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Jay-Z: The Rap Mogul and Businessman

Shawn Corey Carter, known as Jay-Z, was born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. He began his musical career in the late 1980s and co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 to release his own music. He went on to become one of the most influential hip-hop artists of all time — and hip-hop's first billionaire.

Reasonable Doubt to The Blueprint

Jay-Z released his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996 to widespread critical success. He followed with a run of acclaimed albums including The Blueprint (2001) and The Black Album (2003), both considered landmarks of the genre. He holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200, with 14.

The Business Empire

In 1999, Jay-Z founded the clothing brand Rocawear, and in 2003, the 40/40 Club sports bar chain. He served as CEO of Def Jam Recordings and was central to the success of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole. In 2008, he founded the entertainment company Roc Nation, and in 2013, the sports agency Roc Nation Sports. In 2015, he acquired the streaming service Tidal. In 2019, he became the first hip-hop artist to achieve billionaire status.

Awards and Later Work

Jay-Z has won more than 20 Grammy Awards, and released the acclaimed album 4:44 in 2017. He also released the collaborative albums Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West and Everything Is Love (2018) with Beyoncé. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2009, he and his mother founded the Shawn Carter Foundation to help people facing socio-economic hardships access higher education.

Jay-Z won his first Grammy Award in 1999 for his album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. His single "Empire State of Mind" with Alicia Keys became one of his signature songs and his first Hot 100 number one as a lead artist. In 2013, he founded Roc Nation Sports, a full-service sports agency. His marriage to Beyoncé in 2008 made them one of music's most prominent power couples, and their joint work includes the album Everything Is Love (2018).

Legacy

Jay-Z turned rap success into a business empire and a cultural institution. He showed a generation of artists that the goal was not just a hit record — it was ownership.

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