Jay Z

Jay Z

Biography

Jay Z (born Shawn Corey Carter; 4.12.1969) Jay Z is an American rapper, as well being former CEO of the legendary hip-hop record labels, Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records.

Net Worth: Jay Z has a net worth of $550 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth (2014)

Childhood: Jay Z was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York. He attended George Westinghouse Information Technology High School, a school that he shared with Busta Rhymes and The Notorious B.I.G. Jay Z was never a successful academic, and he was involved in drug dealing whilst at school. Jay Z first got into music when his mother bought him a boom box for his birthday when he was young. He started out by freestyling and writing rhymes, taking part in a number of battles. It has been reported that he has battled Busta Rhymes, DMX and Bizzy Bone, of Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony. Reputedly, it was his victorious battle against Zai that caught the attention of a number of record labels.

Musical Career: At the start of his career, Jay Z formed Roc-A-Fella Records with Kareem Biggs and Damon Dash. His own debut album was released on the label. Reasonable Doubt featured production from Clark Kent and DJ Premier, as well as an offering from The Notorious B.I.G. In 1997, Roc-A-Fella forged a distribution deal with Def Jam and Jay Z released his second solo album, In My Lifetime, Vol.1 that same year. The album had Sean Combs (better known as Puff Daddy, or P.Diddy) on production duties. The next year, Jay Z released Vol.2. Hard Knock Life. The lead single from the album, 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)' was a huge hit for the rapper. With producers such as Timbaland and Swizz Beatz on board, the album went on to sell over 8 million copies across the globe. 1999 saw Jay Z release Vol.3 Life and Times of S. Carter. The album has been certified three times platinum and launched the hit single 'Big Pimpin'. In 2000, Roc-A-Fella released a compilation designed to celebrate the talent that they had been nurturing as a label. Jay Z appeared on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which sold over 2 million copies in the USA. Jay Z's next solo album, The Blueprint, was released in 2001 and is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, by many. Kanye West produced a number of tracks from the album, which launched Kanye's musical career. Following on the titular theme, Jay Z released The Blueprint2: The Gift and The Curse. The double album launched two hit singles, 'Bonnie & Clyde' (which featured Beyoncé Knowles of Destiny's Child) and 'Excuse Me Miss'. The album also featured 'A Dream', a track recorded with Faith Evans. In 2003, Jay Z released The Black Album, after touring with the likes of Sean Paul and 50 Cent. He worked with a number of producers on the album, including Rick Rubin, Kanye West and Eminem. The album featured the massive global hit, ''99 Problems.' The vocals from the album later featured in Danger Mouse's influential underground remix project, The Grey Album, in which he mixed Jay Z's vocal with the instrumentals from the Beatles' The White Album. In 2004, Jay Z collaborated with Linkin Park, on a project called Collision Course. They performed 'Numb / Encore' at the Grammy Awards, where they won the Best Rap / Sung Collaboration song. Despite announcing his retirement in November 2003, at a huge Madison Square Gardens charity concert (which also featured Mary J. Blige, Pharrell Williams and Ghostface Killah), Jay Z released Kingdom Come in 2006. His comeback single, 'Show Me What You Got' was accompanied by a video by acclaimed director, Hype Williams. In 2007, Jay Z's tenth album, American Gangster was released. The album was inspired by the film of the same name, though it is not the official soundtrack to the film. In 2008, amid much controversy, Jay Z was chosen to headline Glastonbury Festival. In response to public criticism from Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Jay Z walked onstage at the event, playing the Oasis song, 'Wonderwall'. In 2009, Jay Z released his eleventh album 'The Blueprint 3', which overall was met with positive reviews and did well commercially; the album debuted at number one in the Billboard 200 selling 476,000 copies in its first week. As it was Jay Z's eleventh album to debut at number one, he broke a record that he'd previously shared with Elvis Presley. In 2011 Jay Z and Kanye West brought out collaborative album 'Watch The Throne' which received mostly positive reviews upon release. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 charts, selling 436,000 in its first week in the United States. It's Jay-Z's 12th number one album and West's fifth. The album did incredibly well in many end of year album lists. Jay Z followed 'Watch The Throne' in 2013 with 'Magna Carta Holy Grail', which debuted at number one in the Billboard 200, selling 528,000 copies in its first week, exceeding expectations of it selling 350,000 to 400,000 copies. Despite the commercial success, 'Magna Carta...' was met with mixed reviews from critics. Justin Timberlake featured on the song 'Holy Grail'.

Personal Life: Jay Z married his long-term girlfriend, Beyoncé Knowles in April 2008. Despite both their high celebrity statuses, they chose for their marriage to take place in a secret wedding ceremony without publicity. Since 2008, Jay Z's influence and power in the industry have grown year on year. There have been many rumours circulated surrounding his links to the Illuminati. On January 7, 2012 Jay Z and his wife Beyonce welcomed their first child, a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter.



