Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), better known by his stage
name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and
occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop
artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450
million as of 2010. He has sold approximately 50 million albums
worldwide, while receiving thirteen Grammy Awards for his musical work,
and numerous additional nominations.He is consistently ranked as one of
the greatest rappers of all-time. He was ranked so by MTV in their
list of The Greatest MCs of All-Time in 2006. Two of his
albums,Reasonable Doubt (1996) and The Blueprint (2001) are considered
landmarks in the genre with both of them being ranked in Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.Blender included
the former on their 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die.
Jay-Z co-owns the 40/40 Club, is part-owner of the NBA's New Jersey
Nets and is also the creator of the line Rocawear.He is the former CEO
of Def Jam Recordings, one of the three founders of Roc-A-Fella Records,
and the founder of Roc Nation. As an artist, he holds the record for
most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with
eleven. Jay-Z also has had four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100,
one as lead artist.
He married American R&B superstar Beyoncé Knowles on April 4,
2008.On December 11, 2009, Jay-Z was ranked as the 10th most successful
artist of the 2000's by Billboard and ranking as the 5th top solo male
artist and as the 4th top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50.
Early life
Originally from Marcy Houses, a housing project in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, the future
"Jay-Z" then known as Shawn Carter, was abandoned by his father and in
1982, he shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.
Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with future
rapper AZ, until it was closed down. After that he attended George
Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Downtown
Brooklyn, with fellow future rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta
Rhymes, and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, but did
not graduate.In his music he refers to having been involved in selling
crack cocaine.
According to his mother, Gloria Carter, her son Shawn used to wake his
siblings up at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table.
Eventually, she bought him a boom box for his birthday, sparking his
interest in music. He began freestyling, writing lyrics, and followed
the music of many artists popular at the time.In his neighborhood,
Carter was known as "Jazzy", a nickname that eventually developed into
his showbiz/stage name, "Jay-Z". The moniker is also an homage to his
musical mentor, Jaz-O, as well as to the J/Z subway lines that have a
stop at Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn.
Jay-Z
can briefly be heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the
late 1980s and early 1990s, including "The Originators" and "Hawaiian
Sophie". Jay-Z was also involved in and won several battles with rapper
LL Cool J in the early 90's as part of a plan to get a sought-after
record deal. He first became known to a wide audience by being featured
on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album
Daddy's Home. Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's hype man
during this period, though Kane explains that he didn't fill the
traditional hype man role, instead Jay-Z "basically made cameo
appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits,
I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I
came back to the stage".He made an appearance on a popular song by Big
L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build", which also
featured early appearances by DMX, and Ja Rule in 1995. His first
official rap single was called "I Can't Get With That", for which he
released a music video
994–1997: Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime
From
the beginning of his professional recording career, when no major
label gave him a record deal, Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and Kareem Biggs
created Roc-A-Fella Records as their own independent label in 1995.
After striking a deal with Priority to distribute his material, Jay-Z
released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from
acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and a
notable appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.. The album reached number 23
on the Billboard 200, and was well-received by critics.This album
would later be included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All
Time" as No.248 and eventually reach platinum status.
After reaching a new distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z
released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Executively produced by
Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, it sold better than his previous effort. Jay-Z
later explained that the album was made during one of the worst periods
of his life, he was reeling from the death of his close friend The
Notorious B.I.G. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he
spun the tale of his hard knock upbringing.The album's glossy production
stood as a contrast to his first release, and some dedicated fans felt
he had "sold out". However, the album did feature some beats from
producers who had worked with him on Reasonable Doubt, namely DJ Premier
and Ski. Like its predecessor, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 earned Platinum
status in the United States.
