Today is American rapper JAY-Z’s 50th birthday

JAY-Z will celebrate his 50th birthday on Wednesday (Dec. 4) with his wife Beyoncé. Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce Knowles, form one of the most dominant couples in the music industry.

Shawn Corey Carter referred to professionally as Jay-Z (stylized as JAY-Z), is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, businessman, and record official. He is viewed as one of the best rappers ever.

JAY-Z was born on this day in 1969 and raised in New York City. Jay-Z initially started his musical career after establishing the record name Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995, and hence released his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt in 1996. The album was released to broad basic achievement and set his remaining in the music industry. He has proceeded to release twelve extra albums, which have all achieved generally positive critical reception and commercial achievement, including The Blueprint (2001) and The Black Album (2003). Jay-Z has likewise released the full-length cooperative albums Watch the Throne (2011) and Everything Is Love (2018) with Kanye West and wife Beyoncé, respectively.

Jay-Z is one of the world’s top-rated music artists, with more than 100 million records sold around the world. He has won an aggregate of 22 Grammy Awards, the most by a rapper, and holds the record for the most number-one albums by an solo artist on the Billboard 200, with 14. He has been ranked by Billboard and individual music publication Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2017, he became the first rapper to be honored into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2018, got the dedicatory “Salute to Industry Icons” award at the 60th Grammy Awards. In June 2019, Jay-Z formally became the first hip hop billionaire, making him the third wealthiest African-American and the wealthiest American musician.

Outside of his musical career, Jay-Z has likewise accomplished huge achievement and media attention for his career as a businessman. In 1999, he established the clothing retailer Rocawear, and in 2003, he established the luxury sports bar chain 40/40 Club. The two businesses have developed to become multi-million dollar companies and permitted Jay-Z to fund the start-up for the entertainment organization Roc Nation, which was established in 2008. In 2015, he gained the tech organization Aspiro and took responsibility for their media streaming service Tidal, which has since become the world’s third-biggest online streaming organization.