134-606: Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter , Damon Dash , and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records . The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West , Cam'ron , Beanie Sigel , Memphis Bleek , Juelz Santana , Freeway , Jadakiss , Teairra Marí , State Property , and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013. Roc-A-Fella Records
268-564: A Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration , and was performed with Linkin Park live at the Grammys, with a special appearance by Paul McCartney , who added verses from the song " Yesterday ". The EP sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. Jay-Z was the executive producer of The Rising Tied , the debut album of Fort Minor , the hip hop side project of Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda . Jay-Z also planned to retire in 2004. Later in 2004, Jay-Z
402-671: A flagship artist. His debut studio album, The Truth (2000) was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200 . Along with his solo career, Grant was the de facto leader of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property , which he formed with Roc-A-Fella labelmates, and who debuted in 2002 with a namesake film in which Grant starred. The group released two well-received studio albums. Grant's second and third albums, The Reason (2001) and The B. Coming (2005) both peaked within
536-455: A "turning point in American pop culture's response to globalization." The album has sold 1 million copies in the U.S. On January 1, 2008, Jay-Z resigned as president of Def Jam. In winter 2008, it was announced that Jay-Z would become the first major hip hop artist to headline Britain's Glastonbury Festival . Tickets sold out quickly. Former headliner Noel Gallagher of Oasis condemned
670-646: A $ 150 million deal with Live Nation that included concerts, endorsements and recordings, and included a platform for him to launch his Roc Nation label. Uncle Murda left the label after a year and a half with no release, citing lack of executive interest after Jay-Z left Def Jam. In March 2009, Freeway procured his release from Def Jam, claiming a need to explore his options; shortly, he announced his signing to Ca$ h Money , while stating he would always respect Roc-A-Fella. Longtime signee Memphis Bleek also reported his departure from Def Jam, deciding not to travel to Roc Nation in favor of starting his own record label, but he
804-553: A $ 62,500 license fee to sample Eddie Bo 's "Hook and Sling, Part 1" in Kanye West 's "Who Will Survive in America" and " Lost in the World ". Despite this, Tuff City says UMG and Roc-A-Fella "failed and refused to enter into written license agreements that accounted for their multiple other uses of 'Hook and Sling'". The unmentioned "multiple other" uses TufAmerica refers to are in the " Lost in
938-488: A Dynasty . In 2005, the sequel to the studios debut release would hit theatres State Property 2 , featuring rap stars such as Beanie Sigel and Damon Dash, who also produced and co-created the story. Cameo roles included musicians Kanye West, N.O.R.E, and Mariah Carey, and light heavyweight champion boxers Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright. The list of films include: Roc-La-Familia was founded in 2005 by then Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam President/CEO Shawn Carter . This sub-label
1072-403: A Jay-Z album. The album helped to introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes , Just Blaze , Kanye West , and Bink , which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums. The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S. alone. In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with
1206-442: A Jay-Z line from " Money, Cash, Hoes " that he felt alluded disparagingly to Mobb Deep and Prodigy's dispute with Tupac Shakur , Snoop Dogg , and Death Row Records . He later performed the song " Takeover ", at Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson . A line at the end of "Takeover" referred to Nas , who criticized him on "We Will Survive". Nas responded with
1340-443: A Philly rapper Freeway guest spot that led to him being signed to Roc-A-Fella. Rather than return to Timbaland or Swizz Beatz for production, Jay selected beats from a new crop of producers: Kanye West , Bink , The Neptunes and Just Blaze . Each beat-smith would go on to become consistently involved in future Roc-A-Fella projects. The new decade saw Roc-A-Fella begin to expand beyond one figurehead artist. Although Jay-Z remained
1474-480: A club door, injuring two people. He was also charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and possession of a criminal instrument. His first trial ended in a hung jury . A second trial resulted in a not-guilty verdict. In 2004, Sigel was convicted of federal weapons charges and sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison. Sigel was shot multiple times during a robbery in Philadelphia on May 25, 2006. He
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#17328691446171608-596: A collaborative album titled Watch the Throne . It was later revealed that Jay-Z was part of a short-lived relaunched Roc-A-Fella, as the album was released on Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, and Def Jam. In September 2012, record label Tuff City , via its subsidiary TufAmerica, filed a lawsuit on the grounds of copyright infringement by Roc-A-Fella, seeking undisclosed damages. The complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan claims Roc-A-Fella and their parent Island Def Jam paid them
1742-522: A collaborative album with his longtime close friend, the Southern rap veteran Scarface ; the album was to be called Mac and Brad . Scarface tweeted the announcement at the same time via mobile. On that same day, while distribution deals with E1 , The Orchard , and Asylum were on the table, Sigel also decided to sign a distribution deal with EMI after one of his mutual friends garnered the interest of Chris Schwartz. Under Schwartz's guidance, Sigel released
1876-415: A dealer's manifesto while making references to political figures of the late 1980s with the lyric: "Blame Reagan for making me to into a monster, blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra , I ran contraband that they sponsored, before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert." Also notable about the "Blue Magic" music video was Jay-Z flashing €500 notes; Harvard Business School professor Rawi Abdelal called this
2010-434: A diss of his own, and Jay-Z straightaway added a verse to "Takeover" which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. The feud had ended by 2005; Jay-Z stated that record producer Mark Pitts had helped them settle their differences. On September 11, 2001, Jay-Z released his sixth studio album, The Blueprint , which received a five-mic review from hip-hop magazine The Source . Written in just two days,
2144-515: A feud with Ruff Ryders artists Jadakiss and DMX . Disses back and forth between Jay-Z and Jadakiss implied a conflict between Jay and former groupmate DMX, led to a full-on war of words between Sigel and Kiss, and eventually culminated in a diss by Beanie Sigel over Jada's hit "Put Your Hands Up," after which the rivalry faded. On December 4, 2001 (Jay-Z's 32nd birthday), it was announced and confirmed that rapper Cam'ron had signed to Roc-A-Fella through his connection with Damon Dash . After Cam'ron
2278-451: A five-track EP entitled Watch the Throne , although it was later revealed by West that the project had become a full-length LP. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations and began in November 2010. The first single released for the project was " H•A•M ". The track was co-produced by Lex Luger and West himself. The track ended up being on the deluxe edition of
