Shawn Corey Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is an American rapper who has an estimated net worth of$1.3 billion and’s had 100+ million records sold, and has received 21 Grammy awards. He was born in Brooklyn and has become one of the most successful musicians of all time.
Jay-Z is not only a music producer and performer but also an entrepreneur. He didn’t let his career in music be his sole source of income; he invested in restaurants, nightclubs, and even his own clothing line. Get more information like age, height, bio, net worth, etc in the below article.
Bio/Wiki
| Full Name/Real Name | Shawn Corey Carter |
|---|---|
| Net Worth | $1.3 Billion |
| Age | 29 |
| Born | December 22, 1969 |
| Height | in centimeters- 188 cm in meters- 1.88 m in Feet Inches- 6′ 2″ |
| Weight | in Kilograms- 83 kg in Pounds- 183 lbs |
| Body Measurements | – Chest: 44 Inches – Waist: 36 Inches – Biceps: 14 Inches |
| Hometown | Bedford-Stuyvesant area, Brooklyn |
| Country of Origin | United States of America |
| Source of Wealth | Professional Rapper |
Early Life
Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z, was born on December 4th, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in Marcy Houses, a housing project in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. His mother Gloria cared for him and his three siblings after their father left them when they were young.
In high school, Shawn attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn until it was closed down. Later, he attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School alongside rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, followed by Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey. He never received a high school diploma.
Gloria gave Jay-Z a boom box for his birthday. He liked music and soon he was free-styling and doing rap verses, adopting his stage name ‘Jay-Z’ to honor his musical mentor, ‘Jay-O.’
Personal Life
Jay-Z didn’t discuss his relationship with Beyoncé Knowles until 2008 when the couple got married. They kept the press away from their small wedding and only invited about 40 people, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Michelle Williams. Their first child, Blue Ivy Carter, was welcomed into the world in 2012.
Career
Carter took refuge in music at a young age, eager to get away from the drugs, violence, and poverty that were surrounding him. In 1989 he joined with an older rapper named Jaz-O to record a song called “The Originators.” The song won them an appearance on the TV show Yo! MTV Raps.
Carter embraced the nickname Jay-Z at this point in his life, which was an homage to Jaz-O and a reference to the Brooklyn neighborhood he grew up in.
Even though Jay-Z had a stage name, he remained relatively anonymous until he and two friends founded their own record label, Roc-a-Fella Records, in 1996.
In 1996, Jay-Z released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. The album only reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, but it is now considered a classic of hip-hop music. Songs such as “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” featuring Mary J. Blige, and “Brooklyn’s Finest,” a collaboration with Notorious B.I.G., established Jay-Z as an emerging star in the hip-hop genre.
Almost two decades ago, Jay-Z released his second album, Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life. The title track is best known for sampling “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the Broadway musical, Annie. The song reached a new level of fame because of its Grammy win and nomination for “Hard Knock Life.”
This marked the beginning of a successful era for Jay-Z which saw him become one of the most well-known names in hip-hop.
For this period, the rapper’s most popular songs include “Big Pimpin’,” “I Just Wanna Love U,” “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and “03 Bonnie & Clyde,” a duet with future wife Beyoncé Knowles. The most acclaimed album of this time is The Blueprint (2001), which would later pop up on many lists of the best albums of the decade.
In 2003, Jay-Z decided to retire at the peak of his success. Asked about his decision, he said that there were just too few artists in the game to make for stiff competition. “The game ain’t hot,” he said. “I love when someone makes a hot album and then you’ve got to make a hot album. I love that. But it ain’t hot.”
Jay-Z ended his retirement from music in 2006 with the release of Kingdom Come. He continued to release albums, including American Gangster (2007) and Blueprint 3 (2009). This trio of albums is significant because it’s a departure from Jay-Z’s earlier sound. The productions are stronger and the lyrics tackle mature topics such as Hurricane Katrina, Obama’s 2008 election, and the perils of fame and wealth.
Jay-Z worked with Kanye West to make the album, Watch the Throne. The album was a triple hit and went on to receive multiple Grammy nominations. One of these nominations was for Best Rap Performance with “Otis.” It sampled the late R&B singer Otis Redding.
Jay-Z’s 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, was released in July 2013. The album received mixed reviews from critics but fared well with fans and also fared well on the Billboard 200. In January 2014, Jay-Z earned nine Grammy nominations for his hit single “Holy Grail,” which he took home three awards for that year.
On June 15, 2017, Jay-Z became the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was greeted by a standing ovation from some of the industry’s top songwriters.
Just earlier this month, Jay-Z released his 13th solo album on June 30th. By July 1st, it was already certified platinum! The album, which includes guest artists Beyoncé, Damian Marley, and Frank Ocean, was a commercial and critical success thanks to the rapper’s candid lyrics and a new level of maturity.
In early June 2017, posters were displayed in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as banner ads on the Internet promoting a Tidal-related project titled 4:44. A teaser ad was aired during the NBA Finals on June 7 featuring actors Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong’o and Danny Glover in a one-minute video, ending in “4:44 – 6.30.17, Exclusively on Tidal”.
On June 18, the project was confirmed to be a new Jay-Z album, and a clip featuring a song titled “Adnis” was posted on Sprint’s YouTube page.
4:44 was released through Roc Nation and Universal Music Group, as an exclusive to Sprint and Tidal customers. The album is the first in a planned series of music exclusives from the Sprint–Tidal partnership.
For a short time, on July 2, the album was made available for free digital download on Tidal’s site. A physical edition was released on July 7, including three additional tracks. On the same day, the album was made available to other streaming platforms, such as Apple Music, Google Play Music, and Amazon Music.
The album received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its emotional and personal content. On July 5, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in recognition of one million copies purchased by Sprint and offered to consumers as free downloads.
It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making it Jay-Z’s 13th consecutive studio album to top the chart. The album spawned two singles, the title track “4:44” and “Bam”, as well as several music videos, directed by a variety of high-profile collaborators.
The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year, while the title track was nominated for Song of the Year, and “The Story of O.J.” was nominated for Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
On June 6, 2018, Jay-Z and Beyoncé kicked off the On the Run II Tour in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Ten days later, at their final London performance, the pair unveiled Everything Is Love, their much-awaited joint studio album, credited under the name The Carters.
The pair also released the video for the album’s lead single, “Apeshit”, on Beyoncé’s official YouTube channel. The song won two awards from eight nominations at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
He was a 2021 nominee for the 36th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He also appeared on the song “Jail” on Kanye West’s 2021 album, Donda.
Today, Jay-Z has the number-one albums by a solo artist at 14 on the US Billboard 200 and four #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Net Worth
As of 2022, Jay-Z surpassed the $1.3 billion net worth benchmark. This ranking made him the wealthiest rapper of all time and the first billionaire in the hip-hop industry. However, Kanye West eclipsed him soon after in December 2030, which bumped Jay-Z back down to #2.
Final Thoughts
Jay-Z is not only a successful hip-hop performer, but he’s also an extremely successful businessman. His personal wealth of $1.3 billion proves his success, and he has encouraged many musicians to follow in his footsteps.
