Rapper whose first hit, "Dead Presidents," became an international success, and he has since won 19 Grammy Awards and sold over 75 million albums worldwide. His albums Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album were all featured on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
His interest in creating music exploded after receiving a boom box from his mother on his 12th birthday, and his nickname evolved from "Jazzy" to "Jay-Z."
His success in music led him to launch a record label and a clothing line, become a partial owner of the Brooklyn Nets, and found the 40/40 Club.
He married Beyonce Knowles on April 4, 2008 and they had their first daughter, Blue Ivy, on January 7, 2012. They welcomed a pair of twins named Rumi and Sir in June 2017.
He grew up listening to soul artists such as Marvin Gaye, which influenced his early music.