2412-520: A former friend and neighbor, got into an altercation when Sigel ridiculed Mill's intelligence and claimed to be "the ruler of all of Philly" during a radio interview. Minutes after the interview, someone who was believed to have been one of Meek Mill's affiliates, punched Sigel on the back of his head. Three days later, Mill criticized Sigel via Instagram . He also dissed Sigel again in a freestyle on Funkmaster Flex 's radio show. Sigel responded by releasing his own diss track titled "I'm Coming". Grant
2546-413: A greatest hits record, as well as the release and tour of Unfinished Business , the second collaborative album between Jay-Z and R. Kelly. In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park , in which they released their collaborative remix EP Collision Course , which featured mashups of both artists' songs, as well as a concert DVD. The album's only single, " Numb/Encore ", went on to win
2680-604: A huge commercial and critical success, selling multi-Platinum-RIAA certified sales, and Foxy Brown was signed and began work on her album, Black Rose . The infamous 'split' between Dash, Carter, and Burke occurred when it was revealed the trio had sold their 50% interest in Roc-A-Fella to The Island Def Jam Music Group, making the label full owners. As President, Carter retained control of the Roc and his masters, ousting his 2 former partners. He later explained that he had offered to turn down
2814-405: A joint-venture deal, and attempted to sign Twista and Joe Budden . Twista never signed to Roc-A-Fella due to his deal with Atlantic Records . Roc-A-Fella experienced its height in product releases and overall popularity as a brand name during this period. On March 25, 2003, Roc-A-Fella released The Diplomats' debut album Diplomatic Immunity . Despite not producing any major hits, the success of
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#17328691446172948-503: A new mixtape , followed by his studio album This Time . Sigel first appeared in the documentary Backstage , and his first main acting role was in the movie State Property which spawned a sequel State Property 2 . He also appeared along with Kevin Hart in the 2002 film Paper Soldiers . Sigel released a DVD titled The B. Coming of Beanie Sigel in 2005, shortly after his third solo album release The B. Coming . In 2006, Sigel
3082-424: A new song and he and West proclaimed that it was to be on The Blueprint 3 . On May 21, 2009, Jay-Z announced he would be parting ways with Def Jam, and had struck a multi-million-dollar deal to sign with Live Nation , with whom he would start his Roc Nation imprint which would serve as a record label, talent/management agency, and music publishing company and also partnered with production team Stargate to start
3216-404: A one-minute video, ending in "4:44 – 6.30.17, Exclusively on Tidal". On June 18, the project was confirmed to be a new Jay-Z album, and a clip featuring a song titled "Adnis" was posted on Sprint's YouTube page. 4:44 was released through Roc Nation and Universal Music Group , as an exclusive to Sprint and Tidal customers. The album is the first in a planned series of music exclusives from
3350-781: A pair of concerts in Detroit and New York. The event was dubbed The Home & Home Tour . The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue. Jay-Z was the supporting act for U2 on the Australian and New Zealand leg of their U2 360° Tour , beginning in Auckland , New Zealand, in November 2010, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in December. Jay-Z also appeared on stage during U2 performances of " Sunday Bloody Sunday ", and in Auckland also on
3484-461: A rapper dominating his opponent (“rocking a fella”). Though Reasonable Doubt (1996) didn't earn immediate commercial success, it spawned successful singles and earned Jay-Z regional popularity in hip hop. Starting out as Roc-A-Fella's only artist, Jay-Z was supported by the Notorious B.I.G. 's producer DJ Clark Kent and Camp Lo 's producer DJ Ski ; affiliated rappers, Sauce Money , Jaz-O , and
3618-512: A record label called StarRoc . Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 was originally to be released on September 11, 2009, but was instead released in North America on September 8, 2009, due to increasing anticipation. Its international release followed on September 14. It is his 11th album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has surpassed Elvis Presley's previous record, making him
3752-454: A restraining order prohibiting Dash from further selling the album was placed. In 2002, Roc-A-Fella released through Lions Gate Entertainment, State Property . The movie, while not the first for Dash, would be the start of ROC Films/Roc-A-Fella Films. The film studio would go on to release Paid in Full the same year and follow up in 2003 with Paper Soldiers and the hip-hop satire Death of
3886-465: A second album in 2007, American Gangster , to more positive reviews and sales, along with Kanye West's Graduation , Beanie Sigel's The Solution , and Freeway's Free at Last ; Kanye West's album sold multi-platinum to rave reviews. Freeway's project received acclaim but not major sales, and contained comments aimed at Kanye West and Just Blaze for not supplying production. He later amended his comments, stating he desired to work with Just Blaze but
4020-509: A song dissing his former boss and mentor Jay-Z on the track "I Go Off" with 50 Cent who had signed him to his G-Unit Records label in 2009. On May 31, 2011, it was reported that Sigel had apologized to Jay-Z. However, in an interview with DJ Green Lantern , he said that he had never "apologized" to Jay-Z, and that he was still making music. In 2015, Sigel and Jay-Z reunited at the Tidal B-Sides Concert and performed together, ending
4154-547: A strategy Jay-Z later said was used to block an internet leak . It debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Store in 23 countries. It also broke Coldplay 's record for most albums sold in one week on the online retailer, selling 290,000 copies on iTunes alone. It held that record until Lil Wayne 's Tha Carter IV was released twenty-one days later, selling 10,000 copies more. It debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, selling 436,000 copies in its first week. The album received generally positive reviews. Jay-Z and West later gave
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4288-487: A surprise performance of "Otis" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards . Jay-Z collaborated with M.I.A on her single " XXXO ", which achieved a fair level of success and went on to become remixed by several producers worldwide. In May 2012, Jay-Z and former Philadelphia mayor Michael A. Nutter announced Jay-Z as the curator and the headliner for the first annual "Budweiser Made in America" festival at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on September 1 and 2, 2012. The performance
4422-643: A sweat, and instead uses smoothness and clever wordplay to keep the audience interested and entertained". Jay-Z's fast rapping technique, also known as the "triplet rhyme", was developed during his early years of creating music with former mentor Jaz-O. Jay-Z has also established himself as a successful entrepreneur with a business empire spanning a variety of industries from clothing lines, beverages, real estate, sport teams, and record labels. In an interview, he stated that "my brands are an extension of me. They're close to me. It's not like running GM , where there's no emotional attachment." Jay-Z and Damon Dash are
4556-621: A variety of high-profile collaborators. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year , while the title track was nominated for Song of the Year and " The Story of O.J. " was nominated for Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards . On June 6, 2018, Jay-Z and Beyoncé kicked-off the On the Run II Tour in Cardiff , United Kingdom. Ten days later, at their final London performance,
