JAY-Z

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop artists of all time. He was the CEO of Def Jam Recordings and he has been central to the creative and commercial success of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole. Born and raised in New York City, Jay-Z first began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 and released his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt in 1996. The album was released to widespread critical success, and solidified his standing in the music industry. He went on to release twelve additional albums, including the acclaimed albums The Blueprint, The Black Album, American Gangster, and 4:44. He also released the full-length collaborative albums Watch the Throne with Kanye West and Everything Is Love with his wife Beyoncé, respectively. Through his business ventures Jay-Z has become a billionaire. In 1999, he founded the clothing retailer Rocawear, and in 2003, he founded the luxury sports bar chain 40/40 Club. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay-Z) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode)