Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter)
1969-present · Contribution: 1996-present
Rapper & Entrepreneur
Became one of the most commercially successful and influential rappers in history, with 14 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and 25 Grammy Awards, the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017 and the first living solo hip-hop artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, while building a business empire that made him hip-hop's first billionaire
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1969
- Active since
- 1996
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- 14 No. 1 albumsHip-hop's first billionaireRock & Songwriters Hall of Fame
Impact on the world
Jay-Z turned lyrical mastery into a template for the rapper as mogul, expanding hip-hop's cultural and economic power. His rags-to-riches arc reshaped the genre's ambitions.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Book or scholarly workFind
Britannica
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Shakur, Tupac Amaru
1971-1996
Became one of the most influential and best-selling recording artists in hip-hop history, selling more than 75 million records worldwide, and in 2017 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the first solo rap artist so honored, in his first year of eligibility
Flash, Grandmaster (Joseph Saddler)
1958-
DJ turntablism techniques (scratching, breakbeat manipulation)
Robinson, Sylvia
1935-2011
Produced "Rapper's Delight" (1979), the first commercially successful rap single -- the first to reach the Billboard Hot 100 and to sell a million copies -- and "The Message" (1982); founded Sugar Hill Records and is known as the "Mother of Hip-Hop"