Jay-Z



Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is one of the most iconic hip hop artists of the generation. With nine [|Grammy] wins and a record breaking eleven solo albums to hit number one in a row, Jay-Z has certainly made a lasting impact on the music industry. He has sold over thirty-three million records and was even the first rapper to appear on Oprah in 2009 after more than a decade! Although he has accomplished many great things, Jay-Z has not forgotten where he came from.

Shawn Carter was born on December 4th, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. He was brought up in the Marcy Projects, which was the public housing area in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Carter's childhood was very difficult, especially since his father abandoned his family before he was even a teenager. Carter attended the same school as Christoper Wallace, otherwise known as the [|Notorious B.I.G.] He rapped part time and hustled all the time, selling crack cocaine to help feed his family and eventually fund the rap career in which he found solace. He appeared on several underground mixtapes, but had to continue taking part in the criminal underworld for he was short of funds. Finally, in 1992, Jay-Z left his life as a drug dealer behind him. Looking back on his younger years, Carter says, "The past, it just makes me more grateful for all the things that I got and the things that I achieved because I know what I could be doing and... what I could be going through."

Carter had heard stories of record companies exploiting young rappers with talent, which moved him to form his own company with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke called Roc-A-Fella Records. In 1995, he released his first single, "In My Lifetime." It was a hit in New York's hip hop scene and helped Dash and Carter secure a distribution deal for Jay-Z's first album, "Reasonable Doubt." Even though it wasn't a huge seller, his first album confirmed his status as one of the most promising lyricists in years with hits "Can't Knock the Hustle" and "Feelin' It." media type="youtube" key="Cs8Zb2dXsFU" height="344" width="425" The next year, Jay-Z and Dash negotiated a new distribution deal with Def Jam Records for Roc-A-Fella.



To date, Roc-A-Fella Records is a multimillion dollar, multi-platinum record empire. It distributes Armadale (premium two grain, triple distilled Scottish vodka) in the United States and has released artists such as Memphis Bleek, Beanie Segal, Kanye West, and Juelz Santana. Jay-Z has branched out of the music industry into the clothing industry with the Rocawear clothing line. Established in 1999, Rocawear grossed $300 million in 2004 and has been distributed throughout Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Jay-Z has also branched off into the movie industry with Roc-A-Fella Films, releasing films such as "Streets is Watching" and "Death of a Dynasty", now out on DVD. He opened the 40/40 Club Elite sports bar in New York City. He also endorsed Reebok shoes, making the S. Carter shoe collection the first time a non-athlete ever had a signature shoe.

Despite all of his success, Jay-Z still finds time to go back to his roots in the Marcy Projects and take part in philanthropic activities in New York City. For example, the Team Roc charitable organization helps underprivileged children in the city; the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund pays for the college tuition of deserving Marcy area high school students; and during the annual Jay-Z Santa Claus Toy Drive, Jay provides toys to children of the Marcy projects area in Brooklyn. On helping with his old community, Jay-Z says, "I'm not a preachy guy. If I'm a leader for them, I would like to lead by example, by my actions. I know it's a lot of people out there that's just like me, and they're just trying to find themselves, and that's another **reason for going out there, to let them see, yo, this is a real person, you know, he came from the same thing I came from, he had the same struggle and the same fight that I had. He happened to make it, so I can make it.**"

Jay-Z was the first rapper to become a corporate entity. His legacy will live on past his years with the millions of people that he has inspired with his music and everyone else that he has somehow reached through the other aspects of his life.



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"Jay-Z." //Island Def Jam//. 2009. Island Def Jam, Web. 28 Feb 2010. .

"List of Roc-A-Fella Records artists." //Wikipedia//. 24 Feb 2010. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Web. 28 Feb 2010. .

Reeves, Mosi. "Jay-Z Biography." //Sing 365//. Web. 28 Feb 2010. .