Summary
Born Shawn Carter in New York City in 1970, Jay-Z enjoys the kind of rags-to-riches success that few can only dream of. Driven by raw ambition and tremendous talent, Jay-Z started his own record company, Roc-A-Fella Records, in 1995, when, as a struggling artist, he couldn't convince any music labels to give him a recording contract. On the strength of seven consecutive best-selling albums, Jay-Z quickly established himself and Roc-A-Fella as powerful forces in the music industry. Today he is a Grammy Award winner, the president and CEO of Def Jam Records, and a multimillionaire with ventures in film, apparel, and even professional sports. Now married to superstar Beyoncé Knowles, they celebrated the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy in 2011. This captivating biography traces the meteoric rise of Jay-Z, exploring in full detail why he remains one of the most popular and successful rappers around.