1998–2000: criminal charges and mainstream success
In 1998, Jay-Z released Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life which spawned the
biggest hit of his career at the time, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto
Anthem)". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his
penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such
asSwizz Beatz, an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders, and
Timbaland. Other producers included DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, The 45
King, and Kid Capri. Charting hits from this album included "Can I Get
A...", featuring Ja Rule and Amil, and "Nigga What, Nigga Who", also
featuring Amil. Vol. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially
successful album; it was certified 5× Platinum in the United States
and has to date sold over five million copies.The album went on to win a
Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's
failure to garner a Grammy nomination.In 1999, Jay-Z dueted with Mariah
Carey on "Heartbreaker", a song from her seventh album, Rainbow. In
that same year, Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter,
the album proved to be successful and sold over 3 million records.Vol.
3's most successful single was "Big Pimpin'", featuring UGK. Around the
same time, Jay-Z was accused of stabbing record executive Lance "Un"
Rivera for what Jay-Z perceived was Rivera's bootlegging of Vol. 3...
Life and Times of S. Carter. The stabbing allegedly occurred at the
record release party for Q-Tip's debut solo album Amplified at the Kit
Kat Klub, a now defunct night club in Times Square, New York City, on
December 9. Jay-Z's associates at the party were accused of causing a
commotion within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover when he
supposedly stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch (127 mm)
blade. In his book Decoded, Jay-Z addresses his assault case. While he
didn't apologize for his actions, he did express regret that the
incident happened and attributed it to a loss of control, saying that
there was no reason for him to get into a situation that put him and
people who depended on him at risk. He also vowed to never get involved
in a similar situation again.
Jay-Z initially denied the incident and pleaded not guilty when
a grand jury returned the indictment. Jay-Z and his lawyers contended
he was nowhere around Rivera during the incident and they had witnesses
and videotape evidence from the club that showed Jay-Z's whereabouts
during the disturbance. Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor charge that resulted in a sentence of three years
probation. In 2000, Jay-Z released The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which
was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella
artists but somehow turned into a Jay-Z album.The album helped to
introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes, Just Blaze,Kanye West and
Bink, which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also
the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his
previous albums. The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S.
alone.
2001–02: Feud with Nas, The Blueprint and The Blueprint2
In
2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with a
Jay-Z line from "Money, Cash, Hoes" that he felt were subliminal shots
at Mobb Deep and referenced Mobb Deep's beef with Tupac Shakur, Snoop
Dogg, and Death Row Records. He later performed the song "Takeover", at
Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos
of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson. A line at the end of
"Takeover" referenced Nas, who criticized him on "We Will Survive". Nas
responded with a diss track called "Ether" and almost instantly, Jay-Z
added a verse to "Takeover" which dissed Nas and would start a feud
between the two rappers. Jay-Z later released his sixth studio album
The Blueprint which was later considered by many to be one of hip hop's
"classic" albums, receiving the coveted 5 mic reviewfrom The Source
magazine. Released during the wake of September 11 attacks, the album
managed to debut at number one on the Billboard200, selling more than
427,000 units, the album's success was overshadowed by the tragic
event. The Blueprint has been certified 2x Platinum in the United
States.The Blueprint was applauded for its production and the balance
of "mainstream" and "hardcore" rap, receiving recognition from both
audiences. The Blueprint was written in only two days.Eminem was the
only guest rapper on the album, producing and rapping on the song
"Renegade". Four of the thirteen tracks on the album were produced by
Kanye West and represents one of West's first major breaks in the
industry. The Blueprint includes the popular songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)",
"Girls, Girls, Girls", "Jigga That Nigga" and "Song Cry".
Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's The Blueprint2: The Gift & the
Curse, a double-album. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number
one, selling over 3 million units in the U.S. alone and surpassing The
Blueprint.It was later reissued in a single-disc version, The
Blueprint 2.1, which retained half of the tracks from the original. The
album spawned two massive hit singles, "Excuse Me Miss" and "'03
Bonnie & Clyde", which featured Jay-Z's future wife Beyoncé
Knowles. "Guns & Roses", a track featuring rock musician Lenny
Kravitz, and "Hovi Baby" were two successful radio singles as well. The
album also contained the tracks "A Dream", featuring Faith Evans and
the lateThe Notorious B.I.G.; and "The Bounce", featuring Kanye West.
