Jay-Z: The Life Story Behind Rap's Billionaire

Brooklyn, Marcy Projects: A Boy Who Learned the Streets

Shawn Corey Carter was born on 4 December 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, and he grew up in the Marcy Houses, a public housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood, the youngest of four children, in a household that was shaped by a father’s absence and a mother’s strength. His father, Adnis Reeves, left the family when Shawn was eleven years old, and the departure, which left a wound that he has written about throughout his career, taught him early that people leave, that promises break, and that a boy in Marcy Projects has to learn to rely on himself. His mother, Gloria Carter, raised the children alone, working as a clerk, and the household, which was poor but loving, gave him a foundation: a mother who believed in him, a neighbourhood that taught him to survive, and a talent for words that he discovered early, writing rhymes in notebooks, rapping on street corners, and dreaming of a life beyond the projects.

School in Brooklyn gave him the second part of his education, and it was not in a classroom. He attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, where his classmates included the future rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, and the school, which was a meeting place for young rappers, gave him a community, a competition, and a stage. He also attended Trenton Central High School in New Jersey for a time, and the moving, which took him between Brooklyn and New Jersey, gave him a view of two worlds, and the view, which was sharp and unsentimental, became the material of his rhymes. He began selling crack cocaine as a teenager, a fact he has spoken about openly, and the drug trade, which was dangerous, lucrative, and morally complicated, gave him money, gave him enemies, and gave him stories, and the stories, which he later turned into songs, are the foundation of his art: a rapper who writes about the streets because he lived in them, not because he read about them.

The Marcy Projects of his youth is present in everything he has made since. It is a place of brick towers, of playgrounds, of corner stores, of police and dealers, of families trying to survive, and the songs he wrote about it, from Reasonable Doubt to The Blueprint to 4:44, are portraits of a place and a people, drawn with a writer’s eye for detail and a rapper’s ear for rhythm. He has spoken about the influence of the neighbourhood, about the friends he lost, about the father who left, and about the mother who stayed, and the speaking, which is direct and unsentimental, is the reason his music has lasted: a rapper who tells the truth about where he comes from will always find an audience willing to listen.

Jaz-O, Big Daddy Kane and the Apprenticeship

His first break came through Jaz-O, a Brooklyn rapper who took him under his wing in the late 1980s, and who gave him his first appearances on record, including a verse on Jaz-O’s song Hawaiian Sophie in 1989, and the appearance, which was small, introduced him to the industry, and taught him how a recording session works, how a verse is written, and how to hold a microphone. He also toured with Big Daddy Kane, one of the most respected rappers of the era, as a hype man, and the touring, which took him across America, gave him a look at the music business from the inside, and a chance to learn from a master, and the learning, which was done on stage, in front of audiences, was the best education a young rapper could get. The apprenticeship years, which lasted from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, were a time of waiting, of writing, and of building a reputation, and the reputation, which was built on street corners and on guest verses, was that of a rapper who could out-rap anyone, who could write a verse that was smarter, sharper, and more vivid than the competition.

He also tried, and failed, to get a record deal, and the failures, which were many, taught him something important: the industry, which was looking for a certain kind of rapper, did not know what to do with a Brooklyn hustler who wrote like a novelist, and the labels, which passed on him, did not understand that the streets, which were his subject, were also his audience. The rejections led to a decision that would define his career: if no label would sign him, he would start his own, and the label, which he founded with his friends Damon Dash and Kareem Burke in 1995, was called Roc-A-Fella Records, a name that was a play on Rockefeller, the richest family in America, and a statement: a rapper from Marcy Projects could build a company as big as Rockefeller’s, and the company, which began in a small office, became one of the most important labels in hip-hop.

