Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, is a highly successful American rapper, businessman, and record executive. He is recognized for his intricate lyricism, characterized by double entendres and wordplay, and his compelling rags-to-riches story. He held the position of president and CEO at Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007. In 2008, he founded Roc Nation, a prominent entertainment company, further solidifying his influence in the music industry and business world.
On December 4, 1969, Shawn Corey Carter, later known as Jay-Z, was born in Brooklyn, New York City.
In 1982, at age 12, Jay-Z shot his older brother Eric in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.
While working on the album Word to the Jaz in London in 1988, Jay-Z and Gotti began to build their relationship on the trip.
In 1994, Jay-Z became known to a wide audience on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home.
In 1994, Jay-Z co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records to release his music.
In 1994, Jay-Z was allegedly stopped by an NYPD detective while en route to I-95, possibly for a search of drugs in his car.
In 1995, Jay-Z released his first official rap single, "In My Lifetime", with an accompanying music video. In 1995, Jay-Z also appeared on a popular song by Big L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build".
In 1995, with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Jay-Z created Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label after facing difficulty securing a major label record deal.
In 1996, Jay-Z released his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" after striking a distribution deal with Priority. The album featured beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.
After reaching a new label distribution deal with Def Jam, Jay-Z released his follow-up album "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" in 1997. The album featured production by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, DJ Premier, and Ski.
In 1997, Jay-Z released his second album, "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1", under Roc-A-Fella Records. "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 by Jay-Z" received critical acclaim.
Jay-Z's 1997 album "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" includes the track "You Must Love Me", where he shares he shot his older brother in 1982.
In 1998, Jay-Z released "Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life", which spawned the hit "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)".
On December 2, 1999, Jay-Z allegedly stabbed record executive Lance "Un" Rivera at the Kit Kat Klub in Times Square, New York City, during a release party for Q-Tip's album Amplified, believing Rivera was behind the bootlegging of Vol. 3....
In 1999, Jay-Z co-founded the clothing retailer Rocawear.
In 1999, Jay-Z collaborated with Mariah Carey on "Heartbreaker" and released "Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter".
In 1999, Jay-Z stabbed record producer Lance Rivera at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City.
In late January 2000, Jay-Z was indicted in Manhattan Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty to the stabbing of Lance Rivera. He and his lawyers claimed to have evidence proving he was not near Rivera during the incident.
According to a lawsuit filed in December 2024, Jay-Z was accused of being involved in an incident that allegedly occurred at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000.
In 2000, Jay-Z released "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia", originally planned as a Roc-A-Fella compilation. The album helped introduce producers The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kanye West, and Bink.
In 2000, there were accusations that an incident took place at the MTV VMAs afterparty involving Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs.
On September 11, 2001, Jay-Z released "The Blueprint", which received a five-mic review from The Source.
In October 2001, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for stabbing record producer Lance Rivera in 1999.
In 2001, Jay-Z released "The Blueprint", which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy, leading to the song "Takeover" and a subsequent feud with Nas.
In 2001, rapper Nas claimed in his diss track "Ether" that Jay-Z was not Rivera's stabber.
In 2002, Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles collaborated on the song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde".
In 2002, Jay-Z released the collaborative album "The Best of Both Worlds" with singer R. Kelly.
On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, billed as a "retirement party," with all proceeds going to charity.
According to his second verse on "99 Problems", released in 2003, Jay-Z was allegedly stopped by an NYPD detective in 1994 while en route to I-95.
Adnis Reeves, Jay-Z's father, reconciled with Jay-Z prior to his death in 2003.
In 2003, Jay-Z appeared on Beyoncé's hit single, "Crazy in Love" and the song "That's How You Like It" from her debut album Dangerously in Love.
In 2003, Jay-Z became a part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, paying a reported $1 million for his share.
In 2003, Jay-Z became the first rapper in Reebok's history to endorse their footwear, signing a three-year deal. He later appeared in a Reebok collection advertising his S. Carter Collection and promoted their footwears with 50 Cent in a commercial.
In 2003, Jay-Z founded the 40/40 Club, a luxury bar chain.
In 2003, Jay-Z released "The Black Album", which debuted atop the Billboard 200.
In 2003, Jay-Z, along with his mother, founded the Shawn Carter Foundation, which assists eligible students facing socio-economic hardships attend and get through college.
In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park, releasing the remix EP "Collision Course".
In 2004, Jay-Z released "Unfinished Business" with R. Kelly and "Collision Course" with Linkin Park.
In 2004, Jay-Z released the documentary "Fade to Black" and the album "Unfinished Business", a collaboration with R. Kelly.
In 2004, Jay-Z served as president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings.
In 2004, Jay-Z was appointed president of Def Jam Records. This appointment led to Jay-Z, Dash, and Biggs selling their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z subsequently assumed control of both companies. The industry shift was reportedly driven by disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash regarding the future direction of Roc-A-Fella.
