Birth name Shawn Corey Carter
Also known as Jigga, Jiggaman, Jay-Hova, Hova, Hov, Young Hov, Young Hova, Young H-O, Hovi, Hovito, H-O-V-A
Born December 4, 1969 (1969-12-04) (age 37)
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genre(s) Hip-hop
East Coast Hip-hop
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, record producer, record executive
Instrument(s) Rapping
Years active 1988–2003
2006–present
Label(s) Roc-A-Fella Records
Def Jam Recordings
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), better known as Jay-Z, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and current president and CEO of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records. In addition, he co-owns The 40/40 Club, and is co-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is one of the most financially successful American hip-hop artists.[1]
Known for his flow and blending of street and popular rap, Jay-Z has become one of the best-selling rappers in the hip hop industry. He has also received a considerable amount of critical acclaim, and is considered by some to be the best rapper ever.[2][3] He is admired for his ability to compose lyrics without the use of pen and paper[4] (his critically acclaimed album The Blueprint was written in only two days).[5] He also returned from retirement in late 2006 with the album Kingdom Come which sold 680,000 copies in its first week, Jay-Z's highest-selling album in a one-week period.[6]
Along with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Jay-Z was one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, a hip-hop record label. Jay-Z is the second richest Hip-Hop Entertainer (behind Sean "Puffy" Combs, a.k.a. Diddy), having a net-worth estimate of