WHO IS JAY Z

Besides being married to the legendary Beyonce Knowles, this rapper has made a name for himself as a legend as well. 

Jay Z has no doubt claimed his place as one of the most influential, and to many, the greatest rappers to this day. Having sold hundreds of millions of albums worldwide, while also gaining business success at the same time, Jay Z’s fame is far from questionable. 

Born and raised as Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York on the 4th of December 1969, Jay Z’s early life was no different from those of other influential rappers. 

He grew up with an absent father, had sold drugs in his youth and generally struggled in life. Despite the glumness of his upbringing, its redeeming quality is surely the series of events that leads him  to Billboard ranking him as one of the 100 greatest artists of all time. 

Jay Z’s interest in music began with his mother buying him a boombox, having been mentored by Jaz-O and having attended high school with other influential rappers such as the Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. 

From making “The Originators” come to fruition with another rapper, founding the Roc-A-Fella, to collaborating on “Life After Death”, success seemed out of reach for Jay Z, but definitely not impossible. 

With the later release of Vol.2 and the song “Hard Knock Life” came the spotlight for the rapper. Since then, you find the world singing along to his hits. He may have 99 problems but being Jay Z ain’t 1.