In October 2005, Jay-Z was reported as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team.
On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual Powerhouse concert, titled the "I Declare War" concert. The theme reflected his position as president and CEO of Def Jam, with an Oval Office stage mock-up. The event included appearances from Roc-A-Fella artists, Ne-Yo, Teairra Marí, T.I., Young Jeezy, Akon, Kanye West, Paul Wall, The LOX, and Diddy.
In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in Carol's Daughter, a line of beauty products.
In 2005, Jay-Z was inaugurated as the president of Def Jam Recordings, launching the careers of Rihanna and Ne-Yo.
The feud between Jay-Z and Nas ended by 2005, with record producer Mark Pitts facilitating the settlement of their differences.
In August 2006, Jay-Z met with Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, and pledged to use his upcoming world tour to raise awareness of the global water shortage.
In early October 2006, Jay-Z's comeback single, "Show Me What You Got", was leaked on the Internet. The song received heavy airplay, leading to an FBI investigation. The music video was directed by Hype Williams and F. Gary Gray.
In November 2006, MTV aired the documentary "Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life," which highlighted Jay-Z's efforts to raise awareness of the global water shortage in partnership with the UN.
On November 21, 2006, Jay-Z released his comeback album, Kingdom Come. The album's first week sales were 680,000 copies, marking his biggest sales week ever, eventually selling 2 million copies in the U.S.
In 2006, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were listed as the most powerful couple for Time magazine's 100 most influential people.
In 2006, Jay-Z appeared with Russell Simmons in a public service announcement denouncing racism and anti-Semitism, sponsored by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
In 2006, Jay-Z was enstooled as the Sarkin Waka of Kwara in the Nigerian chieftaincy system.
In 2006, Jay-Z's endorsement deal with Reebok expired and was not renewed.
In early 2006, Jay-Z took over the Rocawear clothing brand following a falling out with Damon Dash.
Jay-Z's ties to Armand de Brignac company date back to 2006, and he received millions of dollars per year for his association with Armand de Brignac before he bought the entire company in 2014.
In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group for $204 million, retaining a stake and continuing to oversee marketing, licensing, and product development.
On November 6, 2007, Jay-Z released his tenth album, American Gangster, inspired by the Ridley Scott film of the same name. The album, distributed by Def Jam, reflects his experiences as a street hustler in correlation to the movie, selling 1 million copies in the U.S.
At the end of 2007, after releasing American Gangster, Jay-Z decided not to renew his contract as president and CEO of Def Jam. Shortly after, he started his Live Nation venture, Roc Nation.
In 2007, Jay-Z released "American Gangster", which debuted atop the Billboard 200.
Jay-Z concluded his role as president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings in 2007.
On January 1, 2008, Jay-Z resigned from his position as president of Def Jam Records.
On April 4, 2008, Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles were married in a private ceremony in Tribeca, New York City.
On April 22, 2008, the marriage of Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles became a matter of public record.
Between June 2008 and June 2009, Forbes ranked Beyoncé and Jay-Z as Hollywood's top-earning couple.
In June 2008, Barack Obama praised Jay-Z, recognizing his talent and ability to shape attitudes in a positive way.
During Kanye West's concert on August 6, 2008, at Madison Square Garden, Jay-Z joined him on stage to perform a new song. Together, they announced the song would be included on The Blueprint 3 album.
On September 5, 2008, Beyoncé publicly debuted her wedding ring at the Fashion Rocks concert.
In 2008, Jay-Z launched Roc Nation, a multi-disciplinary entertainment agency.
In 2008, Jay-Z was announced as the first major hip hop artist to headline Britain's Glastonbury Festival, leading to controversy. Noel Gallagher of Oasis criticized the choice, prompting Jay-Z to defend hip hop's place in music. He opened his set with a cover of Oasis's "Wonderwall" and delivered a well-received performance.
In 2008, the 40/40 Club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined.
In January 2009, Forbes ranked Beyoncé and Jay-Z as Hollywood's top-earning couple, with a combined total of $162 million.
On May 21, 2009, Jay-Z announced his departure from Def Jam and signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Live Nation. This deal led to the creation of Roc Nation, encompassing a record label, talent/management agency, and music publishing company. He also partnered with Stargate to form StarRoc record label.
Between June 2008 and June 2009, Forbes ranked Beyoncé and Jay-Z as Hollywood's top-earning couple.
On September 8, 2009, Jay-Z's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, was released in North America due to increasing anticipation. It became his 11th album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, surpassing Elvis Presley's record as a solo artist.
September 11, 2009, was the originally planned release date of Jay-Z's 11th album 'The Blueprint 3'. Due to high anticipation, the album was released a few days earlier on September 8, 2009.