The Blueprint 2.1 featured tracks that do not appear on The Blueprint2:
The Gift & the Curse, such as "Stop", "La La La (Excuse Me
Again)", "What They Gonna Do, Part II" and "Beware" produced by and
featuring Panjabi MC.
2003–05: The Black Album, initial retirement and collaborative albums
After returning from a trip in the south of France,Jay-Z announced
work on his 8th studio album The Black Album at the opening of the
first the 40/40 Club.He worked with several producers including Just
Blaze, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Timbaland, Eminem, DJ Quik,9th Wonder
and Rick Rubin. Notable songs on the album included "What More Can I
Say", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Change Clothes", and "99 Problems".
The Black Album has sold 3 million copies in the US.Jay-Z collaborated
with R. Kelly and released a collaborative studio album, The Best of
Both Worlds.
On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert at Madison Square Garden,
which would later be the focus of his film Fade to Black. This concert
was his "retirement party". All proceeds went to charity. Other
performers included collaborators like The Roots (in the form of his
backing band), Missy Elliott, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, Freeway,
Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Twista, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown,Pharrell
and R. Kelly with special appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni
Shakur, the mothers of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac
Shakurrespectively.While Jay-Z had attested to a retirement from making
new studio albums, various side projects and appearances soon followed.
Included in these were a greatest hits record, as well as the release
and tour of Unfinished Business, the second collaborative album between
Jay-Z and R. Kelly.
In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park, in which they
released their collaborative remix EP Collision Course, which featured
mashups of both artists' songs, as well as a concert DVD. The album's
only single, "Numb/Encore", went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration, and was performed with Linkin Park live at the Grammys,
with a special appearance by Paul McCartney, who added verses from the
song "Yesterday". The EP sold over 1 million copies in the US.Jay-Z was
the executive producer of The Rising Tied, the debut album of Fort
Minor, the hip hop side project of Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda.
Later in 2004, Jay-Z was named president of Def Jam Records, which led
to Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs selling their remaining interests in
Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z taking control of both of the
companies.Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by
disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash as to what direction Roc-A-Fella
could undertake.The publicized split between Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs led
to the former partners sending jabs at each other in interviews
2005–07: "I Declare War", comeback with Kingdom Come and American Gangster
On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual
concert, Powerhouse. The concert was entitled the "I Declare War"
concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event
on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. As he had previously "declared
war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events,
many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out
assault by Jay-Z upon his rivals.The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's
position as President and CEO of Def Jam, complete with an on-stage
mock-up of the Oval Office. Many artists made appearances such as the
old roster of Roc-A-Fella records artists, as well as Ne-Yo, Teairra
Mari, T.I., Young Jeezy, Akon, Kanye West, Paul Wall,The LOX, and
Diddy.
At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to
the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this
show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and Nas.
The two former rivals shook hands and shared the stage together to
perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is
Yours".
Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006 titled
Kingdom Come.Jay-Z's comeback single, "Show Me What You Got", was leaked
on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later
on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the FBI
to step in and investigate.Jay-Z worked with video director Hype
Williams, and the single's video was directed by F. Gary Gray. The album
features producers such as Just Blaze, Pharrell, Kanye West, Dr. Dre
and Coldplay's Chris Martin (single entitled "Beach Chair").The first
week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, which Entertainment Weekly said was
"the highest single-week total in Jay's decade long career".This album
has sold 2 million copies in the US.
Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled American Gangster on November
6, 2007. After viewing the Ridley Scott film of the same name, he was
heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his
experiences as a street-hustler.The album is not the film's official
soundtrack, although it was distributed by Def Jam.Jay-Z's American
Gangster depicts his life in correlation to the movie American Gangster.
