Jay-Z
A hustler from Brooklyn's Marcy projects who turned street-corner rhymes into a multi-billion dollar empire spanning music, spirits, and sports.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American rapper·Birthday: December 4·Generation X
Biography
Shawn Carter's story is the definitive American hustle, soundtracked. Born in Brooklyn's tough Marcy Houses, he initially sold CDs from his car before founding Roc-A-Fella Records to release his 1996 debut, 'Reasonable Doubt.' That album's intricate, self-assured street narratives set a new bar for hip-hop lyricism. Over the next decades, Jay-Z didn't just drop classic albums; he built a blueprint for artist ownership, negotiating landmark deals and launching ventures like the clothing line Rocawear and the D'USSÉ cognac brand. His marriage to Beyoncé formed music's most powerful union, and his business acumen made him the first hip-hop billionaire, with stakes in everything from Armand de Brignac champagne to the NFL's Brooklyn Nets. He evolved from a rapper to a cultural statesman, his music chronicling the journey from crack sales to boardroom deals.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jay-Z was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jay-Z Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Jay-Z's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded Roc-A-Fella Records, a pioneering hip-hop label that championed artist control.
- Became the first hip-hop artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.
- Secured a $200 million deal with Live Nation in 2008, one of the most lucrative in music history at the time.
- Co-founded the entertainment company Roc Nation, representing major artists and athletes.
- His album '4:44' was certified platinum by the RIAA without traditional promotional singles or a pre-release radio campaign.
Did You Know?
He turned down a deal with a major label for his debut album, choosing to start his own instead.
He holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200.
He does not write down his lyrics, composing and memorizing them entirely in his head.
He partially owns the Monaco-based football club AS Monaco FC.
“I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man.”
