The Man Behind Jay Z Music
Andy West
March 18, 2010
Jay Z is a rapper/hip hop artist, businessman, millionaire and husband. Jay Z music is in a constant high demand with good reason. Born Shawn Carter in 1969, in Brooklyn, New York, Carter had a rough childhood. His father abandoned the family when he was young and Carter learned to hustle on the streets of New York. Eventually the money he made hustling went to fund his emerging rap career. He began to be known as Jazzy which he later further altered to Jay Z and it stuck.
Jay Z music began to sell with his first albums, Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, but his third album, In My Lifetime Vol. 2 was an overnight success landing the rapper at the top of the charts. After seeing the albums success, Jay Z embarked on a huge tour boosting his career and several of his protégé´s careers including Ja Rule.
Since then, the rapper has had numerous smash hit records and singles including album Volume 3 Life and Times of S. Carter and songs Hard Knock Life and Can I Get A. Jay Z has won several Grammys. One for his album Volume 3 Life and Times of S. Carter, one for best rap performance by a group for Big Pimpin and one for best rap video of Can I Get A.
Aside from making some of the best and most memorable rap music of the times, Jay Z has capitalized on his music by becoming a heavyweight in the business world. He became and retired from the position of President for Def Jam Records and Roc A Fella Records, he founded Roc A Fella Films and he released his own clothing line called Rocawear. He owns 40/40 Elite, an upscale sports bar in New York City, along with the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is also in a partnership with Live Nation, a live event company in Beverly Hills which he entered into for $150 million, one of the largest contracts in history for a musician. He has endorsed Reebok shoes and created his own signature shoe line called the S. Carter shoe collection, a first for a non-athlete.
Jay Z retired from making music in 2003, but came back in 2006 with his album Kingdom Come which became his top selling album in a week. What makes his music different is his true life portrayals of the rough urban life which he adds to his lyrics. These accounts are no doubt drawn from his early days of growing up and learning to hustle on the streets of New York.
To complete the Jay Z fairy tale, in 2008 he married then longtime girlfriend and fellow musical sensation Beyonce Knowles. Prior to their wedding the couple kept their relationship private and only recently have begun to step out publicly together.
Without a doubt, Jay Z is a name that won´t be going away for a long time and his music will continue to be at the top of the charts. He has become a legend and everyone wants to own his music. With the emergence of downloading music, everyone now has access to Jay Z music. With over 26 million units sold, it is even easier to purchase and listen to the rappers music; all it takes is a few clicks. Literally Web sites now feature hundreds of Jay Z songs from every album he ever made. Users can go in and select the songs or whole albums they want and have the remarkable Jay Z music within minutes.
Jay Z music began to sell with his first albums, Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, but his third album, In My Lifetime Vol. 2 was an overnight success landing the rapper at the top of the charts. After seeing the albums success, Jay Z embarked on a huge tour boosting his career and several of his protégé´s careers including Ja Rule.
Since then, the rapper has had numerous smash hit records and singles including album Volume 3 Life and Times of S. Carter and songs Hard Knock Life and Can I Get A. Jay Z has won several Grammys. One for his album Volume 3 Life and Times of S. Carter, one for best rap performance by a group for Big Pimpin and one for best rap video of Can I Get A.
Aside from making some of the best and most memorable rap music of the times, Jay Z has capitalized on his music by becoming a heavyweight in the business world. He became and retired from the position of President for Def Jam Records and Roc A Fella Records, he founded Roc A Fella Films and he released his own clothing line called Rocawear. He owns 40/40 Elite, an upscale sports bar in New York City, along with the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is also in a partnership with Live Nation, a live event company in Beverly Hills which he entered into for $150 million, one of the largest contracts in history for a musician. He has endorsed Reebok shoes and created his own signature shoe line called the S. Carter shoe collection, a first for a non-athlete.
Jay Z retired from making music in 2003, but came back in 2006 with his album Kingdom Come which became his top selling album in a week. What makes his music different is his true life portrayals of the rough urban life which he adds to his lyrics. These accounts are no doubt drawn from his early days of growing up and learning to hustle on the streets of New York.
To complete the Jay Z fairy tale, in 2008 he married then longtime girlfriend and fellow musical sensation Beyonce Knowles. Prior to their wedding the couple kept their relationship private and only recently have begun to step out publicly together.
Without a doubt, Jay Z is a name that won´t be going away for a long time and his music will continue to be at the top of the charts. He has become a legend and everyone wants to own his music. With the emergence of downloading music, everyone now has access to Jay Z music. With over 26 million units sold, it is even easier to purchase and listen to the rappers music; all it takes is a few clicks. Literally Web sites now feature hundreds of Jay Z songs from every album he ever made. Users can go in and select the songs or whole albums they want and have the remarkable Jay Z music within minutes.
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