4690-653: A verse and how he uses 'partial linking' to add more rhymes to a verse. Jay-Z's early style is described by Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX -type, stiggety style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That", referring to the fast rhythms and vocal delivery of the group Das EFX. He is also known to write lyrics in his head, as described by Pusha T of Clipse in How to Rap , a style popular with many MCs such as The Notorious B.I.G. , Everlast , Bobby Creekwater and Guerilla Black . Shock G of Digital Underground describes Jay-Z's live performance style, saying he "rarely breaks
4824-440: A year of inactivity with his 1st artist being former Young Money rapper Curren$ y . Curren$ y's third album, Pilot Talk , was to be released under the newly relaunched Roc-A-Fella. However, Curren$ y stated in interviews with both XXL and Complex that the album would be released under Damon Dash 's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records and distributed through Def Jam. On August 8, 2011, Jay-Z and Kanye West released
4958-495: A year's incarceration on an attempted murder charge, put out his album The B. Coming on Dame Dash and Roc-A-Fella; this was accompanied by accusations from Dash that of all the members of State Property, only Oschino had gone to visit Sigel in prison. Beanie had initially chosen Dame Dash Music Group, and he wanted to bring the rest of State Property over to Dame Dash. However, the rest of the group refused, preferring to remain on Roc-A-Fella; in response, Beanie Sigel effectively put
5092-402: A young Memphis Bleek , though only Memphis Bleek would eventually sign with the label. In June 1997, Roc-A-Fella agreed to a 50/50 partnership and distribution deal with Def Jam Recordings . In November 1997, Roc-A-Fella released their first two albums under Def Jam's distribution, Jay-Z's sophomore album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 , as well as R&B duo Christión 's debut and only album for
5226-512: Is a Sunni Muslim . In November 2021, rapper and former Roc-A-Fella cohort Kanye West gave Grant credit for originating his now-trademark nickname "Yeezy". Grant attested to this during a subsequent interview with TMZ . In his interview, West also suggested he owes Grant monetary compensation, to which Grant declined. In October 2023, Grant formally endorsed the independent 2024 presidential campaign of environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , deeming him to be "honest". In 2002, Sigel
5360-740: Is just a natural progression. Rap music is still evolving. We have to respect each other's genre of music and move forward." Jay-Z opened his Glastonbury set with a tongue-in-cheek cover of Oasis's iconic song " Wonderwall ", and went on to deliver a performance heralded as a successful response to pre-festival criticism. He also headlined many other summer festivals in 2008, including Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Hove Festival in Norway and O2 Wireless Festival in London. During Kanye West's concert of August 6, 2008, at Madison Square Garden, Jay-Z came out to perform
5494-533: Is still very close with Roc-A-Fella. Additionally, Tru Life has been referred to as a "1 time [or past] affiliate" of Roc-A-Fella upon his turning himself in to authorities for his connection to a retaliatory stabbing. On May 21, 2009, Jay-Z had bought back his contract from Def Jam for an unprecedented $ 5,000,000 and started his deal with Live Nation. Jadakiss briefly moved to Roc-A-Fella and released an album The Last Kiss before reuniting with Ruff Ryders. On May 3, 2010, Damon Dash relaunched Roc-A-Fella after nearly
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5628-490: The Billboard 200 , and was generally favored by critics. This album would later be included in Rolling Stone ' s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as No. 248 and eventually reach platinum status. After reaching a new label distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 . Featuring production by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs , DJ Premier, and Ski , it earned platinum status in
5762-423: The Billboard 200 ; Jay-Z holds the record for the most number-one albums (14) of any solo artist on the chart. He has also released the collaborative albums The Best of Both Worlds (2002) and Unfinished Business (2004) with singer R. Kelly , Collision Course (2004) with Linkin Park , Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West , and Everything Is Love (2018) with his wife Beyoncé . He peaked
5896-504: The Billboard Hot 100 on four occasions: once as a lead artist with his 2009 single " Empire State of Mind " (featuring Alicia Keys ), and thrice with his guest performances on the singles " Heartbreaker " by Mariah Carey , " Crazy in Love " by Beyoncé, and " Umbrella " by Rihanna . Through his business ventures, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop billionaire in 2019. In 1999, he co-founded
6030-606: The 2015 ceremony . In 2016, he won a lawsuit for the song "Made in America" with Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean against Joel McDonald. In early June 2017, posters were displayed in New York City and Los Angeles, and banner ads were placed on the Internet promoting a Tidal -related project titled 4:44 . A teaser ad was aired during the NBA Finals on June 7 featuring actors Mahershala Ali , Lupita Nyong'o and Danny Glover in
6164-456: The Billboard charts at number 37. In 2009, Sigel released his first independent album The Broad Street Bully after his contracts with Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Records had expired. In 2010, Sigel announced that he was working on his sixth studio album titled The Closure which was to be released on Universal Republic and G-Unit Records . However, on May 31, 2011, Sigel cancelled
6298-495: The Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia on September 12, 2012. Additionally, he was sentenced six to 23 months in county jail for illegal possession of prescription drugs, to be served concurrently with his federal sentence. On August 14, 2014, Sigel was released from Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill and was reported to be serving out the rest of his sentence in a halfway house in Philadelphia. Sigel
6432-539: The Oval Office . Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of Roc-A-Fella records artists, as well as Ne-Yo , Teairra Marí , T.I. , Young Jeezy , Akon , Kanye West , Paul Wall , The LOX , and Diddy . At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and Nas . The two former rivals shook hands and shared
6566-460: The Young Gunz ' sophomore effort and Teairra Marí 's debut, though only Kanye West's project saw significant sales. It was stated by Memphis Bleek that Cory Gunz had signed, but nothing materialized. By the end of the year, Dash had split his label from Def Jam and Jay-Z's role overseeing his project, after asking for more money and a bigger role in the company. Dame Dash Music Group left Def Jam and
6700-768: The 100 greatest artists of all time, Jay-Z was the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. Shawn Corey Carter was born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn , New York City . He was raised in Marcy Houses , a public housing project in Brooklyn's Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. His father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned
6834-447: The Air ", and sold 131,000 copies in its first week. Advertising his friendship with the incarcerated Sigel, Dash publicly claimed that he was leaving the Roc-A-Fella roster to join him. Sigel's group, State Property was thrown into turmoil, but eventually chose to remain at Roc-A-Fella—apparently against Sigel's wishes. On his release, Sigel questioned the loyalty of his group and said that he