On October 9, 2009, Jay-Z commenced his tour for The Blueprint 3 in North America, supporting his new album. The tour received positive reviews, with critics praising his smooth performance.
During his concert at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on November 8, 2009, Rihanna joined Jay-Z on stage to perform "Hard" for the first time and then performed "Run This Town" together.
On November 22, 2009, Jay-Z concluded his North American tour in support of his album, The Blueprint 3.
In 2009, Jay-Z peaked the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist with his single "Empire State of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys.
In January 2010, Jay-Z, through his company Gain Global Investments Network LLC, had an interest in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium, which was awarded a contract to operate a racino at the Aqueduct Race Track.
On March 9, 2010, Jay-Z withdrew from the Aqueduct Entertainment Group project.
On September 23, 2010, Q-Tip confirmed he was working on Jay-Z's follow-up album to The Blueprint 3, anticipating its release by spring 2011.
Beginning in November 2010, Jay-Z supported U2 on the Australian and New Zealand leg of their U2 360° Tour, starting in Auckland, New Zealand and followed by Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in December.
In November 2010, recording sessions began for a five-track EP with Kanye West, later revealed to be the full-length LP Watch the Throne, with recording sessions taking place at various locations.
On November 16, 2010, Jay-Z published his memoir entitled Decoded, co-signed by Dream Hampton.
During the 2010 mid-term elections, Jay-Z appeared with other artists in a HeadCount advertisement, urging voters, especially younger ones, to register and vote.
In 2010, Jay-Z addressed the case in his book Decoded.
In 2010, Jay-Z announced plans to expand his 40/40 Club sports bar chain into as many as 20 airports.
On April 5, 2011, Jay-Z launched the popular culture and lifestyle online magazine Life + Times.
In April 2011, Jay-Z acquired independent record label Block Starz Music, outbidding executives at Universal Music and Jive Records.
At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé revealed that she was pregnant with their first child.
In 2011, Jay-Z and Kanye West released "Watch the Throne". The first single released for the project was "H•A•M", co-produced by Lex Luger and West himself. The track ended up being on the deluxe edition of the album. The follow-up to that was the second single "Otis".
In 2011, Jay-Z released the collaborative album "Watch the Throne" with Kanye West.
On January 7, 2012, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, was born at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.
On January 9, 2012, Jay-Z released "Glory", a song dedicated to Blue Ivy, through his Life+Times website. Blue Ivy's cries were included at the end of the song, and she was officially credited on the song as "B.I.C".
As of February 2012, Jay-Z's album "The Blueprint" had sold 2.7 million copies worldwide.
In May 2012, Jay-Z and former Philadelphia mayor Michael A. Nutter announced that Jay-Z would be the curator and headliner for the first annual "Budweiser Made in America" festival at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on September 1 and 2, 2012. The performance was produced by Live Nation.
In May 2012, Jay-Z endorsed President Obama's support of same-sex marriage and participated in his re-election campaign.
In May 2012, Jay-Z was reported to be working on new music with Roc Nation producer Jahlil Beats, selecting several of his beats for the project.
On October 6, 2012, Jay-Z took the subway to his sold-out show at The Barclays Center.
On November 12, 2012, Coldplay announced that they would be playing with Jay-Z at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on December 31.
In the 2012-2013 season, Jay-Z encouraged the relocation of the Brooklyn Nets to Brooklyn's Barclays Center (from New Jersey).
On April 2, 2013, Jay-Z launched his own sports agency, Roc Nation Sports, with a focus on the representation of various professional athletes, in partnership with Creative Artists Agency.
In April 2013, Jay-Z's share of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team declined in value to $350,000, based on Forbes magazine's valuation.
On April 18, 2013, Jay-Z officially announced that he would be relinquishing his ownership in the Brooklyn Nets. The shares were eventually sold to singer, rapper, actor and entrepreneur Will Pan.
During the fifth game of the 2013 NBA Finals, Jay-Z announced his twelfth studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, which was released on July 4, 2013. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 528,000 copies in its first week.
In September 2013, Jay-Z's stake in Barclays Center was sold for $1.5 million.
In December 2013, Jay-Z received nine nominations at the 2014 Grammy Awards, more than any other artist.
In 2013, Time named Jay-Z one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
In 2013, author dream hampton revealed that Jay-Z had established a trust fund for Sean Bell's children.
In 2013, the DJ and radio host Funkmaster Flex revealed that he had been contacted for a story about a digital app he made at the time, which he alleged was instead used to help launch the Magna Carta Samsung app in January 2015.
In 2013, the album had been named one of the most anticipated albums of 2013 by Complex Magazine, MTV, and XXL. Jay-Z also made an appearance on Justin Timberlake's comeback single "Suit & Tie" from his third studio album The 20/20 Experience.
Tidal, the music streaming service later acquired by Jay-Z, has been in operation since October 2014.