Reasonable Doubt, his debut album, was released on 25 June 1996, on Roc-A-Fella, and it was a masterpiece: a collection of songs about the drug trade, about the streets, about ambition, and about the cost of both, with production from DJ Premier, Ski Beatz, and others, and with singles including Dead Presidents, Ain’t No Nigga, featuring Foxy Brown, and Can’t Knock the Hustle, featuring Mary J. Blige. The album, which was praised by critics for its writing, its honesty, and its sophistication, sold modestly at first, but it has since become recognised as one of the greatest rap albums of all time, a record that is studied, quoted, and imitated by rappers who were children when it was released. The debut was not a hit, it was a foundation, and the foundation, which was built on truth, on craft, and on independence, would support a career that is still going, thirty years later.

Hard Knock Life, The Blueprint and the King of New York

His second album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, was released in November 1997, and it featured the singles The City Is Mine and Wishing on a Star, and it was a solid record, but the album that made him a star was his third, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, released in September 1998, which featured the title track, Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem), a song built on a sample from the Broadway musical Annie, and which became his first top-twenty hit, reaching the top twenty on the Hot 100, and winning the Grammy for Best Rap Album. The album, which also featured the singles Can I Get A…, featuring Amil and Ja Rule, and Money, Cash, Hoes, featuring DMX, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and it made Jay-Z, who had been a respected underground rapper, a mainstream star, with a hit, a Grammy, and an audience that stretched beyond the streets.

Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, released in December 1999, featured the single Big Pimpin’, with UGK, which became a hit, and The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, released in October 2000, featured the single I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), and the albums, which were successful, established him as one of the biggest rappers in America, but the album that defined him, the album that made him the king of New York, was The Blueprint, released on 11 September 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and the album, which was released into a day of tragedy, became a classic, with production from Kanye West and Just Blaze, and with songs including Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Girls, Girls, Girls, and Takeover, a diss track aimed at Nas and Mobb Deep, which sparked one of the most famous feuds in rap history. The Blueprint debuted at number one, it was praised by critics as a masterpiece, and it is now regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

The Blueprint’s success was built on a sound that was both classic and modern: soul samples, chopped and looped by Kanye West and Just Blaze, a voice that was confident, relaxed, and authoritative, and a writing style that was literary, specific, and full of the details of a life lived in Marcy Projects and in the boardroom. The album’s release on 11 September 2001, a day when America was in shock, is a part of its legend, because the album, which was about ambition, about survival, and about New York, became a soundtrack for a city that was grieving, and the city, which needed a voice, found one in Jay-Z, a rapper from Brooklyn, who had written about the streets, and who was now writing about the city itself.

The Black Album, Retirement and the Return

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, released in November 2002, was a double album, featuring the single ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde, a duet with Beyoncé, who would later become his wife, and the song, which was a hit, introduced the couple to the public as a pair, and the album, which debuted at number one, showed a rapper who was at the peak of his commercial power, but who was also thinking about the end. The Black Album, released in November 2003, was announced as his final album, a retirement record, and it featured the singles 99 Problems, produced by Rick Rubin, Dirt Off Your Shoulder, produced by Timbaland, and Change Clothes, produced by Pharrell Williams, and the album, which debuted at number one, was praised as a masterpiece, a farewell, and a summary of a career that had, in seven years, taken him from Marcy Projects to the top of the world. The retirement, which was announced with a concert at Madison Square Garden, was not permanent, but it was a statement: a rapper who could walk away at the top, on his own terms, and the statement, which was bold, was also a marketing masterstroke, because the farewell made the album a event, and the event made the album a classic.

He returned in 2006, with Kingdom Come, an album that debuted at number one, and featured the single Show Me What You Got, and the return, which was not a surprise, was a recognition that retirement, for a rapper who loves to rap, is a difficult thing to sustain. American Gangster, released in November 2007, was a concept album inspired by the film of the same name, and it was praised by critics for its writing and its cohesion, and The Blueprint 3, released in September 2009, featured the single Empire State of Mind, a duet with Alicia Keys, which became a number-one hit, and an anthem for New York City, a song that is still played at Yankee Stadium, at the New York Marathon, and in the city itself, whenever New York needs a song. The album debuted at number one, and it gave him his eleventh chart-topper, breaking Elvis Presley’s record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist.