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#17328691446176968-478: The Dame Dash Music Group. Dame Dash Music Group and Def Jam released Sigel's The B. Coming rather than Roc-A-Fella, but it still contained production from a slew of Roc/Jay Z-affiliated producers including Chad West, The Neptunes , Just Blaze, Boola , and Buckwild . Sigel recruited cross–label MC talent for his album as well, including Cam'ron and Jay-Z. Sigel's record produced a hit track, " Feel It in
7102-463: The Ridley Scott film of the same name , Jay-Z was heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler. The album is not the film's official soundtrack, although it was distributed by Def Jam . Jay-Z's American Gangster depicts his life in correlation to the movie American Gangster . At the start of the album's first single, " Blue Magic ", Jay-Z offers
7236-492: The Roc-A-Fella roster starred in State Property . Its release coincided with the creation and promotion of State Property , a group of Philadelphia artists signed to Roc-A-Fella, who were organized by Sigel and Freeway . Its members included Peedi Crakk , the Young Gunz ( Neef Buck & Young Chris ), Oschino and Omillio Sparks . Their first collaboration was for the movie's soundtrack, an eponymous release that featured
7370-534: The Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott , Memphis Bleek , Beanie Siegel , Freeway, Mary J. Blige , Beyoncé, Twista , Ghostface Killah , Foxy Brown , Pharrell Williams and R. Kelly, with appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur , the mothers of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur , respectively. While Jay-Z had attested to a retirement from making new studio albums, various side projects and appearances soon followed. Included in these were
7504-563: The Sprint–Tidal partnership. For a short time, on July 2, the album was made available for free digital download in Tidal's site. A physical edition was released on July 7, including three additional tracks. On the same day, the album was made available to other streaming platforms, such as Apple Music , Google Play Music and Amazon Music . The album received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its emotional and personal content. On July 5,
7638-413: The U.S. and surpassing The Blueprint . It yielded a single-disc re-issue, The Blueprint 2.1 , which retained half of the songs from the original. Its original release spawned two hit singles, " Excuse Me Miss " and " '03 Bonnie & Clyde ", which features Jay-Z's then-girlfriend, Beyoncé , and contained the track "A Dream", featuring Faith Evans and the late Notorious B.I.G. ; the re-issue spawned
7772-504: The U.S., spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 . In that same year, Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter . The album proved successful and sold over 3 million copies. Vol. 3 ' s most successful single was " Big Pimpin ", featuring UGK . In 2000, Jay-Z released The Dynasty: Roc La Familia , which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but Def Jam turned into
7906-760: The United States. In 1998, Jay-Z released Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, " Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as Swizz Beatz , an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders , and Timbaland . Other producers included DJ Premier , Erick Sermon , The 45 King , and Kid Capri . Charting hits from this album included " Can I Get A... ", featuring Ja Rule and Amil , and " Nigga What, Nigga Who ", featuring Amil and Jaz-O . Vol. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it
8040-439: The World " video and the short film based on Kanye's " Runaway ". Tuff City is represented by New York attorney Kelly Talcott. On June 16, 2013, Jay-Z announced with a tweet: "VII IV XIII Roc A Fella/Roc Nation", hinting a possible relaunch and revival of Roc-A-Fella and a possible merger with Roc Nation. However, it was later revealed that the tweet instead meant that Roc-A-Fella was only temporarily relaunched, specifically for
8174-493: The album " Cruel Summer ", by GOOD Music . Kanye West and Big Sean starred alongside Jay-Z on the track. Jay-Z took the subway to his sold-out show at The Barclays Center on October 6, 2012. On November 12, 2012, Coldplay announced that they will be playing with Jay-Z at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on December 31. On September 23, 2010, Q-Tip confirmed working on Jay-Z's follow-up album to The Blueprint 3 , saying
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#17328691446178308-447: The album and retired from the music industry for two weeks, before deciding to return and work on the album again, re-titling it The Classic . In 2011, Sigel signed with 50 Cent 's subsidiary label G-Unit Philly and renewed his 2009 contract with G-Unit Records. On July 13, 2011, Sigel released his first single from the album titled "B-Boy Stance". On March 30, 2012, Sigel told Statik Selektah on Shade 45 that he would be working on
8442-624: The album had sold 2.7 million copies worldwide. In 2019, The Blueprint was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In October 2001, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for stabbing record producer Lance Rivera at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City in 1999. Despite Jay-Z's sentence of three years probation for
8576-497: The album included " What More Can I Say ", " Dirt off Your Shoulder ", " Change Clothes ", and " 99 Problems ". The Black Album has sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert—billed as a "retirement party" at Madison Square Garden in New York City , which was later the focus of his 2004 documentary, Fade to Black . All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators
8710-508: The album sold more than 427,000 copies, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and reached double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America . Eminem guest performed and produced its song, " Renegade ". Four tracks were produced by Kanye West . The Blueprint includes the songs " Izzo (H.O.V.A.) ", " Girls, Girls, Girls ", " Jigga That Nigga ", and " Song Cry ". As of February 2012 ,
8844-427: The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in recognition of one million copies purchased by Sprint and offered to consumers as free downloads. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 , making it Jay-Z's 13th consecutive studio album to top the chart. The album spawned two singles, the title track "4:44" and "Bam", as well as several music videos, directed by
8978-536: The album was to hit stores by spring 2011. In May 2012 it was reported that Jay-Z would work on new music with Roc Nation producer Jahlil Beats . Beats told XXL magazine: "Me and Jay-Z been going back and forth. He picked a couple of my joints that he's working on. I don't even wanna say too much about Jay, but we definitely working on some stuff. I haven't even sent him a bunch of beats. I sent him my favorite stuff. He hit me right back like, 'Yo, I'ma go in on this,' or, 'I like this.'" The album has been named one of
9112-425: The album. The follow-up to that was the second single " Otis ", which premiered on Funkmaster Flex 's Hot 97 radio show, and was later released to the iTunes Store eleven days later. The song's existence, along with several other tracks from the album, was confirmed during a listening session hosted by Jay-Z. The album was first released on the iTunes Store, five days prior to its being released in physical format,
9246-482: The charges and was sentenced to 25 months in prison. On August 29, 2012, two weeks before reporting to prison, Sigel was arrested again in Philadelphia on drug, weapons, and conspiracy charges after being pulled over by police. Officers found a fully loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun inside the vehicle, as well as $ 4,500 in cash, an unlabeled bottle of codeine cough syrup, and various pills. Sigel began his 24-month sentence for failing to file tax returns at