In 2014, Jay-Z appeared on his wife Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, Beyoncé, with a feature on the song "Drunk in Love". They performed this song together at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards opening.
In 2014, Jay-Z invested $200 million in Armand de Brignac champagne for a 100 percent stake in the brand.
In January 2015, Funkmaster Flex alleged that information he provided for a story in 2013 about a digital app he made was used to launch the Magna Carta Samsung app for Jay-Z's album of the same name.
In March 2015, Jay-Z completed the $56 million acquisition of Aspiro, the Norwegian media technology company that operates the subscription-based music streaming service Tidal.
In July 2015, Jay-Z made a significant investment in JetSmarter, an app for booking private plane flights.
In 2015, Jay-Z acquired the technology company Aspiro and led the expansion of Tidal, Aspiro's media streaming service.
In 2015, Jay-Z donated to bail out protestors arrested during activism against police brutality.
In 2015, The song and its accompanying album would later win three Grammy Awards including Best R&B Performance at the ceremony.
In 2016, Jay-Z and Beyoncé appeared at a Hillary Clinton rally in Cleveland. Clinton praised Jay-Z for addressing racism, oppression, and the criminal justice system. He described Donald Trump as a "superbug" and condemned remarks he perceived as racist, but later said that Trump's rhetoric forced people to come together and address difficult issues such as white privilege.
In 2016, Jay-Z signed a two-year exclusive film and TV deal with Weinstein Company, giving them first-look options to create scripted and unscripted projects. He produced a documentary series on Kalief Browder as part of the deal.
In 2016, he won a lawsuit for the song "Made in America" with Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean against Joel McDonald.
In early June 2017, promotional posters and ads appeared in New York City, Los Angeles, and online for a Tidal-related project titled 4:44. A teaser ad aired during the NBA Finals on June 7, featuring actors Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danny Glover, ending with "4:44 – 6.30.17, Exclusively on Tidal".
On June 18, 2017, Beyoncé gave birth to twins with Jay-Z, a daughter named Rumi and a son named Sir.
In 2017, Jay-Z released "4:44", which debuted atop the Billboard 200.
On June 6, 2018, Jay-Z and Beyoncé commenced their On the Run II Tour in Cardiff, United Kingdom.
In 2018, Jay-Z released the collaborative album "Everything Is Love" with his wife Beyoncé.
In 2019, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop billionaire through his business ventures.
In 2019, Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
In March 2020, Jay-Z donated $1 million through the Shawn Carter Foundation to aid in relief during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York.
In April 2020, Jay-Z, along with Meek Mill, donated over 100,000 face masks to U.S. prisons to assist in protecting prison inmates from COVID-19.
In August 2020, Jay-Z's Roc Nation partnered with Brooklyn's Long Island University to establish the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment.
In November 2020, Jay-Z joined TPCO Holding Corp., a cannabis products company, in the role of "Chief Visionary Officer".
In 2021, Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also appeared on Kanye West's song "Jail" from the album Donda, which won a Grammy. Additionally, he featured on Drake's song "Love All" from the album Certified Lover Boy.
On December 5, 2022, Jay-Z and Roc Nation announced their partnership with Caesars Entertainment to build and operate a casino property at Times Square.
In 2022, Jay-Z collaborated with Pusha T on "Neck & Wrist" featuring Pharrell Williams from Pusha T's album, It's Almost Dry and made a guest appearance on DJ Khaled's album title track, "God Did". He was also awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) as a producer for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show.
Despite Jay-Z's sentence of three years probation for the crime, in 2023, Rivera recanted the allegations.
In 2023, Jay-Z and Beyoncé purchased a house in Malibu, California, designed by Tadao Ando, for $200 million, setting a record for the most expensive residence sold in California.
In 2023, Jay-Z was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe.
In 2023, Rivera stated that Jay-Z lied, and was not the one that stabbed him: "No. Jay-Z was not the guy that actually stabbed me that night (...) it's never been his history".
In December 2024, Jay-Z, along with Sean "Diddy" Combs, was accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000. Jay-Z denied the allegations and described it as a blackmail attempt.
On February 10, 2025, Jay-Z filed a lawsuit against Tony Buzbee, claiming he lost $20 million in contracts due to the allegations made against him.
On February 14, 2025, the lawsuit against Jay-Z was officially dropped by Tony Buzbee and the accuser, Jane Doe. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled in the future. Jay-Z described the outcome as "a victory."
In February 2025, Jay-Z dropped his request to have Tony Buzbee sanctioned by the court.
As of May 2025, Jay-Z is the wealthiest musical artist in the world with a net worth of US$2.5 billion.
In 2025, Beyoncé and Jay-Z reportedly began plans to relocate permanently to the United Kingdom, seeking a residence in the Cotswolds, following Beyoncé’s transition into country music and the UK leg of her Cowboy Carter World Tour.
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