Biography by Contactmusic.com

Coldplay Feat. BTS: Will This Be Among The Band’s Finest Collaborations?


Coldplay Chris Martin Rihanna Tove Lo Michael Stipe The Chainsmokers Stormzy Jay Z

Earlier this year Coldplay’s Chris Martin expressed his love of several movies and songs that he found “helpful and wonderful” - among them being BTS’ smash hit Butter. We never had the singer down as a K-Pop fan, but we can’t blame him for loving the track.

Coldplay performing post-BRIT Awards gig in 2016 / Photo Credit: Isabel Infantes/EMPICS Entertainment/PA ImagesColdplay performing post-BRIT Awards gig in 2016 / Photo Credit: Isabel Infantes/EMPICS Entertainment/PA Images

This bromance goes both ways too, with the K-Pop superstars performing Coldplay’s Fix You on MTV Unplugged back in February with their blessing; that’s a big deal if you’re aware of how precious Coldplay are when it comes to letting other artists cover their music.

Continue reading: Coldplay Feat. BTS: Will This Be Among The Band’s Finest Collaborations?

Beyonce Announces TV Special Making The Gift


Beyonce Knowles Jay Z Kendrick Lamar Childish Gambino Donald Glover

Beyonce has announced a TV special giving fans an inside look at the making of her 'The Lion King: The Gift' album.

The 38-year-old superstar - who voiced Nala in this year's 'The Lion King' remake - released the LP inspired by the Disney movie, which features collaborations with the likes of husband Jay-Z, their seven-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Pharrell and more, in July, and now the documentary 'Making The Gift' will air on ABC at 10pm on tonight (16.09.19) and reveal ''Beyoncé's creative process''.

Alongside a teaser for the show, Beyonce wrote on Instagram: ''ABC Network. 10pm.''

Continue reading: Beyonce Announces TV Special Making The Gift

Kanye West Is Suing Jay Z's Former Record Label


Jay Z Kanye West Beyonce Knowles

The friendship between rappers Jay Z and Kanye West has reportedly been in turmoil for a number of years but Ye may have just made it worse after he announced he would be suing Hova’s former label and the recording company that gave him his first deal.

Kanye WestKanye West is suing two record labels

West, 41, filed two separate lawsuits on Friday, one against Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records and another against EMI, claiming he signed an exclusive recording agreement.

Continue reading: Kanye West Is Suing Jay Z's Former Record Label

Beyonce And Jay Z Help Drive Record Numbers Of Visitors To The Louvre


Beyonce Knowles Jay Z

The cultural clout of Beyonce and Jay Z extends well beyond the world of music, with French art gallery The Louvre crediting the couple with its best-ever year for visitor levels in 2018.

Last year, the world’s most visited museum in Paris broke all ticket office records, with more than 10 million people viewing its collection of fine arts and antiquities. The 10.2 million people who came to the museum in 2018 marked a 25% rise, beating its previous record of 9.7 million visitors in 2012. It’s the highest number for a museum of its kind, more than the National Museum of China and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The record numbers are being credited in part to international tourists returning to Paris, after large numbers stayed away in the years after the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Foreigners made up almost three-quarters of visitors to the Louvre.

Continue reading: Beyonce And Jay Z Help Drive Record Numbers Of Visitors To The Louvre

Beyonce And Jay Z Have 'Challenged' Their Fans To Try Veganism


Beyonce Knowles Jay Z

If anyone is still searching for a New Year's Resolution superstar couple, Beyoncé and Jay Z have got for you to try: Veganism. The powerful double act have written an introduction for Marco Borges' (Beyoncé's trainer) new book, The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World and, in it, they're challenging their fans to cut out any and all meals centred around animals.

Beyonce and Jay ZBeyonce and Jay Z are promoting veganism

This isn't the first time Beyoncé has spoken out about a vegan diet after the mum-of-three told her millions of Instagram followers she was going strictly vegan in preparation for her Coachella performance.

Continue reading: Beyonce And Jay Z Have 'Challenged' Their Fans To Try Veganism

Music News Round-Up: Ariana Grande Adds Extra UK Tour Dates; Ed Sheeran Breaks More Records; Kylie To Play Glastonbury


Ariana Grande Jay Z Ed Sheeran Neil Young Kylie Minogue Glastonbury Festival PJ Harvey

Ariana Grande ADDS UK TOUR DATES

Ariana Grande has given fans a little Sweetener, announcing extra dates for the UK and Ireland leg of her arena tour next summer.

