Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), popularly known as Jay-Z, (or by a variety of stage names including S. Carter, Iceberg, Jigga, Jay-Hova, Hova, Hov, and Young Hov) is an american hip-hop artist and former president and CEO of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records. He is regarded as one of the most prolific and successful American rappers of the mid-90s and early 2000s.

Known for his use of metaphors, freestyling abilities, word play, flow, and blending of street and popular hip hop, Jay-Z became one of the most respected rappers in the music industry before his alleged retirement in 2004. He is admired for his ability to craft songs from memory without the use of pen and paper. He claims his critically acclaimed album The Blueprint was written in only three days. Some dispute this claim, but it is widely accepted by the hip-hop community.


He is one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, a hip-hop record label which also launched the careers of artists such as Beanie Si...