Watch the Throne, a collaborative album with Kanye West, released in August 2011, was a global event, featuring the singles Otis and Niggas in Paris, the latter becoming a hit that is still played in stadiums, and the album, which debuted at number one, showed two of the biggest rappers in the world, working together, as equals, and the partnership, which was both a friendship and a rivalry, produced a record that is now regarded as a classic. Magna Carta… Holy Grail, released in July 2013, was a controversial release, distributed for free to Samsung phone users, and it debuted at number one, and it featured the singles Holy Grail, featuring Justin Timberlake, and Tom Ford, and the album, which was praised and criticised in equal measure, showed a rapper who was still experimenting, still trying new ways to release music, and still at the top of his game.

4:44, The Carters and the Confession

4:44, released in June 2017, was the most personal album of his career, and it was a confession: a record about infidelity, about his marriage to Beyoncé, about the mistakes he had made, and about the work of apologising, and the album, which was released as a Tidal exclusive, was praised by critics as a masterpiece, a record that was honest, vulnerable, and beautifully written, with production from No I.D., and with songs including The Story of O.J., 4:44, and Family Feud, featuring Beyoncé. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, and it became a cultural moment, because a rapper who had built his career on bragging, on confidence, on being untouchable, was now writing about being wrong, about hurting the person he loved, and about trying to make it right, and the vulnerability, which was new, was also powerful, because it showed a man, not a persona, and the man, who was forty-seven, was still growing, still learning, and still writing.

The album’s honesty was a response to Beyoncé’s Lemonade, released in 2016, an album about infidelity that was widely understood to be about their marriage, and 4:44, which was Jay-Z’s answer, was a conversation, a dialogue, between two albums, between a husband and a wife, played out in public, through music, and the conversation, which was painful and beautiful, became one of the great musical dialogues in pop history. The two albums together tell a story, of a marriage, of a betrayal, of a reconciliation, and the story, which is told in songs, is more honest than any interview, because a song, properly written, cannot lie, and Jay-Z, who wrote 4:44 with a candour that surprised even his fans, proved that a rapper who has spent his career boasting can also apologise, and that the apology, properly made, is as powerful as any boast.

Everything Is Love, a collaborative album with Beyoncé, released in June 2018 under the name The Carters, was the third part of the conversation, a record about a marriage that had survived, about a family, about love, and the album, which was released as a surprise, with a video filmed in the Louvre in Paris, featured the single Apeshit, and it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and it won the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. The trilogy, Lemonade, 4:44, and Everything Is Love, is now regarded as one of the great achievements in modern music, a story told in three albums, by two artists, about a marriage, and the story, which is personal, is also universal, because every marriage, every love, has its trials, and the trials, properly told, become art.

Roc Nation, Tidal and the Billionaire

In 2008, Jay-Z founded Roc Nation, a entertainment company that began as a record label and grew into a management company, a publishing company, a touring company, and a sports agency, representing artists including Rihanna, J. Cole, and many more, and athletes including Kevin Durant, and the company, which is now one of the most important in the entertainment industry, is a testament to his business acumen, to his understanding that a rapper who owns his work can build an empire, and that the empire, properly built, can outlast the records. Roc Nation is not just a label, it is a statement: a man from Marcy Projects can build a company that represents the biggest stars in the world, and the company, which he built, is the proof.

He has also built a business empire outside music, including the clothing line Rocawear, which he founded in 1999 and sold for a reported two hundred and four million dollars in 2007, the 40/40 Club, a chain of sports bars in New York, the champagne brand Armand de Brignac, known as Ace of Spades, which he acquired in 2014, and the cognac brand D’Ussé, and the investments, which are diverse, show a businessman who thinks like an owner, not like an employee. In 2019, Forbes declared him the first hip-hop billionaire, with a net worth estimated at one billion dollars, and the declaration, which was a milestone, was also a statement: a rapper from the Marcy Projects, who had once sold crack on the street, was now a billionaire, and the journey, which took thirty years, is one of the great American stories, a story of talent, of ambition, and of ownership.