At the start of the album's first single, "Blue Magic", Jay-Z offers a
dealer's manifesto while making references to political figures of the
late 1980s with the lyric: "Blame Reagan for making me to into a
monster, blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra, I ran contraband that they
sponsored, before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert."Also notable
about the "Blue Magic" music video was Jay-Z flashing 500 euro notes, in
what Harvard Business School professor Rawi Abdelal has called a
"turning point in American pop culture's response to globalization." The
album has sold 1 million copies in the US.On December 24, 2007, Jay-Z
stated that he would not remain at Def Jam as the company's President,
and vacated the position effective of January 1, 2008.
Rapping technique
Royce da 5'9" and Fredro Starr of Onyx both describe Jay-Z's
emphasis on flow in the book How to Rap – Starr says that Jay-Z is "a
master of the flow—he can flow fast, he can flow slow".The book
describes how Jay-Z uses 'rests' to provide structure to a verse and how
he uses 'partial linking' to add more rhymes to a verse. Jay-Z's early
style is described by Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX-type, stiggety
style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That",referring to the fast
rhythms and vocal delivery of the group Das EFX. He is also known to
write lyrics in his head, as described by Pusha T of Clipse in How to
Rap, a style popular with many MCs such as The Notorious B.I.G.,
Everlast, Bobby Creekwater and Guerilla Black. Shock G of Digital
Underground describes Jay-Z's performance style, saying he "rarely
breaks a sweat, and instead uses smoothness and clever wordplay to keep
the audience interested and entertained".
Business ventures
Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow
hip hop moguls and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean "Diddy"
Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and
clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that "my brands are an
extension of me. They're close to me. It's not like running GM, where
there's no emotional attachment." He is the founder of the urban
clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash.Rocawear has clothing
lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken
over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March
2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand toIconix Brand Group,
for $204 million. Jay-Z will retain his stake in the company and will
continue to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.He
also co-owns the 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New
York City and has since expanded toAtlantic City and Chicago. In 2008,
the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the
hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40
Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore.In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in
Carol's Daughter, a line of beauty products, including products for
hair, skin, and hands.
Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and
collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and
creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and
ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events.He is also
yet to expand his 40/40 Club sports bar in as many as 20 airports, as
he makes deals with his business partners, Juan and Desiree Perez.He is
a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team paying a reported $4.5
million for his share. He encouraged the team's relocation to
Brooklyn's Barclays Center in the 2012-2013 season, at which point the
team will take on its new name the "Brooklyn Nets".In October 2005, he
was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal
F.C., an English soccer team.He has also invested in a real estate
development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66
million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners
are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery
building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up
about twelve stories.Through his company Gain Global Investments
Network LLC, had an interest estimated between 2 and 7% in the Aqueduct
Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium which in January 2010 was awarded
a contract to operate a 4,500 slot machine racino at the Aqueduct Race
Track. Jay-Z became interested in the project after New York Governor
David Paterson who awarded the contract said there had to be an
affirmative action component to the ownership. Jay-Z initially
approached Steve Wynn who was also bidding on the contract. On March 9,
2010, Jay-Z and Flake withdrew from the project and Paterson recused
himself from further involvement.
On November 16, 2010, Jay-Z published a memoir entitled Decoded
Philanthropy
During his retirement, Jay-Z also became involved in philanthropic
activity. On August 9, 2006, he met with United Nations Secretary
General Kofi Annan at the organization's headquarters in New York City.
The rapper pledged to use his upcoming world tour to raise awareness of
and combat global water shortage. Already on the look-out for a way
to, in his own words, "become helpful", he had been made aware of this
issue during a visit to Africa.The effort took place in partnership
with the UN,as well as MTV, which produced a documentary entitled Diary
of Jay-Z: Water for Life, first airing in November 2006.Along with
Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross'
relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.Jay-Z stated his support for
Kanye West after the latter's outburst against President Bush during a
live Katrina charity telethon.He also addressed the issue of the
Katrina disaster, and the government's response, in his song "Minority
Report".
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu