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Jay-Z music biography continued...

Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records, Jay-Z embodies the definition of ultimate success. Releasing a total of fourteen albums during his recording career, his most memorable hits include "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Can I get A...", "Big Pimpin", "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", and "99 Problems". Born Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York on December 4, 1969, he was raised in the poverty of the Marcy Houses projects by his single mother. Known as "Jazzy" in his neighborhood, he became a street hustler at a very young age selling crack cocaine and marijuana. Living a tough life, the young Jay-Z dreamed of becoming a rapper spending most of his time developing his freestyling and writing skills which would eventually make him a multi- millionaire.

Learning the tricks of the trade through his friendship with rapper Jaz-O, Carter decided to start his own record label and eventually created Roc-A-Fella Records with friends Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1995. In need of a distributor, he signed a deal with Priority Records and released his debut album Reasonable Doubt in 1996. The album received praise from critics yet failed commercially with sales of 420,000 in its first year. Gaining a new distribution deal with Def Jam Records, Jay released In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 in 1997. Produced by Diddy, the album proved to be a greater success than the first, peaking at number three on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart. Displaying a sleeker pop-rap sound the album featured the hit singles "Sunshine" and "The City is Mine". His major breakthrough was with the 1998 album Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life which generated the massive hit "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) as well as the popular singles "Can I Get A...", "Money, Cash, Hoes", "Money Ain't a Thing" and "Jigga What, Jigga Who". To date, the number one, Grammy Award winning album has sold over eight million worldwide and has been certified 5x platinum in the US. Vol. 3...Life and Times of S. Carter also proved to be a major commercial success. Comprising mostly of collaborations such as "Big Pimpin" featuring UGK, "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" featuring Beanie Sigel and Amil, and "Snoopy Track" featuring Juvenile, the album placed first on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B/Hip Hop charts.

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia saw release in 2000 displaying the skills of up and coming producers The Neptunes, Kanye West, and Just Blaze. Once again peaking in the first spot on the Billboard 200, the album featured the hit single "I Just Wanna Love U (Give it 2 Me)". The Blueprint followed a year later including the popular singles "Izzo (H.O.V.A)", "Girls, Girls, Girls", and "Jigga that N****". It reached number one and was certified double platinum. Jay-Z's next several projects involved many collaborations, notably his work with The Roots on his Unplugged album, then he collaborated with R. Kelly on Best of Both Worlds, and with Beyoncé Knowles on the track "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" Off of The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse.

Carter's rumored final release, The Black Album, was issued in 2003 following the announcement of his retirement. The album proved to be a major success spawning the smash hits "99 problems", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", and "Change Clothes" featuring Pharrell Williams. The number one album further inspired DJ Danger Mouse to create The Grey Album, the controversial mash-up project that combined Jay-Z's vocals from The Black Album with instrumental samples from The Beatles' White Album. Following Carter's second collaboration with R. Kelly, Unfinished Business, in 2004, he issued Collision Course with Linkin Park. The album, a project that combines Linkin Park tracks with Jay-Z tracks generated the Grammy Award winning single "Numb/Encore" and also features the songs "Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From You" and "Jigga What/Faint". After coming out of his so-called retirement, Jay-Z announced that he will be releasing a new album in late 2006 entitled Ten Years Later... to commemorate the anniversary of his debut record Reasonable Doubt in 1996.