He also acquired the streaming service Tidal in 2015, with a group of artists, and the service, which was positioned as an artist-owned alternative to Spotify, was a statement about the value of music, about artists owning their work, and about the future of the industry. Tidal was later sold, in part, to Square, Jack Dorsey’s company, in 2021, for a reported three hundred million dollars, and the sale, which was profitable, showed his skill as an investor, and his understanding that a business, like a record, has a time to buy and a time to sell. The business empire, which is now worth billions, is not a side project, it is a second career, and the second career is as successful as the first, because the same qualities, intelligence, ambition, and a deep understanding of value, make him a great businessman as well as a great rapper.

The Writing, the Voice and the Influence

Jay-Z’s writing is the most literary in hip-hop, and it is literary because it is specific: a street, a corner, a deal, a father who left, a mother who stayed, and the specificity, which is the mark of great writing, makes the songs feel true even when they are invented. Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, 4:44, these are albums built from details, from images, from the life of a neighbourhood and a boardroom, and the details accumulate into a picture of a man, a city, and a time. The writing is also full of wordplay, of double meanings, of references to literature, to history, to business, and the references are not decoration, they are the material: a verse that mentions a book is a verse about the book and about the person who read it. The literary quality of his writing is why critics compare him to novelists, and why his songs reward close listening, line by line, image by image.

His voice is the other half of his art. It is relaxed, confident, and authoritative, a voice that can deliver a threat, a joke, and a confession in the same verse, and the delivery, which is precise, rhythmic, and full of a Brooklyn cadence, makes even a simple line sound important. The voice has not changed in thirty years, and it does not need to, because it is a voice that carries authority, and authority, in rap, is everything. Songs like 99 Problems, Empire State of Mind, and The Story of O.J. show the range, from a boast to an anthem to a history lesson, and the thread between them is the vocal, which never strains, never oversells, and never asks the listener to admire effort instead of feeling the song.

He has won twenty-four Grammy Awards, more than any other rapper, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, the first rapper to receive that honour, and the honours, which are many, are deserved, because a writer who wrote Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and 4:44 has earned a place among the greats, not just in rap, but in American songwriting, and the place is permanent. The influence is everywhere: the rappers who came after him, from Kanye West to Drake to Kendrick Lamar, learned to write by listening to him, and the learning continues, because young rappers still study his records, still try to understand how he does what he does, and the understanding, which is the goal, is still elusive, because the talent is rare.

Where He Stands Now

As of 2026, Jay-Z is one of the most successful and most influential figures in American culture, with a career that spans rap, business, sports, and philanthropy, from a teenager selling crack in Marcy Projects to a billionaire who owns a company, a streaming service, and a champagne brand, and who is married to Beyoncé, with three children, Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir. He has sold tens of millions of records, he has won twenty-four Grammys, he has been inducted into two Halls of Fame, and he has become, in the words of many, the greatest rapper of all time, a writer who told the truth about a neighbourhood, and who never stopped telling it, in songs, in business, and in life. The boy from Marcy Projects who wrote rhymes in notebooks is now a mogul, and the mogul is still a rapper, and the rapper is still writing, still performing, and still the voice of a generation.

He continues to record, to perform, to run Roc Nation, and to invest, and the next chapter of his career will be watched by an audience that has grown up with him, from the teenagers who bought Reasonable Doubt to the adults who stream 4:44, and who know that a Jay-Z verse, whatever the subject, will be worth hearing. The lesson of his career is not that talent is enough, he has been honest about how hard the road was, but that a writer, properly armed with a pen and a truth, can change a culture, and that a person who owns his work can build an empire. Shawn Corey Carter, the boy from Marcy Projects, is still here, still writing, still building, and still the greatest rapper alive.

