C. F. Earl - Jay-Z 

Jay-Z

by C.F. Earl

In Books

Baker, Soren. The History of Rap and Hip Hop. San Diego, Calif.: Lucent, 2006.

Comissiong, Solomon W. F. How Jamal Discovered Hip-Hop Culture. New York: Xlibris, 2008.

Cornish, Melanie. The History of Hip Hop. New York: Crabtree, 2009.

Czekaj, Jef. Hip and Hop, Dont Stop! New York: Hyperion, 2010.

Haskins, Jim. One Nation Under a Groove: Rap Music and Its Roots. New York: Jump at the Sun, 2000.

Hatch, Thomas. A History of Hip-Hop: The Roots of Rap. Portsmouth, N.H.: Red Bricklearning, 2005.

Websites

Def Jam Records

www.defjam.com

Island Def Jam

www.rocafella.com

Jay-Z on Myspace

www.myspace.com/jayz

The Official Jay-Z Website

www.Jay-Z.com/index.php

Jay-Z

by C.F. Earl

Mason Crest

Jay-Z

Mason Crest 370 Reed Road Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright 2013 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Earl, C. F.

Jay-Z / C.F. Earl.

p. cm. (Superstars of hip hop)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4222-2520-2 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4222-2508-0 (series hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4222-2546-2 (softcover) ISBN 978-1-4222-9222-8 (ebook)

1. Jay-Z, 1969Juvenile literature. 2. Rap musiciansUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. I. Title.

ML3930.J38E27 2012

782.421649092dc22

[B]

2011005807

Produced by Harding House Publishing Services, Inc.

www.hardinghousepages.com

Interior Design by MK Bassett-Harvey.

Cover design by Torque Advertising & Design.

Publishers notes:

All quotations in this book come from original sources and contain the spelling and grammatical inconsistencies of the original text.

The Web sites mentioned in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for Web sites that have changed their addresses or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher will review and update the Web site addresses each time the book is reprinted.

DISCLAIMER: The following story has been thoroughly researched, and to the best of our knowledge, represents a true story. While every possible effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher will not assume liability for damages caused by inaccuracies in the data, and makes no warranty on the accuracy of the information contained herein. This story has not been authorized nor endorsed by Jay-Z.

Contents

Hip-Hop lingo

Cocaine is an illegal drug that makes a persons senses feel numb.

Someone who is addicted to something cannot stop using or doing that thing, even though he may want to.

A mentor is a person who teaches someone else life lessons.

To freestyle means to make up raps off the top of your head as you perform them.

A manager is someone who helps and guides a musician.

Scholarships are money given to pay for a students education.

Artists are people who create something. Some artists use their voices to make music.

On September 14, 2010, Jay-Z stood in front of a sold-out Yankee Stadium. The crowd bounced up and down to the beat, colored lights flashing on their faces. Jay was playing all his biggest hits. Hed been making music for more than fifteen years. And he had plenty of hits to play.

Jay had become one of the biggest names in rap. Hed come up from the bottom. Now he was rapping to packed crowds at Yankee Stadium.

Jay had been called some pretty big names. Hed been called the greatest rapper alive. Hed been called the King of New York. Hed even been called the greatest rapper of all time. Now, standing on stage at Yankee Stadium, he was sure it was all true.

Early Days in Marcy

Jay-Zs real name is Shawn Carter. Shawn was born on December 4, 1970. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Shawn was the youngest of four children. His family lived in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. They lived in the Marcy Houses. Marcy was a public housing project in Brooklyn.

When Shawn was eleven, his father left the family. Shawns mother, Gloria, had to work hard to make money for the family. She worked as a clerk at an investment company.

Shawn was very hurt when his father left. He had looked up to his father. He loved his father. But now he was gone. Gloria made sure to give her son love and support. But Shawn was still hurt by his father.

Shawn could be a show-off when he was young. He liked to do things to get peoples attention. His neighbors in Marcy called him Jazzy. Soon, that name would be shortened to Jay-Z.

Dealing Drugs

Marcy was a tough place to grow up. Like the Carters, many people in Marcy were poor. Some people turned to drugs to get away from their troubles. Others saw that by selling those drugs, they could make lots of money.

While Shawn was growing up, a new drug was becoming more popular in cities in America. It was called crack. Crack was a kind of . It was a crystal that people smoked.

Crack was much cheaper than cocaine. That meant it was easy for poor people to afford. Many became to the drug. They grew to need it. Often, crack ruined the lives of the people who used it.

Crack did many terrible things to cities in America. But selling it was a way to make money. And that meant lots of people sold drugs, no matter how bad it was.

Shawn saw young people around him making money. He saw that selling drugs could help you get the things you wanted. In Marcy, there werent many better choices. Especially for poor young people.

Later in his life, Jay-Z told an interviewer, There was no other way. But selling drugs was dangerous. Shawn had seen his friends die. Hed seen others go to jail. Shawn was smart enough to know that selling drugs was a dead end.

I got my MBA from Marcy Projects, says Shawn Carter in this sneaker advertisement. The rapper was apparently referring to the business skills he learned while selling drugs in the projects. Although being a dealer was lucrative, Shawn found that it could also be dangerous.

Shawn had an unusual skill at composing rhymes in his head without writing them down. He soon developed this ability, and was able to memorize entire songs, a feat that amazed people involved in the music industry who heard him rapping.

Making Plans

Shawn had always loved music. He loved hip-hop and rap most of all. Shawn had talent for rap, too.