9380-406: The clothing retailer Rocawear and later founded the 40/40 Club , a luxury bar chain, in 2003. As both grew into multi-million-dollar businesses, he launched Roc Nation, a multi-disciplinary entertainment agency in 2008. In 2015, he acquired the technology company Aspiro and led the expansion of Tidal , the company's media streaming service. As of 2024, he is the wealthiest musical artist in
9514-557: The co-headlining Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour . During the fifth game of the 2013 NBA Finals , Carter announced his twelfth studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail , and was released on July 4, 2013. Not long after, Jay-Z confirmed that the hyphen in his stage name would be left out and officially stylized in all capital letters. Magna Carta Holy Grail debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 528,000 copies in its first week, which bypassed its predicted debut in
9648-471: The conflict, and elected to re-open talks with Roc-A-Fella instead of moving to Dame Dash Music Group. In 2006, Sigel re-signed with Roc-A-Fella Records and started recording for his fourth studio album The Solution . On October 29, 2007, Sigel released the first single from The Solution titled "All The Above" which featured R. Kelly . It debuted on the U.S. R&B charts at number 83. On May 22, 2007, Sigel released The Solution which debuted on
9782-473: The crime, Rivera later recanted the allegations in 2023. Jay-Z then collaborated with Chicago singer R. Kelly to release collaborative studio album, The Best of Both Worlds in March 2002. In November of that year, Jay-Z released his seventh studio album The Blueprint : The Gift & The Curse —a double album. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 3 million units solely in
9916-636: The current solo-artist record holder. On October 9, 2009, Jay-Z kicked off his tour for The Blueprint 3 , during which he supported his new album in North America. In a Shave Magazine review of his performance at Rexall Place in Edmonton , Jake Tomlinson expressed that "It was the type of smooth performance you would expect from the hip-hop superstar." The review gave this performance 4 stars. His North American tour continued until November 22, 2009. At his concert on November 8, 2009, at UCLA 's Pauley Pavilion , Rihanna joined him on stage and performed "Hard" for
10050-499: The early 1990s. He first became known to a wide audience on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home . Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's hype man during this period, although Kane explains that he did not fill the traditional hype man role, and was instead basically making cameo appearances on stage. "When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to
10184-548: The entertainment company Roc Nation the following year. A protégé of fellow New York City-based rapper Jaz-O , Jay-Z began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1994 to release his first two studio albums Reasonable Doubt (1996) and In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), both of which were met with critical acclaim. Each of his eleven subsequent albums, including The Blueprint (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), and 4:44 (2017), debuted atop
10318-409: The entire company. Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events. In March 2015, Jay-Z completed the $ 56 million acquisition of Aspiro , a Norwegian media technology company that operates
10452-805: The family when Jay-Z was 11 years old, and Jay-Z and his three older siblings were raised by his mother, Gloria Carter. Reeves later met and reconciled with Jay-Z prior to his death in 2003. Jay-Z claims in his lyrics to "You Must Love Me", the closing track on his 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 , that in 1982, at age 12, he shot his older brother Eric in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. He attended Eli Whitney High School and George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School , both in Brooklyn, and then Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey . He did not graduate, dropping out during his sophomore year at Trenton Central High School. According to his interviews and lyrics, he sold crack cocaine and
10586-601: The festival organizers for choosing Jay-Z to headline a traditionally guitar-driven festival. "I'm sorry, but Jay-Z?" Gallagher asked, swearing. "No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of, kind of, guitar music, do you know what I mean? And even when they throw the odd curve balls in on a Sunday night—you go, 'Kylie Minogue? I don't know about that', do you know what I mean?—but I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury, no way, no, no. It's wrong." As controversy mounted, Jay-Z replied, "We don't play guitars, Noel, but hip hop has put in its work like any other form of music. This headline show
10720-493: The feud. During the beginning of the new millennium, Sigel and various other Roc artists engaged in a conflict with artists from the Ruff Ryders . Sigel publicly decried Jadakiss , the rest of The LOX and DMX . Although Sigel and Jadakiss both denied any violent intent, they continued to exchange criticism until Sigel put out a freestyle rap over Jadakiss' hit "Put Ya Hands Up". On September 26, 2016, Sigel and Meek Mill ,
10854-624: The first rapper in Reebok 's history to endorse the company's footwear, signing a three-year endorsement deal. He later appeared in a 2003 Reebok collection advertising his S. Carter Collection. Later that year, he and frenemy 50 Cent appeared in a commercial to promote their S. Carter and G-Unit footwears for the company, with a Just Blaze-produced song made for it. In 2006, Jay-Z's deal with Reebok expired with no renewal. In 2014, Jay-Z invested $ 200 million in Armand de Brignac champagne—owned at
10988-406: The first time, then performed "Run This Town" with Jay-Z. Among his success, Jay-Z has ventured into producing Broadway shows. Along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, Jay-Z helped produce the play Fela! , a musical celebrating the work of the late Nigerian star Fela Kuti . Jay-Z said he was inspired by the power of Kuti's work and his life story, which resulted in his interest to help produce
11122-493: The founders of the urban clothing brand Rocawear . Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group for $ 204 million. He retains his stake in the company and continues to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development. Jay-Z became
11256-476: The group on hold, claiming disappointment in his groupmates. M.O.P. and Grafh also left Roc-A-Fella for Dame Dash Music Group, though both acts parted ways with Dash soon thereafter. Due to the 2004 death of Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dash also brought with him masters of the rapper's project and promises to release the album, A Son Unique , though this never occurred. Memphis Bleek and Kanye West released 534 and Late Registration , respectively, in 2005, along with
11390-423: The label's first Platinum-RIAA certified release; it was the last Roc-A-Fella release to see appearances by Jaz-O or Sauce Money, and the first to feature new Roc artists Beanie Sigel and Amil . The label closed out 1998 with the December release of DJ Clue's debut album, The Professional , which saw guest appearances from Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and an appearance from future Roc-A-Fella artist Cam'ron . The album
11524-425: The label's prominent image—with the acclaimed release of The Blueprint and the closing of his trial for the 1999 stabbing of producer Lance Rivera —other Roc artists began to gain popularity and acceptance. In 2000, Beanie Sigel released The Truth and reached #5 on the Billboard charts, DJ Clue released The Professional 2 , and Memphis Bleek released The Understanding . Although Clue and Beans's albums hit
