Biographic - Sunday November 15, 2009 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Shawn Corey Carter was born on December 4, 1969, and raised in the tough marcy projects of Brooklyn, New York. He attended the same school as Busta Rhymes and Notorious B.I.G. where he developed an interest in music and freestyling rap. By 1990, his nickname of "Jazzy" had developed into his stage name of Jay-Z, and he began to make appearances on records. Scoring an underground hit, with 1995 single "In My Lifetime" he opted not to sign with a major label and formed his own record label, Roc-A-Fella, it was the start of an empire that has made him one of the richest moguls in music. His first two albums established Jay-Z as one of Rap's fastest rising stars, but it was 1998's multi-platinum "Vol 2... Hard Knock Life" propelled by the hit singles "Can I Get A..." and "Jard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" the latter sampling the familiar "Annie" show tune- that boosted him to superstar status. It began a record-setting run of nine consecutive chart-topping albums. He has collaborated on hits with a panoply of stars, from DMX to Mary J. Blige, from The Spice Girls to Mariah Carey, as well as the superstar who went on to become his wife, Beyonce Knowels, he has earned a slew of awards, and in his role as music mogul, heading up Roc-A-Fella and later Def Jam, he launched the careers of the likes of Rihanna and Ne-Yo. His business interests range from clothing line- he founded the hugely successful brand Rocawear- to upscale sports bars and hotels. And he is a part owner of The New Jersey Nets NBA team.

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