Outline

Jay Z overcame many adversities to become the successful man he is today.

I.

Adversity

A.Adversity
Quotes: Jay-Z couldn't get signed to any record labels.No one can stop Jay-Z. He
came from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood and had big dreams to make it big as a
rapper. Unfortunately, the rest of the world didn't agree with him at first. Not one record
label would sign him. Yet that didn't stop him from creating his own music powerhouse.
His label would eventually turn into the insanely lucrative Roc-A-Fella Records. Here's
proof Jay-Z is on top: Forbes has estimated his net worth at $500 million, and
TIME ranked him at one of their 2013 Most Influential People In The World. And he's
married to Beyonc.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a bad neighborhood and could not get any record labels
to sign him. He created his own record label and is now extremely successful.
Identifier: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/successful-peopleobstacles_n_3964459.html

B.

Childhood

Quotes: Rapper Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn,
New York. "He was the last of my four children," Jay-Z's mother later recalled, "the only
one who didn't give me any pain when I gave birth to him, and that's how I knew he was
a special child." Jay-Z's father, Adnes Reeves, left the family when Jay-Z was only 11
years old. The young rapper was raised by his mother, Gloria Carter, in Brooklyn's druginfested Marcy Projects.

Paraphrasing: Jay Z was raised in a bad neighborhood. He was raised by his mother.
Identifier: http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696

C.

Childhood

Paraphrasing: The rap star grew up in a single-parent household in the Marcy Projects of
Brooklyn, New York.His mother, Gloria Carter, worked as a clerk in an investment
company. Jay-Z's father, Adnis Reeves, left when he was 12 years old.
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D.

Marcy Houses

Quotes: Located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the Marcy

Houses or Marcy Projects were named after William L. Marcy, the 11th Governor of
New York, who later served as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. Its
1,705 apartments house more than 4,200 residents.Known as the childhood home of
rapper Jay-Z, Marcy s infamous reputation has been documented in countless rap songs.
Jay-Z s Murder Marcyville was named to describe the developments violent lure.
And his Where Im From track details the poverty and prevalence of gun violence and
crack cocaine that consumed the housing development. In the song, Jay-Z raps [Im
from] Where you cant put your vest away and say youll wear it tomorrow / Cause the
day after well be saying, damn I was just with him yesterday.

Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a bad neighborhood. He rapped some of his experiences

when growing up here.
Identifier: http://newsone.com/1555245/most-infamous-public-housing-projects/

E.Childhood
Quotes: Shawn Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Marcy
Houses, a housing project in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesantneighborhood. He and his
three siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter, after their father abandoned the
family. He claims in his lyrics that in 1982, at the age of 12, he shot his older brother in
the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a bad neighborhood. He grew up in a place where guns
were very accessible.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

F. Teenage Years
Paraphrasing: He sold drugs as a teenager.
Identifier: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindo
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G.

Teenage Years

Quotes: In his music he refers to having been involved in selling crack cocaine. He has
also said he had been shot at three times during this time in his life.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z may have sold drugs. He was also in a place with many guns.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

H.

Teenage Years

Quotes: During a rough adolescence, detailed in many of his autobiographical songs,

Shawn Carter dealt drugs and flirted with gun violence. He attended Eli Whitney High
School in Brooklyn, where he was a classmate of the soon-to-be-martyred rap legend
Notorious B.I.G. As Jay-Z later remembered his childhood in one of his songs
("December 4th"), "I went to school, got good grades, could behave when I wanted/ But I
had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z had a difficult time growing up. He was in a place infested with guns
and drugs.
Identifier: http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696#early-life

I. Beginning of Rap
Quotes: When Jay-Z was first starting out in the rap world, he was introduced to Damon
"Dame" Dash, who, by the time he was 19, had already gotten record deals for two acts.
Dash soon became Jay-Z's manager and Dash's childhood friend, Kareem "Biggs" Burke,
was then hired as Jay-Z's road manager. For two years, the three worked unsuccessfully
to obtain a record deal. The trio then decided to form their own record company, Roc-AFella Records, in which they would all serve as partners. Jay-Z's role was that of marquee
artist, Dash ran the company's day-to-day operations, and Burke, according

to Vibe, served as "a barometer of the streets." After Roc-A-Fella secured a deal with
Priority Records for the distribution of their albums, Jay-Z was ready to release his first
record, Reasonable Doubt.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z was surrounded by many successful rappers. He learned a lot from
them.
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J. Beginning of Rap
Paraphrasing: Rap was his way out of the hard knock life.The money that came with a
successful rap career took him out of the Brooklyn projects, and rap music gave him a
means to express his feelings about knocks and blows he has taken.
Identifier: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindo
w?failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&u=nysl_sc_cppwhs&cu
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K.Beginning of Rap

