Shawn Carter Biography
Building an personal brand worth millions

Shawn Carter, better known as rapper 'Jay Z', was born on December 4, 1969. The 40 year old has been active from 1988, becoming well known for his work as an American rapper and an entrepreneur. Carter is the most financially successful artist out of all American hip hop acts in America, with the Shawn Carter biography being accredited with a net worth of over $150 million, and sales of over 40 million albums globally.

In his younger years, the Shawn Carter biography also saw him suffer a difficult life. He was originally from a housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, where he was abandoned by his father at the age of 12. His difficult youth influenced him during these years, and at the age of 12 - he shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewellery.

His mother, Gloria Carter, alleged that he used to wake his siblings up at night by banging drum rhythms on the kitchen table - which led her to buying him a boom box for his birthday. This is thought to be where his interest in music really began to take off - where he began writing his own lyrics for songs, and becoming a fan of the most popular artists of the time.

Carter's musical mentor Jaz-O (which no doubt had some influence in his stage name - other influences including his childhood nick name of 'Jazzy') had him singing in some of his early recordings, where Carter can be heard through the 80s and 90s in Jaz-O's work including 'The Originators' and 'Hawaiin Sophie'.

He was the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings, and one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records. Most recently, he founded Roc Nation - which is a management, music publishing and entertainment company.

Carter also co-owns the 40/40 club, and is part-owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. The Shawn Carter biography also sees his entrepreneurial reach also pans out to a clothing line he calls 'Rocawear'.

Carter holds the record for the most number one albums by a solo artist, on the Billboard 200. He has also collected four number ones of the Billboard Hot 100, with tracks featuring Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Rihanna.

Carter is also known for his bickering with other artists in the rap music industry, the most famous being an argument between himself and New York rapper Nas.

Carter has also received numerous awards, including ten Grammy Awards.

The personal life of the Shawn Carter biography is famously known, as he is married to R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles. Their relationship is relatively low-key, and it wasn't until 2008 when Knowles was seen wearing her $5 million Lorraine Schwartz-designed wedding ring, during the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5. It was reported that Knowles and Carter had been married at as private ceremony in New York City. Carter told People magazine that "we don't play in our relationship". The Shawn Carter biography is understood to be more philanthropic in the future, with future concerts having an emphasis on water shortages in some parts of the world.

Resources

• Shawn Carter biography at Wikipedia