11658-600: The label, Ghetto Cyrano , on the same day. Roc-A-Fella and Jay-Z saw increasing popularity, mainly due to a high-profile appearance by Jay on The Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous Life After Death , complete with Roc-A-Fella and Damon Dash references. While Memphis Bleek signed with Roc-A-Fella, Sauce Money chose to pursue a deal with Priority, and Jaz-O refrained from signing anywhere and provided production for only one song on In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 , "Rap Game/Crack Game." Despite Jaz-O not signing to Roc-A-Fella, he became Memphis Bleek's manager. In 1998, Roc-A-Fella Records released
11792-480: The label. This was countered by Beanie Sigel's manager, who confirmed that Beanie Sigel and Freeway were still part of Roc-A-Fella. Young Chris also apparently signed as a solo artist. 2008 saw only the release of Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak , garnering decent sales. It also brought repeated disses in songs and interviews from Peedi Crakk towards Jay-Z, claiming he held up his project on purpose, though he claims to have moved on. During that year, Jay-Z had signed
11926-520: The most anticipated albums of 2013 by Complex Magazine , MTV , and XXL . Production will come from Jahlil Beats , Kanye West , Rick Rubin , Swizz Beatz , Timbaland , and Pharrell Williams . Jay-Z also made an appearance on Justin Timberlake 's comeback single " Suit & Tie " from his third studio album The 20/20 Experience , the song itself was produced by both Jay-Z and Timberlake's mutual friend, Timbaland. Timberlake and Jay-Z embarked on
12060-638: The movie Streets Is Watching and the accompanying soundtrack ; the film compiles various Jay-Z videos into a continuous story, and the album introduced more affiliated, future Roc-A-Fella Records acts like Noreaga , M.O.P. , and DJ Clue , as well as producer Irv Gotti and the short-lived group, Murder Inc. (namesake of Irv's record label, Murder Inc. ). Jay's 1998 album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life , saw him largely depart from his previous entourage and venture forth with producers Swizz Beatz , Timbaland , The 45 King and Jermaine Dupri . Vol. 2 spawned his first major hit, " Hard Knock Life ", and became
12194-460: The musical. Fela! is a story about an African pioneer and political activist who made his first moves on the scene during the 1970s. On January 23, 2010, Jay-Z released a track, " Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) ", with Rihanna, and U2 's Bono and The Edge , as well as performing it at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in
12328-793: The original " Roc the Mic " by Sigel and Freeway. 2003's The Chain Gang Vol. 2 followed, featuring the single " Can't Stop, Won't Stop " by the Young Gunz. The record was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. In 2005, before serving a one-year prison sentence stemming from an earlier arrest, Sigel shot multiple videos, directed by Joe Briscella, and finished his third album The B. Coming . During this time, Sigel's label head at Roc-A-Fella, Jay-Z , became president of its parent label, Def Jam , which caused former business partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke to leave and form
12462-451: The pair unveiled Everything Is Love , their much-awaited joint studio album, credited under the name The Carters . The pair also released the video for the album's lead single, " Apeshit ", on Beyoncé's official YouTube channel. The song won two awards from eight nominations at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards . In 2021, Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with fellow rapper LL Cool J . He also appeared on
12596-416: The position and ownership for the masters to Reasonable Doubt alone: So I was like, let me get Reasonable Doubt and I'll give up [the rest of] my masters. I'll give up Roc-A-Fella, I'll give up president and CEO of Def Jam—everything. Just give me my baby to hold on to so 10 years down the line, I can look back and I got something—I'm not empty-handed. And I was the 1 being offered everything. I thought it
12730-603: The producer hasn't reached out. This may have been due to Just Blaze's work on American Gangster and complications regarding his Atlantic -distributed label, Fort Knocks , and his artist Saigon . The signing of Ruff Ryders artist Jadakiss, former rival to both Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, also came in 2007, as did Uncle Murda . Foxy Brown was dropped from the label after 2 years, in light of a jail sentence. Though Young Chris and Peedi Crakk continued to appear on projects, neither seemed any closer to solo projects, and in 2008 Peedi Crakk announced that State Property had been dropped from
12864-486: The range of 350,000 to 400,000. In December 2013, it was announced that Jay-Z had received nine nominations at the 2014 Grammy Awards , more than any other artist. Jay-Z appeared on his wife Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, Beyoncé , with a feature on the song " Drunk in Love ". They performed this song together at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards opening. The song and its accompanying album would later win three Grammy Awards including Best R&B Performance at
12998-415: The service is to bring major revenue streams back to the music artists themselves as the idea of an artist-owned streaming platform was stated as to "restore the value to music by launching a service owned by artists." Jay-Z currently is a major shareholder in the company. In July 2015, Carter made a significant investment to JetSmarter , an app helping people book private executive plane flights. The app
13132-450: The single What You Think Of That (featuring Jay-Z). Jay-Z's 1999 album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter continued Jay's new affiliations with then-popular producers; in 2000, the label saw a redefinition in both sound and roster. Jay-Z put out The Dynasty: Roc La Familia as a solo album. Originally intended to be a collaboration project, it nonetheless featured heavy appearances by Beanie Sigel, Amil, and Memphis Bleek, along with
13266-437: The single " La-La-La ", which was a sequel to "Excuse Me Miss" and failed to match its commercial success. After visiting the south of France, Jay-Z announced work on his eighth studio album, The Black Album at the opening of the 40/40 Club. He worked with several producers including Just Blaze , The Neptunes , Kanye West , Timbaland , Eminem , DJ Quik , 9th Wonder , The Buchanans , and Rick Rubin . Notable songs on
13400-516: The single's video was directed by F. Gary Gray . The album features production from Just Blaze , Pharrell , Kanye West , Dr. Dre and Coldplay 's Chris Martin (single entitled " Beach Chair "). The first week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, enough to be his "biggest sales week ever" as Billboard reported. This album has sold 2 million copies in the U.S. Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled American Gangster on November 6, 2007. After viewing
13534-517: The singles Built This City and Dipset Anthem led to the album being certified Gold by the RIAA. In late 2003, the company released Jay-Z's alleged final album, The Black Album . Rumors of friction between Carter and Dash became apparent; though denied by both camps at the time, problems involving Damon's media attention and Jay's alleged inaccessibility had been brewing since the music video shoot for " Big Pimpin' ". After Jay-Z's supposed last hurrah, it