Quotes: According to his mother, Carter used to wake up his siblings at night banging out
drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him aboom box for his
birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing lyrics, and
followed the music of many artists popular at the time.
Paraphrasing: From a young age, Jay Z was passionate about rap. He learned from other
rappers of the time.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

L. First Album
Quotes: With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold CDs out of his car and,
with Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs, created Roc-A-Fella Records as their own
independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with Priority, Jay-Z released
his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ
Premier andSuper DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.. The album
reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, and was generally favored by critics. This
album would later be included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" as
No.248 and eventually reach platinum status.
Paraphrasing: Altough he struggled to get his album out there, it later became very
successful. He got many awards for this album.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

M.

Second Album

Quotes: 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
andSki. Like its predecessor, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 earned Platinum status in the United
States.
Paraphrasing: This album came from a dark part of Jay Z. He put real life feelings into
this album.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

N.

Criminal Record

Quotes: On December 1 of that year, Jay-Z, who had come to believe that record
executive Lance "Un" Rivera was behind the bootlegging of Vol. 3..., allegedly stabbed
Rivera at the release party for Q-Tip's album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a nowdefunct night club in Times Square, New York City. Jay-Z's associates at the party were
accused of causing a commotion within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover
when he supposedly stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch (127 mm) blade. He
surrendered to police the following evening and was placed under arrest, although he was
soon released on $50,000 bail. When he was indicted in Manhattan Criminal Court in late
January 2000, he pleaded not guilty; he and his lawyers contended that they had
witnesses and videotapes proving he had been nowhere near Rivera during the incident.
Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and accepted a threeyear probation sentence.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z got into trouble with the law. This can be seen as another adversity
he faced.

Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z
II.

Quotes about Adversity

A.Quote
Quotes: "That was when the hurt and then the healing began for me, from that day right
there."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z lived a struggled life. He was (figuratively) broken and then had to
heal.
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B.

Quote

Quotes: Jay Z I come from the Marcy projects, in Brooklyn, which is considered a
tough place to grow up, but this [showed me] how good we have it. The rappers who say,
'We're from the 'hood,' take it from me, you're not from the 'hood. You haven't seen
people with no access to water. It really put things in perspective. - [His thoughts
regarding trip taken to Africa in 2006 on his first world tour, where he discovered that 1.1
billion people don't have clean drinking water.]
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a tough place. But now he has perspective that there are
worse places to live.

Identifier: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419650/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

C.

Quote

Quotes: Jay-Z raps [Im from] Where you cant put your vest away and say youll
wear it tomorrow / Cause the day after well be saying, damn I was just with him
yesterday."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a place full of crime and murder. The Marcy Projects was
not an appropriate place for children to grow up.
Identifier: http://newsone.com/1555245/most-infamous-public-housing-projects/

D.

Quotes

Quotes: That's why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the
time. Go to any club. People are intermingling, hanging out, having fun, enjoying the
same music. Hip-hop is not just in the Bronx anymore. It's worldwide. Everywhere you
go, people are listening to hip-hop and partying together. Hip-hop has done that.The
burden of poverty isn't just that you don't always have the things you need, it's the feeling
of being embarrassed every day of your life, and you'd do anything to lift that
burden.One of the reasons inequality gets so deep in this country is that everyone
wants to be rich. That's the American ideal. Poor people don't like talking about poverty
because even though they might live in the projects surrounded by other poor people and
have, like, ten dollars in the bank, they don't like to think of themselves as poor.As kids
we didn't complain about being poor; we talked about how rich we were going to be and
made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we
had a little money, we were eager to show it.It was a weird mix of emotions. One day,
your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a

brand-new bike.It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the
Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of
these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be
shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day."
Paraphrasing: Being poor and growing up in the Marcy Projects influences Jay Z's
thinking. All his life, he had aspired to lead a better lifestyle. Jay Z grew up in a place
full of crime.
Identifier: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jayz.html

E.Quote
Quotes: Jay-Z later remembered his childhood in one of his songs ("December 4th"), "I
went to school, got good grades, could behave when I wanted/ But I had demons deep
inside that would raise when confronted."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z felt he had a dark side. He would prove to be violent later in life.
Identifier: http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696

F. Quote
Quotes: "There was no reason to put my life on the line, and the lives of everyone who
depends on me, because of a momentary loss of control..... I vowed to never allow
myself to be in a situation like that again."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z got into a serious altercation that he was charged for. He overcame
this adversity and made sure nothing like that would happen again.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

II.