My Take:

Jay-Z is the rapper I admire most, and the reason is the writing. Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, 4:44, these are albums built from details, from a street, a corner, a deal, a father who left, a mother who stayed, and the details accumulate into a picture of a man, a city, and a time. I have listened to his records for years, and I still hear new things in them, a line I missed, a double meaning I had not noticed, a reference that only makes sense the tenth time you hear it, and that is the test of great writing: it rewards the listener who pays attention, and the attention is repaid, line by line, image by image.

Reasonable Doubt is the debut album that I return to most, because it is perfect. A record about the drug trade, about the streets, about ambition, and about the cost of both, with production from DJ Premier and Ski Beatz, and with songs including Dead Presidents and Can’t Knock the Hustle, the album was praised by critics, sold modestly at first, and has since become recognised as one of the greatest rap albums of all time. I love Reasonable Doubt because it is honest, and honesty in rap is rare, and the honesty is what makes the record last, year after year, long after the charts have forgotten it, because a debut album that tells the truth is a debut album that never gets old.

The Blueprint is the album that made him the king of New York, and it is the album I play when I want to remember what a great rap album sounds like. Released on 11 September 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks, the album, with production from Kanye West and Just Blaze, featured Izzo, Girls, Girls, Girls, and Takeover, and it debuted at number one, it was praised as a masterpiece, and it is now regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of all time. The album’s release on a day of tragedy is a part of its legend, because the album, which was about ambition and survival, became a soundtrack for a city that was grieving, and the city, which needed a voice, found one in Jay-Z, a rapper from Brooklyn, who had written about the streets, and who was now writing about the city itself.

Takeover and the Nas feud is the chapter that I find most fascinating, because it is a story about competition, about pride, and about the art of the diss track. Takeover, from The Blueprint, was aimed at Nas and Mobb Deep, and Nas’s reply, Ether, became one of the most famous diss tracks in history, and the feud, which lasted for years, produced some of the best writing in rap, from both artists, and it ended, eventually, in a reconciliation, with the two rappers performing together, and the reconciliation, which was public and genuine, is a reminder that a feud, properly conducted, is a form of respect, and that respect, in rap, is everything. I love the feud because it made both rappers better, and the better, which is the point of competition, is visible in every verse they wrote during it.

Empire State of Mind is the song that I associate with New York City itself, because it is an anthem, a duet with Alicia Keys, that became a number-one hit, and that is still played at Yankee Stadium, at the New York Marathon, and in the city itself, whenever New York needs a song. I love the song because it is specific, and specificity is the mark of great writing: a songwriter who writes about a place he knows, in detail, in truth, makes a song that belongs to that place, and to everyone who has ever lived there, or loved it, or left it. The song is a reminder that a great rapper writes about home, and that home, properly written, becomes universal, and New York, in Jay-Z’s hands, is universal.

4:44 is the album that moves me most, because it is a confession. A record about infidelity, about his marriage to Beyoncé, about the mistakes he made, and about the work of apologising, the album, which was released in 2017, was praised as a masterpiece, a record that was honest, vulnerable, and beautifully written, and the honesty, which was new for a rapper who had built his career on bragging, was powerful, because it showed a man, not a persona, and the man, who was forty-seven, was still growing, still learning, and still writing. I have listened to 4:44 many times, and every time I am struck by the courage of it, the willingness to write about being wrong, to sing about it, and to share it with the world.

The Story of O.J. is the song from 4:44 that I think about most, because it is a history lesson, a song about race, about money, about America, and about the traps that wealth cannot escape, and the song, which is built on a Nina Simone sample, is a masterclass in writing, in teaching, and in truth-telling. I love the song because it is smart, and smart rap, properly written, is the best kind, because it does not just entertain, it educates, and the education, which is the point, is delivered in a verse that is as catchy as it is profound, and the profundity is the reason the song lasts.

