Jay-Z

An American rapper, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the Marcy Houses housing project, where he began rapping under the nickname Jazzy, later shortened to Jay-Z. In 1986, he released his first recording in collaboration with Jaz-O. In 1994, along with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, he founded Roc-A-Fella Records, releasing his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" in 1996, which became a hip-hop classic. Subsequent albums like "Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life" (1998), "The Blueprint" (2001), and "The Black Album" (2003) solidified his status as a leading rapper. In 2004, he became president of Def Jam Recordings, signing artists like Rihanna and Ne-Yo. In 2008, he founded Roc Nation, a multidisciplinary entertainment company. Beyond music, Jay-Z achieved business success by founding the clothing brand Rocawear, acquiring the streaming service Tidal, and becoming the first rapper billionaire in 2019. His net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion. Throughout his career, he has sold over 140 million records, won 25 Grammy Awards, and was the first rapper inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has been married to singer Beyoncé since 2008, with whom he has three children.