Success

A.Overview
Quotes: Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known by his stage name Jay
Z (formerly Jay-Z), is an American rapper,record producer, and entrepreneur. He is one
of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. In
2014, Forbes estimated Carter's net worth at nearly $520 million. He is one of
the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records,
while receiving 19 Grammy Awards for his musical work, and numerous additional
nominations. Consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers ever, he was ranked
number one by MTV in their list of The Greatest MCs of All-Time in 2006. Three of his
albums, Reasonable Doubt (1996), The Blueprint (2001), and The Black Album(2003),
are considered landmarks in the genre with all of them featured in Rolling Stone's
list
of the 500 greatest albums of all time.As an entrepreneur and investor, Jay Z co-owns
the 40/40 Club, and is the co-creator of the clothing line Rocawear. He is the former
president of Def Jam Recordings, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, and the founder
of Roc Nation. He also founded the sports agency Roc Nation Sports and is a
certified NBA and MLB sports agent. As an artist, he holds the record for most number
one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with 13. Jay-Z also has had four number
ones on the Billboard Hot 100, one as lead artist. On December 11, 2009, Jay-Z was
ranked as the tenth-most successful artist of the 2000s by Billboard as well as the fifth
top solo male artist and fourth top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent. He was
also ranked the 88th greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone.Jay-Z married
American R&B singer Beyonc in 2008. They have a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter,
born January 7, 2012.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z is one of the most successful rapper. He has won many big awards

Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

B.

Major Achievments

Paraphrasing: Record producerestablished Rocawear clothing companyopened the 40/40

club in New York Cityfeature film Fade to Blackappointed president of Universal Music
Group's Def Jam Recordingspartnered with French watchmaker Audemars Piguet to
create a limited-edition watchinvested in Carol's Daughter hair, skin care, and home
product linepublished memoir Decodedproduced film Annie
Comment: Jay Z has produced and created many things. He overcame his adversity and
did these things.
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C.

Grammys

Paraphrasing: Grammy Award for best rap albumGrammy Award for Best R&B Song
(with Beyonc Knowles)Grammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration (with Beyonc
Knowles)Grammy Award for best rap solo performanceGrammy Award for best rap/sung
collaboration (with Linkin Park)Grammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration with
RihannaGrammy Award for best rap performance by a duo or group with T.I., Kanye
West, and Lil WayneGrammy Award for best rap performance by a duo or groupGrammy
Award for best rap/sung collaboration with Rihanna and Kanye WestGrammy Award for

best rap songGrammy Award for best rap solo performanceGrammy Award for best
rap/sung collaborationGrammy Award for best rap songGrammy Award for best rap
performance by a duo or groupGrammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration(shared)
Grammy Award for best rap performance Grammy Awards for best music video with
Justin Timberlake and best rap/sung collaboration with Justin Timberlake
Comment: Jay Z won very many Grammy's. This shows that he overcame his adversity
and is now a very successful artist.
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D.

Other Major Awards

Paraphrasing: MTV Video Music Award for best rap videoSource Award for lyricist of
the year, soloBillboard Award for rap artist of the yearSoul Train Award, Sammy Davis
Jr. Entertainer of the YearBET Award for best male hip-hop artistSource Award for best
hip-hop artist, soloSoul Train Award for album of the yearASCAP Golden Note
AwardAmerican Music Award for favorite male rap/hip-hop artistGQ man of the
yearAmerican Music Award for favorite rap/hip-hop albumAmerican Music Award for
favorite rap/hip-hop male artistBET Award for best collaborationBET Hip-Hop Award
for best live performanceBET Hip-Hop Award for CD of the year BET Hip-Hop Award
for best hip-hop video BET Perfect Combo Award with Alicia KeysBRIT Award for
international male solo artist

Comment: These are more awards Jay Z won. He overcame his adversity and became a
very successful rapper.
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Notes
Adversity

