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Born Shawn Cory Carter, Jay-Z went to school with some of the best known rappers in history such as AZ, Notorious B.I.G., and Busta Rhymes. His interest in the hip hop genre was said to have started when his mother bought him a boom box. As a young artist, Carter was known as “Jazzy” – evolving into “Jay-Z” much later. Jay-Z’s first recordings were featured in alongside his mentor’s – Jaz-O. Still, he was not particularly noticed by record producers until his rapping stood its own against fellow rapper Zai. In 1996, Jay-Z cut his first album “Reasonable Doubt” under his own record label (Rock-a-Fella Records). It was hailed by the critics, but did not sell big. The following year, Jay-Z released a second album, “In My Lifetime”, which was considerably more successful in sales than his first. However, some of his fans felt that the second album was too commercialized, causing them to question Jay-Z’s cred. Carter himself admitted that he wished to re-do this album. “Hard Knock Life”, released in 1998, became a monster hit album, having record sales and winning a Carter a Grammy. Its carrier single “Hard Knock Life” is said to be Jay-Z’s biggest hit at that point in his career. His rhetoric and wordplay had finally shone in this album. In 1999, “Life and Times of S. Carter” came out and was criticized for departing from the hip-hop genre, the second time Jay-Z was accused of selling out. However, Jay-Z’s lyrics were still undeniably Jay-Z, allowing his fans to enjoy the so-called compromised album. Its single, “Big Pimpin’” made the record even more memorable, and had established Jay-Z as a hip-hop icon. 2001 witnessed the release of Jay-Z’s most critically-acclaimed album “The Blueprint”. Toeing the line between the underground and mainstream rap cultures, it is regarded as a hip-hop classic with a double platinum ranking. It was quickly followed up the next year with “The Blueprint(2): “The Gift And The Curse”. Originally a double album, Jay-Z re-released it as a single album (“The Blueprint 2.1”) with only half the songs. “The Black Album”, released in 2003, was a more personal record, with Jay-Z addressing issues about his father, the allegations of selling out, and his opinion of the war. Its memorable songs include ‘What More Can I Say?” and “99 Problems”. His 2006 album, “Kingdom Come” marked Jay-Z’s return to the scene after a notable hiatus, and held interest when one of its tracks, “Show Me What You Got” was leaked before its official release. It has sold, and is still selling, very well.

 

 

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