Roc Nation is the business that impresses me most, because it is not just a label, it is an empire. Founded in 2008, the company represents artists, athletes, and producers, and it is now one of the most important companies in entertainment, and the empire, which was built by a man from Marcy Projects, is a testament to his business acumen, to his understanding that a rapper who owns his work can build a company, and that the company, properly built, can outlast the records. I admire Roc Nation because it is an idea, executed, and an idea executed is rarer than an idea imagined, and the execution is the reason the company still exists, still grows, and still matters.

The billionaire status is the fact that I find most remarkable, because it is a milestone, and a statement. In 2019, Forbes declared him the first hip-hop billionaire, with a net worth estimated at one billion dollars, and the declaration, which was a first, was also a story: a rapper from the Marcy Projects, who had once sold crack on the street, was now a billionaire, and the journey, which took thirty years, is one of the great American stories, a story of talent, of ambition, and of ownership. I think about the boy in Marcy Projects, writing rhymes in notebooks, and about the billionaire he became, and I am moved, because the distance between the two, which is enormous, was travelled by a pen, a voice, and a belief that a person who creates value should own it.

His voice is the part of his talent that is most often overlooked, and I want to celebrate it, because it is relaxed, confident, and authoritative, a voice that can deliver a threat, a joke, and a confession in the same verse, and the delivery, which is precise and rhythmic, makes even a simple line sound important. Listen to 99 Problems, listen to Empire State of Mind, listen to The Story of O.J., and you hear a rapper who understands that the voice is an instrument, and that the instrument, properly used, can carry a song, a message, and a movement. The voice has not changed in thirty years, and it does not need to, because it is a voice that carries authority, and authority, in rap, is everything.

The marriage to Beyoncé is the chapter that I find most interesting, because it is a partnership, in the truest sense, two artists, two stars, who support each other, who challenge each other, and who, through Lemonade, 4:44, and Everything Is Love, told a story, in three albums, about a marriage, about a betrayal, about a reconciliation, and the story, which is personal, is also universal. I admire the partnership, because a career is easier when it is shared, and Jay-Z’s career has been shared, with a wife, a family, and a community, and the sharing is the reason it has lasted, and the trilogy, which is now regarded as one of the great achievements in modern music, is the proof.

If I were introducing someone to Jay-Z, I would start with Reasonable Doubt, then The Blueprint, then The Black Album, then 4:44, because that sequence shows the arc: the debut, the peak, the farewell, the confession. And I would tell them to listen with headphones, because the details, the double meanings, the references, are the real art, and they are easy to miss on a small speaker, and to watch his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, because the speech is the story. Jay-Z is a writer, a rapper, a businessman, and a mogul, and the combination is rare, and the career is still going.

There is a final thing I want to say, and it is about Marcy Projects. The place he grew up, the brick towers, the playgrounds, the corner stores, is still in his work, in every song, in every verse, in every interview, and the place is not a backdrop, it is a character, and the character is alive, and the aliveness is the reason his work matters. He did not leave Marcy behind when he got famous, he brought it with him, to the studio, to the boardroom, to the stage, and the bringing is the story, and the story is still being told, one verse at a time.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame induction is the honour that I think matters most, because it is the first time a rapper was inducted, and the honour, which was presented in 2017, is a recognition that a rapper is a songwriter, and that songwriting, in rap, is as serious, as literary, and as valuable as songwriting in any other genre. I love the induction because it breaks a barrier, and a barrier broken is a door opened, and the door, which Jay-Z opened, is now open for every rapper who writes, and the writing, which is the art, is now recognised, in a hall that once ignored it, and the recognition is deserved.

And one more thought, about the father. Adnis Reeves left when Shawn was eleven, and the departure, which left a wound, became one of the themes of his songs, from the early records to 4:44, and the wound, which he has written about throughout his career, is a reminder that a father’s absence is a story, and that the story, properly told, becomes art. I think about the boy whose father left, and about the man who became a father himself, to Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir, and I am moved, because the circle, from a boy without a father to a father who is present, is a beautiful one, and the beauty is in the music, in the business, and in the life.