Childhood
Quotes: Rapper Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn,
New York. "He was the last of my four children," Jay-Z's mother later recalled, "the only
one who didn't give me any pain when I gave birth to him, and that's how I knew he was
a special child." Jay-Z's father, Adnes Reeves, left the family when Jay-Z was only 11
years old. The young rapper was raised by his mother, Gloria Carter, in Brooklyn's druginfested Marcy Projects.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z was raised in a bad neighborhood. He was raised by his mother.
Identifier: http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696

Childhood

Paraphrasing: The rap star grew up in a single-parent household in the Marcy Projects of
Brooklyn, New York.His mother, Gloria Carter, worked as a clerk in an investment
company. Jay-Z's father, Adnis Reeves, left when he was 12 years old.
Identifier: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindo
w?failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&u=nysl_sc_cppwhs&cu
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_results=&p=BIC1&action=e&catId=GALE
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Marcy Houses
Quotes: Located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the Marcy
Houses or Marcy Projects were named after William L. Marcy, the 11th Governor of New
York, who later served as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. Its 1,705
apartments house more than 4,200 residents.Known as the childhood home of rapper JayZ, Marcy s infamous reputation has been documented in countless rap songs. Jay-Z s
Murder Marcyville was named to describe the developments violent lure. And his
Where Im From track details the poverty and prevalence of gun violence and crack
cocaine that consumed the housing development. In the song, Jay-Z raps [Im from]
Where you cant put your vest away and say youll wear it tomorrow / Cause the day
after well be saying, damn I was just with him yesterday.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a bad neighborhood. He rapped some of his experiences
when growing up here.
Identifier: http://newsone.com/1555245/most-infamous-public-housing-projects/

 Childhood
Quotes: Shawn Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Marcy
Houses, a housing project in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesantneighborhood. He and his
three siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter, after their father abandoned the
family. He claims in his lyrics that in 1982, at the age of 12, he shot his older brother in
the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a bad neighborhood. He grew up in a place where guns
were very accessible.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

Teenage Years
Paraphrasing: He sold drugs as a teenager.
Identifier: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindo
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Teenage Years
Quotes: In his music he refers to having been involved in selling crack cocaine. He has
also said he had been shot at three times during this time in his life.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z may have sold drugs. He was also in a place with many guns.

Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

Teenage Years
Quotes: During a rough adolescence, detailed in many of his autobiographical songs,
Shawn Carter dealt drugs and flirted with gun violence. He attended Eli Whitney High
School in Brooklyn, where he was a classmate of the soon-to-be-martyred rap legend
Notorious B.I.G. As Jay-Z later remembered his childhood in one of his songs
("December 4th"), "I went to school, got good grades, could behave when I wanted/ But I
had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z had a difficult time growing up. He was in a place infested with guns
and drugs.
Identifier: http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696#early-life

Criminal Record
Quotes: On December 1 of that year, Jay-Z, who had come to believe that record
executive Lance "Un" Rivera was behind the bootlegging of Vol. 3..., allegedly stabbed
Rivera at the release party for Q-Tip's album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a nowdefunct night club in Times Square, New York City. Jay-Z's associates at the party were
accused of causing a commotion within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover
when he supposedly stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch (127 mm) blade. He
surrendered to police the following evening and was placed under arrest, although he was
soon released on $50,000 bail. When he was indicted in Manhattan Criminal Court in late
January 2000, he pleaded not guilty; he and his lawyers contended that they had
witnesses and videotapes proving he had been nowhere near Rivera during the incident.

Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and accepted a threeyear probation sentence.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z got into trouble with the law. This can be seen as another adversity
he faced.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

Adversity
Quotes: Jay-Z couldn't get signed to any record labels.No one can stop Jay-Z. He
came from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood and had big dreams to make it big as a
rapper. Unfortunately, the rest of the world didn't agree with him at first. Not one record
label would sign him. Yet that didn't stop him from creating his own music powerhouse.
His label would eventually turn into the insanely lucrative Roc-A-Fella Records. Here's
proof Jay-Z is on top: Forbes has estimated his net worth at $500 million, and
TIME ranked him at one of their 2013 Most Influential People In The World. And he's
married to Beyonc.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a bad neighborhood and could not get any record labels to
sign him. He created his own record label and is now extremely successful.
Identifier: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/successful-peopleobstacles_n_3964459.html

