Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z,^[a] is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists.^[7] 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.^[8][9]

Jay-Z
Jay-Z in 2011
Born	Shawn Corey Carter December 4, 1969 (age 52) New York City, U.S.
Other names	The Carter Administration Jigga Hova El Presidente HOV[1]
Occupation	Rapper   songwriter   record producer   entrepreneur   record executive   media proprietor
Years active	1986–present[2][3][4]
Organization	Shawn Carter Foundation
Works	Albums singles songs videography
Television	Free Meek Women of the Movement
Title	Founder of 40/40 Club and Roc Nation Co-founder of Rocawear CEO of Project Panther Bidco
Board member of	Tidal Aspiro
Spouse	Beyoncé   ? (m. 2008)?
Children	3, including Blue Ivy
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop
Labels	Roc Nation Atlantic Def Jam Roc-A-Fella Priority Payday FFRR
Member of	The Carters
Formerly of	The Commission   High Potent   Murder Inc.   The Throne
Website	lifeandtimes.com

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 (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), and 4:44 (2017).^[10][11] He also released the full-length collaborative albums Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West and Everything Is Love (2018) with his wife Beyoncé, respectively.^[12]

Through his business ventures Jay-Z has become the first hip-hop billionaire.^[13][14] In 1999, he founded the clothing retailer Rocawear,^[15] and in 2003, he founded the luxury sports bar chain 40/40 Club. Both businesses have grown to become multi-million-dollar corporations, and allowed him to start up Roc Nation in 2008. In 2015, he acquired the tech company Aspiro and took charge of their media streaming service Tidal.^[16][17] In 2020, he launched "Monogram", a line of cannabis products.^[18]

One of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint-most Grammy awards of any rapper along with Kanye West. Jay-Z also holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 (14).^[19][20] Additionally, he is a recipient of the NAACP's President's Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Sports Emmy Award; and has also received a nomination for a Tony Award. Ranked

by Billboard and Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time,^[21][22] Jay-Z was the first rapper honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame,^[23] and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[24] In 2013, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.^[25]