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 Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter
prophesied his fate in 1996 on his debut album,
Reasonable Doubt, when he proclaimed on
wax that you "Can't Knock the Hustle." Almost a
decade later, the prolific rapper has established
a solid reputation for his lyrical ingenuity,
passion and prowess, which is evident throughout
his diverse portfolio of career-breaking
recordings. His distinct and witty play on words
coupled with his unforgettable New York dialect
have become ingrained in the fiber of hip-hop
music. The multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning
artist, entrepreneur, trendsetter and
philanthropist has become not only a man of
tremendous social value but also an icon for
today's brand of 21st century success.
It has often been said that if one wants to
write a great song, one must live life first. If
this is true, Jay-Z has lived the lives of many
men. Whether it was from his view from the top or
the bottom, Jay-Z has analyzed and explored the
world over, chronicling it to music. His winning
songs are constructed around impeccable hooks and
dexterous rhymes with a pinch of boastfulness
thrown in for good measure.
But the magnitude of Jay-Z's artistic intensity
doesn't lie in his ability to lay flawless lyric
to paper; the magic is found in his proficiency to
record phrases in the mind; the place where his
music is born. Jay-Z, who is known to hum a song
before approaching the mic without writing down
one single word, was forced to commit brilliant
thoughts to memory. "I used to get ideas and I
used to be running around, I used to be outside. I
wasn't nowhere where I could write," he has said.
"Sometimes I used to run in the store, write ‘em
on a paper bag, put it in my pocket. But you only
can put so many paper bags in your pocket, you
know - and so I had to start memorizing."
An impeccable MC whose name commands respect,
Jay-Z has set the world ablaze with his innate
gift to consistently coin and popularize slick
maxims that are used in corporate suites and on
city streets; changing the face of hip-hop. From
suburban kids chanting "Hard Knock Life," the
ghetto anthem built around the tune from the
Broadway musical Annie, to street
hustlers "Big Pimpin'" while screaming, "Money
Ain't A Thang," Jay-Z, who currently has everyone
brushing off their shoulders, has sold over 17
million records worldwide.
Jay-Z's ascendance to fame is nothing less than
extraordinary. Throughout the dusk of the 1990's
and into the dawn of the new millennium, Jay-Z has
continually pumped out hit product after hit
product, hit album after hit album and more
importantly, hit song after hit song.
As a platinum card carrying member of the royal
family of hip-hop, he has reigned over Billboard
charts with crown jewel singles that arouse
throngs of people to move their feet and bob their
heads simultaneously. As the author of these
groundbreaking chart toppers, his lyrics are often
dissected for further examination, discussed on
the Internet, translated in every possible
language and imitated by his cult following.
Jay-Z's global celebrity and remarkable talent
have significantly influenced the rap industry,
igniting many of the trends that are heard
throughout music as a whole.
In addition to the prestigious accolades he
continues to collect like platinum plaques for his
clever performances, his songwriting skills are
the heart muscle of his success. Jay-Z's name
alone, is arguably one of the most recognized in
rap music history having collaborated with the
late "Christopher ‘Biggie' Wallace," Eminem,
Beyoncé, R. Kelly, Ja Rule, Jermaine Dupri,
Ludacris, UGK, Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey and Too
$hort, to name a few; and he continues to
collaborate and pen tunes for some of the biggest
names in hip-hop (Dr. Dre, Foxy Brown, Ma$e). With
an astonishingly diverse and devoted fan base and
having produced a new album every eight months for
the last six years, Jay-Z has long cemented the
fact that he is truly one of the greatest rapper's
alive.
ASCAP presents its prestigious Golden Note
Award to Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter whose groundbreaking
achievements as a songwriter and artist have aided
in redefining the voice and words of hip-hop and
earned him an enduring place in American popular
music worldwide.
by Tamiko Hope
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Partial
Discography
(Albums)
Reasonable
Doubt, 1996
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, 1997
Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life, 1998
Vol. 3:
Life and Times S. Carter, 1999
The Dynasty:
Roc la Familia, 2000
The Blueprint, 2001
MTV Unplugged, 2001
The Blueprint2: The
Gift & the Curse, 2002
The Blueprint
2.1, 2003
The Black Album, 2003
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GRAMMY
Awards
"Crazy In Love"
Best
R&B Song, 2003
"Crazy In Love"
Best
Rap/Sung Collaboration, 2003
Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life
Best
Rap Album, 1998
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Hit Songs -
Partial
"Can't Knock The Hustle"
1996
"Ain't No N****/Dead Presidents" 1996
"Big Bad Mamma" 1997
"Feelin' It" 1997
"I'll Be" 1997
"Who U Wit" 1997
"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" 1998
"Can I Get A..." 1998
"Money Ain't A
Thang" 1998
"Jigga My N***" 1999
Still
D.R.E. 1999
"I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2
Me)" 2000
"Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)"
2000
"Big Pimpin'" 2000
"Fiesta" 2001
"Izzo (H.O.V.A)" 2001
"Girls, Girls,
Girls" 2001
"Jigga" 2002
"03 Bonnie
& Clyde" 2002
"Baby Boy" 2003,
"Crazy In Love" 2003
"Excuse Me Miss"
2003
"Change Clothes" 2004
"Dirt Off
Your Shoulder" 2004
"99 Problems" 2004
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