Zealand in November 2010, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, and in December. Jay-Z also appeared on stage during U2 performances of ', and in Auckland also on a five-track EP entitled. Although, it was later revealed by West that the project had become a full-length LP. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations and began in November 2010. The first single released for the project was '. The track was co-produced by and West himself. The track ended up being on the deluxe edition of the album.
The follow-up to that was the second single ', which premiered on 's radio show, and was later released to the eleven days later. The song's existence, along with several other tracks from the album, was confirmed during a listening session hosted by Jay-Z. The album was first released on the iTunes Store, five days prior to it being released in physical format, a strategy Jay-Z later said was used to block an.
It debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Store in 23 countries. It also broke 's record for most albums sold in one week on the online retailer, selling 290,000 copies on iTunes alone. It held that record, until 's was released twenty-one days later, selling only 10,000 copies more. It debuted on the US chart at No. 1, selling 436,000 copies in its first week.
The album received generally positive reviews. Jay-Z and West later gave a surprise performance of 'Otis' at the. In April 2011, Jay-Z launched a blog-like, lifestyle website by the name of Life + Times.
It covers everything from music, to fashion, to technology, to sports. The site is curated based on Jay-Z's interests, and he himself works with a small staff to produce every single piece of content.
2012–2016: Magna Carta Holy Grail and other ventures.