Shawn Corey Carter, born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn town of New York, is professionally known as Jay-Z. An American record producer, songwriter, record executive, businessman, and rapper widely regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists and recognized as one of the greatest rappers ever.
He first became popular among the people on the posse cut “Show and Prove” from the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy’s Home. During that period, he was called Big Daddy Kane’s hype man.
Identity is a prison you can never escape, but the way to redeem your past is not to run from it, but to try to understand it, and use it as a foundation to grow.
He began his musical career in 1995 by founding Roc-A-Fella Records. In 1996, he released his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt, which was a massive hit.
Out of his musical field, he also reached success and recognition for his career as a businessman.
He became the world’s best-selling music artist, heavily marketing over 50 million albums and 75 million singles sold worldwide.
I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!
He won 24 Grammy Awards from 88 nominations (highest for any male singer and tied with Beyonce) and holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200, with 14. He was ranked by Billboard and fellow music publication Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
In 2017, he became the first rapper to be honoured in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2018, he received the remembrance “Salute to Industry Icons” award at the 60th Grammy Awards. In June 2019, Jay-Z officially reached the height of being the first hip-hop billionaire, making him the fifth-wealthiest African-American and the wealthiest American musician.
He suffered many failures, which built him up to this unbeatable position in the rapping industry.
On December 1, 1999, Jay-Z, who had come to believe that record executive Lance “Un” Rivera was behind the piracy of Vol. 3…, stabbed Rivera at the release party for Q-Tip’s album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a now-defunct night club in Times Square, New York City.
Jay-Z’s associates at the party were impeached for causing pandemonium within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover while he stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch (127 mm) blade. He conceded and surrendered to police the following evening and then kept under arrest, although he was soon released on $50,000 bail.
A wise man told me don’t argue with fools. Cause people from a distance can’t tell who is who.
When he was arraigned 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. Despite everything, he later pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and accepted a three-year probation sentence.
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