Jay-Z Bio :: essays research papers

     Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969. He grew up in the infamous Marcy projects in Brooklyn with a sister and a brother. You would think that just growing up on the Marcy projects would be dangerous enough on a kid, but at the age of twelve, Shawns parents got a divorce. Shawn then attended the Brooklyn High school with two of nows better known rappers, Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes.      Shawn Carter was an intelligent and promising student, but he had behavior problems. He was introduced to the life of drugs and crime at the age of 16, where he stayed and didnt look back until, in 1992, he decided to submit the world of drugs and crime. Soon after doing this he began looking for a get in deal as a solo artist. But Shawn just wasnt getting lucky. It wasnt until a friend, Roc-A-Fella CEO Damon bankrupt, convinced him to form a temper company with him that Jay-Zs career finally got off the ground. Jay-Z released his first single through Roc-A-Fella in 1995, "In My Lifetime." It was a hit in New York, and helped Dash secure a distribution deal for Jay-Zs first album, honest Doubt.      Although Reasonable Doubt wasnt a huge success, it showed that the young opus from Brooklyn had skills and was not to be taken lightly. More importantly, it earned the admirations from stars as alter from Notorious B.I.G. to Ice Cube. One of his songs even made its way onto the awry(p) professor soundtrack.      Shawns career only went up from there. In 1997, Jay-Zs follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, peaked at 3 on the Billboard album charts, and helped put up his career and mainstream success. He continued releasing top selling records until 2003, when he announced the release of the Black Album as his last record.