Carter', which also received critical acclaim, in the following year. The title track was considered as the rapper's most successful commercial single until now. In 1998, Jay-Z achieved a big success with ' Vol.

During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Beyonce claimed that all the wedding reports were 'big fat rumors,' while revealing further that 'one day I hope to be married with children.' The couple, who once were invited by Prince Charles to dine at Buckingham Palace, worked together on Beyonce's album ' Crazy in Love'. At that time, Jay-Z was romantically linked to former Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles. Starting from his debut album ' Reasonable Doubt' (1996), Jay-Z had collected many prestigious awards, including American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards and Grammy Awards for his dedication in hip-hopĪware of the hard days that he had been through to achieve success, Jay-Z published his autobiography entitled 'The Black Book' along with the release of ' The Black Album' in 2003. 'I was forced to be an artist and a CEO from the beginning, so I was forced to be like a businessman because when I was trying to get a record deal, it was so hard to get a record deal on my own that it was either give up or create my own company,' Jay-Z said.Īs an artist, Jay-Z sold more than 18 million albums worldwide. Beginning his career as a rapper and a businessman, he was holding an important position in Def Jam as the president and CEO. Jay-Z could be considered as a person who could do almost everything. Later, Roc-a-Fella was folding into Def Jam Recordings. Alongside his partners in his early group 'Original Flavor', Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem 'Biggs' Burke co-founded an independent label called Roc-a-Fella Records in 1996. He explored his rap skill when he briefly attended Eli Whitney High School with fellow rappers Notorious B.I.G and Busta Rhymes. Growing up, he experienced the tough life on the streets of New York.

He was raised only by his mother, Gloria Carter, after his dad abandoned him and his brothers. Born Shawn Corey Carter on April 12, 1969, Jay-Z grew up in drug-infested area, Marcy Projects, Brooklyn.

Jay z life timeline