One last thing, and it is about the future. Jay-Z is fifty-six, he has twenty-four Grammys, two Hall of Fame inductions, a billion-dollar empire, a wife, three children, and a career that has lasted thirty years, and he is still growing, still recording, still performing, still building. The next album, whatever it sounds like, will be worth waiting for, because he has never made a record he did not believe in, and he has never written a verse he did not mean. The boy from Marcy Projects who wrote rhymes in notebooks is now the greatest rapper alive, and the greatest, in this case, is still writing, still building, and still here.

Decoded, the memoir he published in 2010, is the book that showed me the writer behind the rapper, because it is not a celebrity autobiography, it is a work of literary criticism, in which Jay-Z annotates his own lyrics, line by line, explaining the references, the wordplay, and the history behind them, and the explaining, which is the point, is the reason the book matters, because a rapper who can explain his own work, with the rigour of a scholar, is a rapper who understands that a lyric is not just a rhyme, it is a text, and the text, which is the point, deserves to be read, closely, carefully, and with respect. I love the book because it is ambitious, and ambitious, in a memoir, is the best kind, because it says: my work is worth studying, and the studying, which is the point, is the reason Decoded is still, fifteen years later, one of the most discussed books about hip-hop, and the reason Jay-Z, who wrote it, is still, after thirty years, one of the most respected writers in music.

Magna Carta Holy Grail, the album he released in 2013, is the record that showed me the businessman behind the rapper, because it was released through a deal with Samsung, in which a million copies were given free to Samsung Galaxy users, through an app, before the album was available in stores, and the deal, which was unprecedented, was a statement: a rapper who understands technology, who understands business, and who understands that a record, in 2013, is not just a disc, it is a product, and the product, which is the point, can be sold in a new way, and the selling, which is the point, is the reason the album debuted at number one, and the reason it is still, years later, one of the most discussed releases in hip-hop, not for the music, which is good, but for the business, which was revolutionary, and the revolution, which is the point, is the reason Jay-Z, who made the deal, is now, in the words of many, not just a rapper, but a mogul, and the mogul, which is the point, is as successful as the rapper, because the same qualities, intelligence, ambition, and a deep understanding of value, make him a great businessman as well as a great artist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Jay-Z from and what is his real name?

Jay-Z’s real name is Shawn Corey Carter. He was born on 4 December 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Marcy Houses public housing project in Bedford-Stuyvesant. His father left the family when he was eleven, and his mother Gloria raised the children alone.

What was Jay-Z’s first album?

His debut album was Reasonable Doubt, released on 25 June 1996 on Roc-A-Fella Records, the label he founded with Damon Dash and Kareem Burke. It includes Dead Presidents and Can’t Knock the Hustle, and is now regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

What is The Blueprint by Jay-Z?

The Blueprint is his sixth studio album, released on 11 September 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Produced largely by Kanye West and Just Blaze, it includes Izzo (H.O.V.A.) and Takeover, debuted at number one, and is regarded as one of the greatest rap albums ever made.

What is 4:44 by Jay-Z?

4:44 is his thirteenth studio album, released in June 2017. It is a deeply personal record about infidelity and his marriage to Beyoncé, written as a response to her album Lemonade. It includes The Story of O.J. and the title track, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Is Jay-Z a billionaire?

Yes. In 2019 Forbes declared him the first hip-hop billionaire, with a net worth estimated at one billion dollars. His businesses include Roc Nation, the Rocawear clothing line, the 40/40 Club, the champagne brand Armand de Brignac and the cognac brand D’Ussé.

How many Grammys has Jay-Z won?

He has won twenty-four Grammy Awards, more than any other rapper. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, the first rapper to receive that honour, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Who is Jay-Z married to?

He married Beyoncé in April 2008. They have three children: Blue Ivy, born in 2012, and twins Rumi and Sir, born in 2017. Together they released the collaborative album Everything Is Love in 2018 as The Carters.