JAY-z

JAY-z AT millennium's end, the hottest rapper in pop music is Jay-Z. Since the release of his quadruple-platinum Vol. II … Hard Knock Life, Jay-Z has had an incredible string of urban radio hits: "Can I Get a …," "Hard Knock Life," "Jigga What, Jigga Who," "Money, Cash" … the list goes on and on. And unlike many of today's most popular rap artists, he built an extensive catalog of hits before making his mark on the charts and enjoys underground respectability as well as mainstream acceptance. Longtime rap fans may remember Jay-Z as an associate of the Jaz, who had a minor hit in 1988 with "Hawaiian Sophie." Before that, he was Shawn Carter, a young man from Brooklyn's Marcy Projects. Though Carter was a promising student, his wild behavior led him to a vocational high school in Brooklyn, where he met future stars Christopher Wallace (the Notorious B.I.G.) and Trevor Smith (Busta Rhymes). As a young MC, Jay-Z appeared on several underground mix tapes, and his work with the Jaz appeared promising. But with bills to pay, Jay-Z increasingly found himself mired in the criminal underworld, a life he had known since the age of 16. It jay-z, life, knock, roc-a-fella, rap, hard, album, tour, single, rapper, platinum, hit, carter, wasn't, reasonable, promising, out, one, notorious, jay-z's, hits, found, first, doubt, deal, dash, big, after, young, year, way, vol, until, underground