13668-453: The sole purpose of releasing his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail . In June 2021, Roc-A-Fella sued its co-founder Damon Dash for attempting to auction off a non-fungible token representing the Jay-Z album Reasonable Doubt , due to Roc-A-Fella owning the rights to the album. In response, Dash claimed that he was not trying to sell the album, but his own share of the record label. On June 22,
13802-465: The song " Jail " on Kanye West's 2021 album Donda , which went on to win Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards and on the song "Love All" from Drake 's 2021 album Certified Lover Boy . In 2022, his first feature was a collaboration with fellow rapper Pusha T , " Neck & Wrist " featuring Pharrell Williams from Pusha T's album, It's Almost Dry . His feature
13936-524: The stage together to perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is Yours". Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006, titled Kingdom Come . Jay-Z's comeback single, " Show Me What You Got ", was leaked on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the FBI to step in and investigate. Jay-Z worked with video director Hype Williams , and
14070-542: The stage." According to his second verse on " 99 Problems ", released in 2003, Jay-Z was allegedly stopped by an NYPD detective in 1994 while en route to I-95 , possibly for a search of drugs in his car. Detection dogs were called, but another police car had passed; Jay-Z was let go soon after. Jay-Z appeared on a popular song by Big L , "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo 's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by his former Murder Inc. colleagues Ja Rule and DMX in 1995. His first official rap single
14204-434: The subscription-based music streaming service Tidal , which has been in operation since October 2014. The music service was acquired through his company Project Panther Bidco Ltd. (an entity indirectly owned by Jay-Z's S. Carter Enterprises a company holding interests in leading international music, media and entertainment companies). The music service combines audio and music videos with curated editorial. The main idea of
14338-520: The team's relocation to Brooklyn 's Barclays Center (from New Jersey ) in the 2012–2013 season , at which point the team took on the Brooklyn Nets moniker. Beanie Sigel Dwight Equan Grant (born March 6, 1974), better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel , is an American rapper from Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He is best known for his association with Jay-Z and his label Roc-A-Fella Records , to which Grant signed in 1998 and became
14472-459: The time by Sovereign Brands, a New York–based wine and spirits company—for a 100 percent stake, making it the second alcoholic product acquisition in his financial investment portfolio. The brand is known for its popularity with high-profile artists as being the gold bottles often referred to in media. His ties to the company date back to 2006, and he received millions of dollars per year for his association with Armand de Brignac before he bought
14606-464: The top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the moderately successful third single "Daydreaming". The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies in America. From 2002 to 2003, Damon Dash signed several artists in response to Jay-Z's talk of retirement after his 2002 album The Blueprint: The Gift & The Curse . He signed M.O.P. and Ol' Dirty Bastard , gave Grafh
14740-892: The top five of the Billboard 200, while the latter spawned the single " Feel It in the Air " and marked a brief departure from Roc-A-Fella. Following his return to the label, his fourth album, The Solution (2007) was met with continued praise despite a commercial decline, and served as his final release with Roc-A-Fella. He then released his fifth and sixth albums, The Broad Street Bully (2009) and This Time (2012) independently, both of which saw regional success and continued positive reception. Grant has also been known for his numerous legal issues and publicized court trials since 2002. As of 2024, he has been arrested at least six times, serving roughly four years in federal or state prison. Roc-A-Fella Records released Beanie Sigel's debut album, The Truth on February 29, 2000, to critical and commercial success. In 2002, Sigel and much of
14874-486: The top five on the Billboard charts, Bleek's album was in the top twenty. Nonetheless, all three albums were certified Gold by the RIAA. Amil's album, however, had lackluster sales. Jay-Z and Damon Dash began signing up new talent, including Freeway, and several young Philadelphia rappers that were later compiled into the Freeway/Sigel-led group, State Property . During this time, Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel were embroiled in
15008-502: The wax, that's what I really listen to." He often uses excerpts from these artists as samples in his work, particularly in the Kanye West productions included on The Blueprint. Royce da 5'9" and Fredro Starr of Onyx both describe Jay-Z's emphasis on flow in the book How to Rap —Starr says that Jay-Z is "a master of the flow—he can flow fast, he can flow slow". The book describes how Jay-Z uses 'rests' to provide structure to
15142-504: The world with a net worth of US$ 2.5 billion. One of the world's best-selling music artists with 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards , the tenth-most of all time and most awarded for any hip hop artist jointly with Kanye West. He has been awarded the NAACP 's President's Award , a Primetime Emmy Award , a Sports Emmy Award , and been nominated for a Tony Award . Ranked by Billboard and Rolling Stone as one of
15276-697: Was " In My Lifetime ", which was released with an accompanying music video in 1995. An unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side "I Can't Get with That." With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold burned CDs out of his car, and with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke , created Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with Priority , Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G. The album reached number 23 on
15410-589: Was able to flee the scene and drive himself to a local hospital. One month prior to this incident, Sigel was released from prison after serving a brief stint for child support charges. On August 15, 2009, Sigel was arrested on a drug possession charge while traveling to a concert in New Jersey. He was found in possession of nearly 50 grams (1.8 oz) of marijuana in his vehicle. Sigel was charged in 2010 with three counts of failing to file tax returns on income of over $ 1 million between 2003 and 2005. He pled guilty to
15544-519: Was arrested and charged with a federal weapons charge in West Philadelphia . He would later serve a year in federal prison. Sigel was arrested in January 2003 after allegedly punching a 53-year-old man in the face, fracturing his eye socket. On July 3, 2003, Sigel turned himself in to Philadelphia police and was charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing six shots from a 9 mm handgun at
15678-461: Was built by Sergey Petrossov. From 2005 to 2007, Jay-Z was inaugurated as the president of Def Jam Recordings. Under Jay-Z's leadership, Def Jam launched the successful careers of contemporary R&B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo . At the end of 2007, after he released American Gangster , Jay-Z decided not to renew his contract as the president and CEO of Def Jam. Shortly after, he started his Live Nation venture, Roc Nation . In April 2011, it
15812-457: Was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies. The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination and the academy's decision to not broadcast urban music categories. In 1999, Jay-Z collaborated with Mariah Carey on " Heartbreaker ", a song from her seventh album, Rainbow . The song became Jay-Z's first chart-topper in
