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ublishing
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Rapper, producer,
and entrepreneur
Jay Z is one of the
most successful
music artists in the
world. Learn about
the award-winning
hip-hop moguls
childhood and
personal life, as well
as what makes him
such an inspiration
to many.
Hip-Hop VIP
JAY Z
Kampff
JAY Z: Rapper and Businessman
E xceptional
A frican A mericans
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Joseph Kamp
Rapper and
Businessman
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Other titles in the series
JAY Z
Joseph Kamp
Rapper and
Businessman
xceptional
A frican A mericans
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Words to Know
charts Lists that show how popular a song or an
album is.
encore The last song performed during a concert.
entrepreneur A person who starts his or her own
business.
label A record company.
lyrics Words to a song.
projects A group of apartments or houses built by
the government for people who do not have a lot of
money.
record deal A contract to record music.
sample To use a part of someone elses music in
your own music.
studio A building or room where sound recordings
are made.
Contents
Words to Know
CHAPTER 1 School of Hard Knocks
CHAPTER 2 From Marcy to Madison
Square
CHAPTER 3 Business Man
CHAPTER 4 Encore
Timeline
Learn More
Index
Jay Z
CHAPTER 1
School of
Hard Knocks
In one of his songs, rapper Jay Z sings about having
99 problems. Being a success is not one of them.
Jay Z has made fifteen studio albums, and almost all
of them have gone to number one on the charts . He
has owned record companies, a clothing company,
and sports bars. And he is married to Beyonc, one of
the most successful female performers ever.
Growing Up in the Projects
Jay Z was born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1969,
in Brooklyn, New York. He and his brothers and
JAY Z: RAPPER AND BUSINESSMAN
sisters were raised in the Marcy House projects in
Brooklyn. It was a rough neighborhood. There were
lots of problems with drugs and crime. But Jay Z
was a happy kid. He liked playing basketball and he
did well in school.
Music was very important in the Carter family.
Jay Zs parents had a huge record collection. The
sounds of soul and funk music often filled Jay Zs
home. Jay Z stayed up late banging out beats on his
The Bedford-
Stuyvesant
(Bed-Stuy)
neighborhood of
Brooklyn where
Jay Z grew up
This photo was
taken around the
time that he was
born
SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
Life wasnt easy for Jay Z and his family in the early
days Jay Zs mom, seen with him here in 2006, did
her best to make ends meet
JAY Z: RAPPER AND BUSINESSMAN
kitchen table. He also started writing lyrics when
he was very young. If I was crossing a street with
my friends and a rhyme came to me, Id break out
my binder... and write the rhyme before I crossed
the street, Jay Z says.
When Jay Z was eleven, his dad left. Jay Z started
spending a lot of time in the streets, where he got
the nickname Jazzy. He started selling drugs.
When he was twelve years old, he shot his older
brother for trying to steal his jewelry.
Luckily, Jay Zs neighborhood had more than
just drugs and crime. It also had hip-hop. Hip-hop
is a lifestyle and a kind of music. Jay Z grew up in
the center of New Yorks hip-hop culture. He soon
earned a reputation for his rhymes.
SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
We were living in a tough
situation, but my mother managed;
she juggled Sometimes wed pay
the light bill, sometimes we paid
the phone, sometimes the gas went
off We werent starvingwe were
eating, we were OK
Jay Z Says:
CHAPTER 2
From Marcy to
Madison Square
Jay Z was one of the best rappers in his neighborhood.
In 1989 he got his first chance at making a living
from rapping. He went on tour with another rapper
from Marcy House projects called Jaz. Jay Z hoped
a record company would notice him and give him
a record deal . When that didnt happen, he went
back to selling drugs.
Jay Z finally decided to stop selling drugs after
someone shot at him. Jay Z was lucky that he
wasnt killed. He knew he had to change his life.
FROM MARCY TO MADISON SQUARE
Jay Z in 1996, the
year he started
the Roc-A-Fella
record company
with his friends
Kareem Biggs
Burke and
Damon Dash
Jay Z decided to start his own record label . In 1996
he started Roc-A-Fella Records with two friends.
Hitting It Big
Jay Z released his first album, Reasonable Doubt , in
1996. The album sold well and it helped build Jay
Zs reputation as a rapper. The hit single from the
album, Aint No, appeared on the Nutty Professor
soundtrack. This brought Jay Zs music to a wide
audience.
JAY Z: RAPPER AND BUSINESSMAN
From 1996 to 2003, Jay Z released a new album
every year. Almost all of them went to number one
on the charts. His biggest hit ever was the single
Hard Knock Life. Jay Z sampled the song from the
Broadway musical Annie . Jay Zs version is the blend
of rap and pop music that has made him so popular.
In 2003 Jay Z retired from making music.
Once Jay Z found
success, he
stayed very busy
Here he works
in the recording
studio on a new
album
Everybody likes a story like [ Annie ],
when the underdog wins, the orphan
gets to live with a rich family I wanna
live with a rich family too Anybody
from a poverty area doesyou know,
thats a story you can relate to
Jay Z Says:
Jay Z has won
nineteen Grammy
Awards for his
music Kanye West
is the only rapper
whos won more
Grammys
CHAPTER 3
Business Man
In one song, Jay Z raps, Im not a business man;
Im a business, man. Jay Z is both. In 2004 Jay Z
became the head of Def Jam Records. Def Jam is one
of the most important labels in hip-hop. Jay Z has
been involved in other businesses as well. In 1999 he
started a clothing company called Rocawear. When he