Beginning of Rap
Quotes: When Jay-Z was first starting out in the rap world, he was introduced to Damon
"Dame" Dash, who, by the time he was 19, had already gotten record deals for two acts.
Dash soon became Jay-Z's manager and Dash's childhood friend, Kareem "Biggs" Burke,

was then hired as Jay-Z's road manager. For two years, the three worked unsuccessfully
to obtain a record deal. The trio then decided to form their own record company, Roc-AFella Records, in which they would all serve as partners. Jay-Z's role was that of marquee
artist, Dash ran the company's day-to-day operations, and Burke, according
to Vibe, served as "a barometer of the streets." After Roc-A-Fella secured a deal with
Priority Records for the distribution of their albums, Jay-Z was ready to release his first
record, Reasonable Doubt.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z was surrounded by many successful rappers. He learned a lot from
them.
Identifier: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindo
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_results=&p=BIC1&action=e&catId=GALE
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Beginning of Rap
Paraphrasing: Rap was his way out of the hard knock life.The money that came with a
successful rap career took him out of the Brooklyn projects, and rap music gave him a
means to express his feelings about knocks and blows he has taken.
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Beginning of Rap
Quotes: According to his mother, Carter used to wake up his siblings at night banging out
drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him aboom box for his
birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing lyrics, and followed
the music of many artists popular at the time.
Paraphrasing: From a young age, Jay Z was passionate about rap. He learned from other
rappers of the time.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

First Album
Quotes: With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold CDs out of his car and,
with Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs, created Roc-A-Fella Records as their own
independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with Priority, Jay-Z released
his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ
Premier andSuper DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.. The album
reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, and was generally favored by critics. This
album would later be included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" as
No.248 and eventually reach platinum status.
Paraphrasing: Altough he struggled to get his album out there, it later became very
successful. He got many awards for this album.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

 Second Album
Quotes: 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
andSki. Like its predecessor, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 earned Platinum status in the United
States.
Paraphrasing: This album came from a dark part of Jay Z. He put real life feelings into
this album.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z
Quotes about Adversity

Quote
Quotes: "That was when the hurt and then the healing began for me, from that day right
there."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z lived a struggled life. He was (figuratively) broken and then had to
heal.
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Quote
Quotes: Jay Z I come from the Marcy projects, in Brooklyn, which is considered a tough
place to grow up, but this [showed me] how good we have it. The rappers who say, 'We're
from the 'hood,' take it from me, you're not from the 'hood. You haven't seen people with
no access to water. It really put things in perspective. - [His thoughts regarding trip
taken to Africa in 2006 on his first world tour, where he discovered that 1.1 billion people
don't have clean drinking water.]
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a tough place. But now he has perspective that there are
worse places to live.
Identifier: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419650/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Quote
Quotes: Jay-Z raps [Im from] Where you cant put your vest away and say youll
wear it tomorrow / Cause the day after well be saying, damn I was just with him
yesterday."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z grew up in a place full of crime and murder. The Marcy Projects was
not an appropriate place for children to grow up.
Identifier: http://newsone.com/1555245/most-infamous-public-housing-projects/

Quotes

Quotes: That's why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the
time. Go to any club. People are intermingling, hanging out, having fun, enjoying the
same music. Hip-hop is not just in the Bronx anymore. It's worldwide. Everywhere you
go, people are listening to hip-hop and partying together. Hip-hop has done that.The
burden of poverty isn't just that you don't always have the things you need, it's the feeling
of being embarrassed every day of your life, and you'd do anything to lift that
burden.One of the reasons inequality gets so deep in this country is that everyone wants
to be rich. That's the American ideal. Poor people don't like talking about poverty because
even though they might live in the projects surrounded by other poor people and have,
like, ten dollars in the bank, they don't like to think of themselves as poor.As kids we
didn't complain about being poor; we talked about how rich we were going to be and
made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we
had a little money, we were eager to show it.It was a weird mix of emotions. One day,
your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a
brand-new bike.It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the
Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of
these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be
shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day."
Paraphrasing: Being poor and growing up in the Marcy Projects influences Jay Z's
thinking. All his life, he had aspired to lead a better lifestyle. Jay Z grew up in a place full
of crime.
Identifier: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jayz.html