15946-859: Was certified platinum by the RIAA, making DJ Clue the first other than Jay-Z to achieve platinum status. Meanwhile, DJ Ski had, at the time, formed the production company Roc-A-Blok, although the company folded when Ski moved out of New York to take a break from music. In August 1999, Memphis Bleek's debut album, Coming of Age , was released through Roc-A-Fella. The album was executive produced by Kareem " Biggs" Burke, Damon Dash, and Jay-Z. It featured guest appearances from Roc-A-Fella artists Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z . The album also featured guest appearances from Dark Half and Da Ranjahz, artists signed to Roc-A-Fella's subsidiary label The Carter Foundation. Despite their appearances, they soon parted ways with The Carter Foundation. Though not as successful as Jay-Z's albums, Coming Of Age achieved Gold status in America thanks to
16080-422: Was created to focus on signing international recording artists. Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z , is an American rapper. Born and raised in New York City , he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. He served as president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007, and founded
16214-515: Was entitled the "I Declare War" concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. As he had previously "declared war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events, many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out assault by Jay-Z upon his rivals. The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as president and CEO of Def Jam , complete with an on-stage mock-up of
16348-414: Was founded in 1994. After Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter had been rejected by major record labels, it began as an independent outlet for the rapper's debut album. Carter, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke started the label through Priority Records , using finances from Payday Records due to their singles-only deal. The name "Roc-A-Fella" was conceived by rapper Tone Hooker as a double entendre for Rockefeller and
16482-651: Was interviewed in the Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops documentary, which exposed rappers to the dossiers maintained by NYPD as part of their effort to surveil hip-hop artists and executives. He also auditioned for the lead role in the 2009 film Notorious . Sigel appeared in the 2011 film Rhyme and Punishment , a documentary about hip-hop artists who have served time in county jail or state/federal prison. The film features an interview with Sigel in which he discusses his conviction and life while incarcerated. Sigel recorded
16616-412: Was more than fair ... And when that was turned down, I had to make a choice. I'll leave that for the people to say what choice they would've made. That's about it. I don't really wanna talk about Dame or Biggs. I don't have nothing negative to say about them. As Dash and Burke set up their own fledgling record label, originally called Roc4life and later rechristened to Dame Dash Music Group , each artist
16750-489: Was named president of Def Jam Records, which led to Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs selling their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z taking control of both of the companies. Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash as to what direction Roc-A-Fella could undertake. On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert
16884-538: Was offered their choice of labels. Memphis Bleek and Kanye West remained on Roc-A-Fella. Jimmy Jones and The Diplomats opted to leave Roc-A-Fella in 2004. Cam'Ron chose not to stay with either Dame Dash Music Group or Roc-A-Fella and instead stayed with Diplomat Records and signed with Asylum Records for distribution for his next two albums. Cam'ron was especially vocal in running a smear campaign against Jay-Z, claiming Jay-Z blocked him from an executive position Dash had offered him at Roc-A-Fella. Beanie Sigel, then doing
17018-405: Was produced by Live Nation and assembled an eclectic lineup of " rock , hip hop , R&B , Latin music and dance" musicians. Jay-Z and Rihanna were the two main headlining acts for BBC Radio 1 's 2012 Hackney Weekend music festival on June 23 to 24. Jay-Z opened his set with an appearance from Rihanna, they performed "Run this Town". On September 6, " Clique " was released, a single from
17152-527: Was reported that Jay-Z had outbid executives at Universal Music and Jive Records to acquire independent record label Block Starz Music . For a decade (2003–2013), Jay-Z enjoyed his role as a part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, having paid a reported $ 1 million for his share, which declined in value to $ 350,000 in April 2013, based on Forbes magazine's valuation of the team. He encouraged
17286-430: Was revealed that he had accepted a position as CEO and President of Def Jam Recordings , and The Island Def Jam Music Group purchased the remaining 50 percent stake of Roc-A-Fella Records that IDJ didn't already own. Dash, poised to take greater control in the company, began heavily promoting artists Cam'ron, The Diplomats, State Property, Kanye West, and Twista. In 2004, Kanye West's album, The College Dropout , became
17420-485: Was shot at three times during this period. His former friend was sentenced to prison for possessing drugs and weapons. Known as "Jazzy" around the neighborhood, he later adopted the stage name "Jay-Z" in homage to his mentor Jaz-O . Jay-Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including " H. P. Gets Busy ", "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie". Jay-Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper LL Cool J in
17554-627: Was signed, his rap group The Diplomats as well as Diplomats members Juelz Santana and Jimmy Jones also signed to Roc-A-Fella as well. Upon signing to Roc-A-Fella, Cam'ron reached a new commercial peak. On May 14, 2002, Roc-A-Fella released Cam'ron's Roc-A-Fella debut Come Home With Me . The album featured guest appearances from Roc-A-Fella artists Jimmy Jones, Juelz Santana, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and Jay-Z, and featured production from Roc-A-Fella's in house producers Just Blaze and Kanye West . It featured two hit singles " Oh Boy " and " Hey Ma " (both featuring Juelz Santana), which both peaked in
17688-597: Was signing with Dame and Biggs due to a stronger relationship with the pair than with Jay-Z: I've never been around Jay on an off day. It ain't like I made a choice of running with Dame and Biggs or 'Dame and Biggs held me down through my whole trial.' It's not that. I would be a sucker if I said I [signed with the Damon Dash Music Group] because they did that for me. It's love. You see how we chillin' now, this ain't about no business. Soon after, he clarified his comments, saying he simply did not want to be involved in
17822-436: Was subsequently dissolved. In 2006, releases were largely limited to those of Roc-La-Familia , a Latino-geared label under Roc-A-Fella that followed the trend of reggaeton . Héctor el Father and N.O.R.E. both put out albums, and the label was home to New York rapper Tru Life , but has since folded. Jay-Z made his return that year with Kingdom Come , to mixed reviews. He stepped down from his Def Jam position and put out
17956-769: Was succeeded by a four-minute guest appearance on DJ Khaled 's album title track, " God Did ". He also was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) , as a producer for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show . Jay-Z says his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was mostly of soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway . He says "I grew up around music, listening to all types of people... I'm into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever. As long as I can feel their soul through
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