by Kecia

Created on: July 03, 2007

Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, has become one of America's most known rappers of today. He was born on December 4, 1969 and grew up one of the many housing projects in Brooklyn, NY. His father, Adnes Reeves, abandoned the family when Carter was only 12 years old. Carter attended a few different high schools before eventually dropping out, which he contributes to his habit of selling drugs.

Carter's mother, Gloria, recalls him banging on constantly banging on the kitchen table, his only source of music when he was little. He would even jam into the wee hours of the morning, waking his siblings. His mother bought him his first boom box for his birthday one year, which only furthered his interest in music. Around his neighborhood, Carter developed the nickname "Jazzy," which later became "Jay-Z."

As Jay-Z grew older, his interest in music grew along with him. In 1996, when no other record label would sign him on, he created his own label, Rock-A-Fella Records. He released his first album, Reasonable Doubt, that same year. The album, which took off slowly, ended up going platinum here in the US. He has followed up with eight more albums, which have all went at least platinum.

Music isn't the only thing Jay-Z is known for. In 1999, he, along with partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, found Rocawear, a clothing line for the whole family. Jay-Z took the company over in 2006, after he and Dash parted ways. In 2007, he sold the line to Iconix Brand Group, but is still active in the company.

Along with music and clothing comes Jay-Z bad boy criminal record. In 1999, he was accused of stabbing Lance Rivera, a record executive, over a bootleg copy of Life and Times of Shawn Carter, Vol. 3. Jay-z denied the stabbing, and at first plead not guilty to the charge. He later plead guilty, and was sentenced to three years probation for the incident.

One more thing that makes Jay-Z well known is his other half. He has been dating singer Beyonce since at least 2002. The couple is very "hush-hush" about their relationship, and they say it's better for them that they are. Jay-Z has been known to reference some of Beyonce & Destiny's Child's songs in his own. The two also collaborated on "03 Bonnie & Clyde" back in 2002, which many fans believe was their public announcement of their relationship. The couple was also on the list of Power Couples in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2006.

For more Jay-Z info, visit http://www.jayz.com or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay-z
For Rocawear, visit: http://www.rocawear.com

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