Jay-Z

Nationality: American Born: 04 December 1969 Height: 6' 2" Star sign: Sagittarius Famous for: The rap albums Hard Knock Life and The Blueprint, as well as his relationship with Beyoncé Knowles. Quirky Quote: I was forced to be an artist and a CEO from the beginning. It was so hard to get a record deal on my own that it was either give up or create my own company.

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Born on 4 December, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City, Jay-Z (birth name Shawn Corey Carter) is a rapper, producer and the former president of Def Jam Records. As a child Jay-Z lived in one of the roughest areas in New York City and did not graduate high school. His father abandoned him at the age of 12 and he began selling drugs.

Jay-Z started attracting attention by rap battling with the likes of Busta Rhymes and DMX. However, it was a battle with the rapper Zai that kick started his career and generated industry interest. Soon after he released his first single “I Can’t Get With That”.

When no record label would sign him, Jay-Z created Roc-A-Fella Records and released his first album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996, which became a critical success despite not reaching a particularly high position on the charts. He followed his first album with In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998), Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999), The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000), The Blueprint (2001), The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002), The Black Album (2003), Kingdom Come (2006) and American Gangster (2007). Jay-Z also collaborated with Linkin Park to produce the album Collision Course (2004). Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life is Jay-Z’s most commercially successful album to date.

At the end of 2003 Jay-Z announced his retirement from making studio records. He participated in various side projects, including his work with Linkin Park, but eventually came out of retirement with the release of Kingdom Come.

Not totally content with his international success as a rap artist, Jay-Z is also a business man. He was president of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 until 2007, is a co-founder of the Roc-A-Fella empire, co-owns The 40/40 Club and is a part-owner of NBA team, the New Jersey Nets.

Jay-Z has been dating singer Beyoncé Knowles since 2002 and it has been reported that the two tied the knot on 4 April, 2008.