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Jay-Z may be available for your next special event!
"If
I shoot you, I'm brainless/But if you shoot me, you're famous/What's a
n*gga to do?" - "Streets Is Watchin'"
 These are the type of street truths that has garnered
Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam's Jay-Z the multitudes of devout fans that he
has. They're strong, they're hard hitting, and they're real.
As
Hip-Hop enters yet another era of dimension, Jay-Z is emerging as
the leading "Don" of the Rap game. He modestly explains his
lyrical motivation as something that just comes to him. "It's just
there," he says. "I don't write songs, they just form. I could
be riding around, I'll think of a particular topic, rehearse it and
immediately come up with the song." His penchant for knockin' out
flavorful joints first became apparent when he burst onto the scene on
"The Originators" with his man, The Jaz, in 1990. Possessing a
rapid-fire delivery combined with relevant and intriguing lyrics, his
buzz soon spread when he went on to collaborate with Original Flavor on
the notable cut "Can I Get Open?"
 Reflecting
on those days of scrambling and actively seeking a deal, Jay-Z
has this to offer --
"My man Jaz introduced me to this whole thing as a
business. And through seeing all the things that happened to him, I
learned a lot." He continues "after going to a couple of
A&Rs, I soon realized they couldn't understand where I was coming
from. But I knew there was an audience of people who understood and
really felt what I was going through, 'cause it was real!"
Fate (and the streets) would lead Jay within the
circle of young Harlem music entrepreneur Damon Dash, from which an
immediate alliance between the two was made and alas, Roc-A-Fella
Records was born. "Being that I gained that experience with Jaz, I
felt that we could put together Roc-A-Fella. With my partners Damon Dash
and (third partner) Biggs, we make the whole unit tighter." The
talent-heavy label is churning out hits, as well as honing a host of other young acts.
 With the release of his stellar 1996 Gold debut "Reasonable
Doubt," Jay-Z was soon to become a household name driven by
the smash singles "Can't Knock The Hustle," "Feelin'
It" and the Gold single "Ain't No N*gga" (featuring
Foxy
Brown). Although "Reasonable
Doubt" has been heralded as a
certified classic by fans and critics alike, the humble Brooklyn MC is
very quick to place his successful debut in its proper perspective.
"I view the first album as like an introduction," he explains.
"Not to take away from it in any way, but it wasn't too detailed.
Whereas, with 'In My Lifetime Vol.
1,' I really took it there."
The hot leadoff single "Sunshine" pairs Jay-Z,
a.k.a. Jhigga, with his longtime Hip-Hop female counterpart
Foxy
Brown,
as well as an unlikely appearance by R&B superstar
Babyface. Jay-Z,
along with the industry's hottest figures, such as Puff Daddy (now P.
Diddy) and
Lil'
Kim ("I Know What Girls Like"),
Too
$hort ("Real
Niggaz"), Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley ("The City Is
Mine"), Trackmasterz ("Face Off"), DJ Premier
("Million & One Questions" and "Rhyme No Mo")
and a host of others, combined their talents to do their thing and
enhance Jay-Z's second coming.
It goes without saying that his family and the public
are "feeling" Jay-Z right now.
Hit songs include --
- '03 Bonnie & Clyde
- Ain't No *****
- Big Pimpin'
- Excuse Me Miss
- I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
- Jigga My N****
- Can I Get A...
- Dirt Off Your Shoulder
- Hard Knock Life
- Show Me What You Got
- Can't Knock The Hustle
- Change Clothes
- Girls, Girls, Girls
- Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
- Who You Wit II
- Hovi Baby
- Jigga
- Roc Boys (And The Answer Is)...
- 99 Problems
- Change The Game
Jay-Z may be available for your next special event!
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Genre: Rap
Styles:
.East Coast Rap. / EastCoastRap
.Gangsta Rap. / GangstaRap
Years active:
x90s, x00s, x10s
Born: ..in New York / born nNewYork
Born: ..in New York
City / born NewYorkNY
Born: ..in Brooklyn / born BrooklynNY
Born: Dec 4, 1969
Based: ..in US
Based: ..in California / based nCalifornia
Based: ..in Los Angeles / based LosAngelesCA
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