Quote

Quotes: Jay-Z later remembered his childhood in one of his songs ("December 4th"), "I
went to school, got good grades, could behave when I wanted/ But I had demons deep
inside that would raise when confronted."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z felt he had a dark side. He would prove to be violent later in life.
Identifier: http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696

Quote
Quotes: "There was no reason to put my life on the line, and the lives of everyone who
depends on me, because of a momentary loss of control..... I vowed to never allow myself
to be in a situation like that again."
Paraphrasing: Jay Z got into a serious altercation that he was charged for. He overcame
this adversity and made sure nothing like that would happen again.
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z
Success

Major Achievments
Paraphrasing: Record producerestablished Rocawear clothing companyopened the 40/40
club in New York Cityfeature film Fade to Blackappointed president of Universal Music
Group's Def Jam Recordingspartnered with French watchmaker Audemars Piguet to
create a limited-edition watchinvested in Carol's Daughter hair, skin care, and home
product linepublished memoir Decodedproduced film Annie
Comment: Jay Z has produced and created many things. He overcame his adversity and
did these things.

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Overview
Quotes: Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known by his stage name Jay
Z (formerly Jay-Z), is an American rapper,record producer, and entrepreneur. He is one
of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. In
2014, Forbes estimated Carter's net worth at nearly $520 million. He is one of the world's
best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records, while receiving
19 Grammy Awards for his musical work, and numerous additional
nominations. Consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers ever, he was ranked
number one by MTV in their list of The Greatest MCs of All-Time in 2006. Three of his
albums, Reasonable Doubt (1996), The Blueprint (2001), and The Black Album(2003),
are considered landmarks in the genre with all of them featured in Rolling Stone's
list
of the 500 greatest albums of all time.As an entrepreneur and investor, Jay Z co-owns
the 40/40 Club, and is the co-creator of the clothing line Rocawear. He is the former
president of Def Jam Recordings, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, and the founder
of Roc Nation. He also founded the sports agency Roc Nation Sports and is a
certified NBA and MLB sports agent. As an artist, he holds the record for most number
one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with 13. Jay-Z also has had four number
ones on the Billboard Hot 100, one as lead artist. On December 11, 2009, Jay-Z was
ranked as the tenth-most successful artist of the 2000s by Billboard as well as the fifth

top solo male artist and fourth top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent. He was
also ranked the 88th greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone.Jay-Z married
American R&B singer Beyonc in 2008. They have a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter,
born January 7, 2012.
Paraphrasing: Jay Z is one of the most successful rapper. He has won many big awards
Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z

Grammys
Paraphrasing: Grammy Award for best rap albumGrammy Award for Best R&B Song
(with Beyonc Knowles)Grammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration (with Beyonc
Knowles)Grammy Award for best rap solo performanceGrammy Award for best rap/sung
collaboration (with Linkin Park)Grammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration with
RihannaGrammy Award for best rap performance by a duo or group with T.I., Kanye
West, and Lil WayneGrammy Award for best rap performance by a duo or groupGrammy
Award for best rap/sung collaboration with Rihanna and Kanye WestGrammy Award for
best rap songGrammy Award for best rap solo performanceGrammy Award for best
rap/sung collaborationGrammy Award for best rap songGrammy Award for best rap
performance by a duo or groupGrammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration(shared)
Grammy Award for best rap performance Grammy Awards for best music video with
Justin Timberlake and best rap/sung collaboration with Justin Timberlake
Comment: Jay Z won very many Grammy's. This shows that he overcame his adversity
and is now a very successful artist.
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Other Major Awards

Paraphrasing: MTV Video Music Award for best rap videoSource Award for lyricist of
the year, soloBillboard Award for rap artist of the yearSoul Train Award, Sammy Davis
Jr. Entertainer of the YearBET Award for best male hip-hop artistSource Award for best
hip-hop artist, soloSoul Train Award for album of the yearASCAP Golden Note
AwardAmerican Music Award for favorite male rap/hip-hop artistGQ man of the
yearAmerican Music Award for favorite rap/hip-hop albumAmerican Music Award for
favorite rap/hip-hop male artistBET Award for best collaborationBET Hip-Hop Award for
best live performanceBET Hip-Hop Award for CD of the year BET Hip-Hop Award for
best hip-hop video BET Perfect Combo Award with Alicia KeysBRIT Award for
international male solo artist
Comment: These are more awards Jay Z won. He overcame his adversity and became a
very successful rapper.
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Ungrouped