Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z and currently stylized as JAŸ-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. He was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. He is the richest musician, worth $2.8 billion as of 2026.

A protégé of the fellow New York City-based rapper Jaz-O, Jay-Z began recording music in the late 1980s. He co-founded 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 received acclaim. His 11 subsequent albums, including The Blueprint (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), and 4:44 (2017), debuted atop the Billboard 200. Jay-Z has a total of 14 number-one albums on the chart, the joint-third most in history. He has topped the Billboard Hot 100 with four singles: once as a lead artist with his 2009 single "Empire State of Mind" (featuring Alicia Keys), and three times with his guest performances on "Heartbreaker" (1999) by Mariah Carey, "Crazy in Love" (2003) by Beyoncé, and "Umbrella" (2007) by Rihanna.