Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Early Life
Born Shawn Corey Carter in New York City on
December 4, 1969
Raised in Brooklyns Marcy Housing Projects
Father left family when Jay Z was 11
George Westinghouse
Notorious B.I.G.
http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696#rise-to-hop-hop-fame
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Shot brother when he was 12 because brother tried to steal drugs to feed his own addiction
Shot 3 times close range
There wasnt any place you could go for isolation or a break. You go in the hallway; [there are]
crackheads in the hallway. You look out in the puddles on the curbscrack vials are littered in the
side of the curbs. You could smell it in the hallways, that putrid smell; I cant explain it, but its
still in my mind when I think about it.
Nicknames
Shawn Carter
HOV
Jay-Z
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Early Career
joined the rapper Jaz-O to record a song called "The Originators
First appearance on YO! MTV Raps due to song in 1989
Childhood nickname Jazzie changed to Jay-Z
Roc-a-Fella
In 1996, Jay Z and two neighborhood friends, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, formed Roc-A-Fella
records and issued Jay-Z's debut, Reasonable Doubt.
only reached No. 23 on the Billboard charts, Reasonable Doubt is now considered a classic hip-hop
album, featuring songs such as "Can't Knock the Hustle," featuring Mary J. Blige, and "Brooklyn's
Finest," a collaboration with Notorious B.I.G.
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In my Lifetime Vol.1
Released in 1997
executive-produced by P-Diddy and featured a
number of producers from Bad Boy
Huge Commercial Record: "I Know What Girls
Like"
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Released in 1998
The title track, which famously sampled its
chorus from the Broadway musical Annie,
became Jay Z's most popular single to date
and won him his first Grammy nomination.
"Hard Knock Life"
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Kingdom Come
Jay-Zs comeback album after
retirement
American Gangster
tenth album released November 6, 2007
Jay Z's American Gangster depicts his life
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The Blueprint 3
eleventh studio album by American
rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009
on Roc Nation, through distribution from
Atlantic Records.
the final installment in The Blueprint
trilogy, preceded by The Blueprint (2001)
and The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse
(2002).
Commercial Hits: Run this Town ft Kanye
and Rihanna, Empire State of Mind ft
Alicia Keys
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Influenced by
Jay Z says his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was
mostly of soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway.
"I grew up around music, listening to all types of people... I'm into music that has soul in it,
whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever. As long as I can feel their soul through the wax,
that's what I really listen to."
Influenced by OutKast, The Beatles, Nirvana, and Raekwon
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Contd...
Jay Z's owns Rocawear and Roc-a-Fella Films (Jay Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to
Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. He retains his stake in the company and continues to
oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.)
He owns the 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that opened in New York City and later added
venues in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Atlanta.
Jay Z became part owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball franchise, which moved to a new home,
the Barclays Center, in 2012.
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Personal Life
Married to Beyonc Knowles on April 4, 2008, in New York City
Jay Z and Beyonc welcomed their first child, a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7,
2012.
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Philanthropy
In 2003, Jay Z, together with his mother, founded The Shawn Carter Foundation, which has
assisted eligible students facing socio-economic hardships through college.
In 2015, Jay Z held his first annual charity concert called Tidal X: 10/20. The show raised around
$1.5 million, with the funds to be used for social causes determined by the New World Foundation
and Sankofa.org, a nonprofit started by Harry Belafonte.
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Troubles in Paradise
On December 1, 1999, Jay Z, supposedly stabbed Lance Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch
(127 mm) blade at a party for Q-tip.He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and accepted a
three-year probation sentence.
At Hot 97s Summer Jam in 2001, he displayed a childhood picture of Mob Deep's Prodigy dressed
as a ballerina on the jumbotron.
Not only did he attack Mobb Deep but, more famously, he dismantled former friend Nas in "The
Takeover," accusing the rapper of inventing a backstory and claiming he had lost his touch. This
was the beginning of a long feud between Jay and Nas, one that wasn't resolved until Jay signed
Nas to Def Jam in 2007
Parlux fragrances sued Jay Z for $18 million for the failure of Jay Z's cologne, Gold. They claim
the cologne's failure is due to Jay Z not doing social media posts and interviews about the cologne
Won 21 grammys
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Random Facts
His nickname Hova comes from J-Hova (Jehovah).
Forbes lists him at number 17 on their list of the richest black Americans
Favorite color is blue
Jay-Z takes Beyonce on a pizza date every Sunday. They go to an undisclosed BYOB spot in
Brooklyn.
Jay Zs net worth is $552 million.
References
(2016). The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/09/jay-z-i-was-addicted-to-t_n_280876.html
(2016). Biography.com. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696
Jay z. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/jay-z-507696#comeback
Jay Z. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z#Awards_and_nominations
Jay Z Opens Up About His Dark Past. (2016). The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/jay-z-drug-dealer_n_4019023.html
References Contd...
Jay-Z - The Blueprint. (2016). Discogs. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from https://www.discogs.com/Jay-ZThe-Blueprint/master/46989
Jay-Z Biography. (2016). Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/jay-z/biography
Jay-Z,. (2010). Decoded. New York, NY: Spiegel & Grau.
Jay-Z: I Shot My Brother When I Was 12. (2016). The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/22/jayz-i-shot-my-brother-wh_n_786760.html
Red Bull Music Academy. (2016). Daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from
http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2013/07/jay-z-influences-and-inspirations