JAY-Z

Biography

Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter, on December 4, 1969 and was raised in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, New York. During his school days, he befriended a young Christopher Wallace, who grew up to be known as the Notorious B.I.G.

As a hustler in his rough neighborhood, Jay-Z used his money to finance a career in music and released independent records in the late '80s. His parents were avid record collectors and Jay-Z would sit down at the dining room table as a child writing rhymes while his mother cleaned the house with the music blaring. The more time he spent on the block though, the less time he had for transcribing lyrics. As a result, Jay-Z developed a genius skill that few others could emulate, even now.

rhyme in time

He invented an entire rhyme in his head and committed it to memory, without ever writing it down. That skill is still evident, as Jay-Z is known to create an entire album by playing the sample track in the studio in a trance, with the eventual lyric spewed out on the spot before recording it for good.

After scoring some underground success, Jay-Z learned from other rappers who got a raw deal from the music business, and opened his own label, Roc-A-Fella, with friend Damon Dash. His subsequent debut Reasonable Doubt went gold and spawned the hit "Ain't No Nigga" with Foxy Brown. The mainstream audience failed to take notice but the newcomer with the smooth voice and rhyme pattern astounded true devotees of the genre.

The anticipated sequel, In My Lifetime Vol. 1, debuted at Number 3 in November 1997 and featured a slew of big names in the world of rap, from Too Short to talented producer DJ Premier. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he spun the tale of his hard knock upbringing and in trademark Jigga style, had a few seductive anthems for the clubs.

it's more than alright for jay-z

The true sign that a rap artist has arrived is how ubiquitous he becomes, as others clamor for a rhyme or guest appearance. With two albums under his belt, Jay-Z had become the undisputed leader of the rap pack 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."

Mainstream success and more street cred came with the album Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life. It remained atop the Billboard chart for five weeks and cemented the reputation of Jay-Z as a major talent and producer of urban anthems. Each subsequent album has raised the status of the rap and fashion mogul at the head of the Roc-A-Fella empire, with The Blueprint making the biggest splash with critics and fans to date.