Jay-Z Biography and Life Story

Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on April 12, 1969, and grew up in the drug-filled Marcy Projects neighborhood of Brooklyn. After his father abandoned him and his brothers, he was raised alone by his mother, Gloria Carter. He lived a hard life on the streets of New York as a child. With fellow rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, he temporarily attended Eli Whitney High School, where he developed his rapping skills. In 1996, Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke co-founded an independent record company named Roc-a-Fella Records with the help of their former bandmates from “Original Flavor.” Roc-a-Fella later merged with Def Jam Recordings.

Jay-Z is a person who is capable of doing practically anything. He started out as a rapper and businessman and was president and CEO of Def Jam, which was a significant position. When I was attempting to get a record deal, it was so difficult to do it on my own that it was either give up or start my own business, Jay-Z said. “I was forced to be an artist and a CEO from the beginning, so I was forced to be like a businessman,” Jay-Z said.

Jay-Z sold more than 18 million albums globally in his capacity as an artist. Since the release of his debut album “Reasonable Doubt” in 1996, Jay-Z has won numerous important accolades for his commitment to hip-hop, including American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards, and Grammy Awards.

In 2003, Jay-Z released “The Black Album” and simultaneously released his autobiography, “The Black Book,” which was a reflection of the struggles he had endured to become successful. Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles, a former member of Destiny’s Child, were rumored to be dating at the time. The duo collaborated on Beyonce’s album “Crazy in Love,” and Prince Charles once invited them to a meal at Buckingham Palace. Beyonce stated that all wedding rumors were “big fat rumors” in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, adding, “One day I wish to be married with children.”

Jay-Z had great success in 1998 with “Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life.” Up to this point, the rapper’s most popular commercial single was the album’s title track. The following year, Jay-Z published “Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter,” which was likewise well-received by critics. Between 2000 and 2003, he put out a number of CDs before announcing his departure from the music business.

Jay-Z returned in November 2006 with the release of “Kingdom Come” following a three-year absence. The rapper collaborated on the project alongside a number of well-known musicians, including Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and Chris Martin of Coldplay. Like its predecessor, the album was well-received by fans and achieved global sales of over two million copies.

There were rumors that Jay-Z will quit his job as CEO of Def Jam and move to Columbia to be with his girlfriend Beyonce. The rapper, however, asserted that his contract with the record company merely expired and had not yet been renewed during an interview in 2007 that he had not yet made the decision to leave Def Jam. In September 2007, he announced the release of a new album with the title “American Gangster” after being moved by the film of the same name. On September 20, 2007, the song’s first single, “Blue Magic,” was made available on radio stations, followed by P. Diddy’s “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…)” single. After being on sale on November 6 and selling 425,000 copies, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. All ten of his albums debuted at number one, placing him in the same position as the late, great artist Elvis Presley.

Jay-Z had been quite active since then, performing as the headlining act at the O2 Wireless Festival, the Hove Festival, and the Roskilde Festival, among others. In addition to his work in music and business, Jay-Z was a vocal participant in the 2008 presidential election and a fervent Barack Obama supporter. He wed Beyonce in April 2008 after years of feeding dating rumors. Jay-Z left Def Jam in 2009 and began working with Live Nation under a lucrative contract. Together, they founded the music publishing and montage company Roc Nation. Along with Jay-Z, the label also worked with Shakira, Kanye West, Timbaland, Rihanna, and many others.

On September 8, 2009, “The Blueprint 3,” Jay-eleventh Z’s studio album, was made available. In October, he immediately began a North American tour in favor of the project. In support of that year’s “Hope for Haiti Now” fundraising, he also co-wrote the song “Stranded” with Rihanna, Bono, and The Edge. He also published a memoir called “Decoded” later on.

Blue Ivy, a baby girl, was born to Jay-Z and Beyonce as their first child in 2012. The follow-up to “The Blueprint 3” was finally published by him in 2013 after he had started work on a new album. After selling 528,000 copies in its first week, the record, titled “Magna Carta… Holy Grail,” debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. Jay-Z gained notoriety in 2015 when he and a number of notable musicians, including Madonna, Nicki Minaj, and Jack White, founded a streaming service called Tidal.

The rapper made the decision to take a break from recording new music. After the birth of his twin children Sir and Rumi, he made a triumphant comeback in June 2017 by releasing an album with the working title “4:44.” The Tidal and Sprint-only set went platinum in less than a week and won praise from artists like Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg. The album may be Jay-most Z’s vulnerable and emotional work to date because of the rapper’s admissions of cheating on his wife, the revelation that her mother is a lesbian, and his criticism of other rappers.

Jay-Z included three bonus tracks for the physical edition, one of which was Blue Ivy rapping nonstop for 45 seconds. According to reports, the rapper will be prepared to tour in support of the new album by the end of the year thanks to a $200 million touring agreement he inked with Live Nation in May.