Originally, the ‘thank u, next’ chart-topping star announced a brace of London shows in August 2019, before returning to the UK the following month for gigs in Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield and Dublin.

Continue reading: Music News Round-Up: Ariana Grande Adds Extra UK Tour Dates; Ed Sheeran Breaks More Records; Kylie To Play Glastonbury

Jay-Z Ranked Richest Musician In America


Jay Z

Rap megastar Jay-Z has been named the richest musician in America, according to an updated list published by Forbes ranking celebrity wealth.

Appearing in fifth place overall behind George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan, the 49 year old hip-hop artist is valued at a net worth of $900 million, with the biggest dollar gains in the last 12 months of anybody else on the list.

Just like the list of the richest rappers in the world published back in March this year, Jay-Z has overhauled fellow star P Diddy, thanks to his stakes in various companies, including entertainment giant Roc Nation, his streaming service Tidal, and alcohol brands including Armand de Brignac and D’Ussé.

Continue reading: Jay-Z Ranked Richest Musician In America

Beyonce Dedicates On The Run II Concert To Ailing Aretha Franklin


Beyonce Knowles Jay Z Aretha Franklin

When word spread the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin was "gravely ill", the music world came out in its droves to wish her well. Now superstar couple Jay Z and Beyoncé have dedicated their latest concert to 76-year-old Aretha.

Beyonce and Jay ZBeyonce and Jay Z are in the middle of their second joint tour

Franklin has been cited by many as one of the women who paved the way for Beyoncé's style including her gospel-inspired singing and powerful lyrics about women around the world.

Continue reading: Beyonce Dedicates On The Run II Concert To Ailing Aretha Franklin

Beyonce And Jay-Z Tour Tickets Struggle To Move For Free In The UK


Beyonce Knowles Jay Z

It sounds like Beyonce and Jay-Z are struggling with their UK popularity as ticket sales just aren't moving. Their first couple of shows in the country were littered with empty seats, and now organisers are attempting to give tickets away just so they can fill the stadium.

Beyonce and Jay-Z performing in ParisBeyonce and Jay-Z performing in Paris

Ticket sales are doing so badly for the couple's On The Run II tour that people are actually being handed tickets for free in car parks following the sparse attendance of their shows at Cardiff's Principality Stadium last Wednesday (June 6th) and Glasgow's Hampden Park on Saturday (June 9th). 

Continue reading: Beyonce And Jay-Z Tour Tickets Struggle To Move For Free In The UK

Jay-Z Issued Subpoena By SEC Over Rocawear Clothing Brand Sale


Jay Z

Jay-Z is set to appear in court, having been issued a subpoena by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of an investigation into the sale of his Rocawear clothing brand.

The rap megastar, 48, has been ordered to explain details regarding the 2007 deal with brand management firm Iconix Brand Group Inc, worth $200 million, according to Reuters. The SEC is investigating the context of the sale to determine whether it violated securities laws, and has also been investigating Iconix since 2015 regarding its accounting practices over subsequent "joint ventures", on which the rapper worked with them.

Jay-Z – real name Shawn Carter – has ignored two previous subpoenas to appear before the court regarding Iconix’s practices, the US market regulators told a New York judge on Thursday (May 3rd).

Continue reading: Jay-Z Issued Subpoena By SEC Over Rocawear Clothing Brand Sale

Vanessa Bryant - Celebrities attend the Beyonce and Jay Z concert at the Rose Bowl - Los Angeles, California, United States - Monday 4th August 2014

Beyonce, Vanessa Bryant and Jay Z

Jay-Z - 'Legends of the Summer' Tour at the Rose Bowl - Los Angeles, California, United States - Monday 29th July 2013

Jay-z

Jay-Z - Jay-Z 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' album release exclusively for Samsung Galaxy at Liberty Warehouse - New York City, New York, United States - Wednesday 3rd July 2013

Jay-z

Jay Z - Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z New York City, USA - United Way Of New York & Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation press conference, held at Carnegie Hall Thursday 8th December 2011

Jay Z

Jay Z - Jay-Z Sunday 11th July 2010 at T In The Park Balado, Scotland

Jay Z
Jay Z

Jay Z

Date of birth

4th December, 1969

Occupation

Musician

Sex

Male

Height

1.87




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Jay Z Movies

Made In America Trailer

Made In America Trailer

Made in America Festival is an annual music event founded by rapper and businessman Jay-Z...

Honey Movie Review

Honey Movie Review

Somehow the people at Universal Pictures got it into their heads that easy-on-the-eyes, thin-on-talent Jessica...

Fade To Black Movie Review

Fade To Black Movie Review

In 2003, Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z (a.k.a. Shawn Carter) called it quits after an eight-year career....

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