This document provides biographical information about Jay-Z and details his rise to fame and success in the hip hop industry. It notes that he was born in Brooklyn, New York and got his start in the early 1990s battling rapper LL Cool J in an attempt to get a record deal. His breakthrough came in 1994 when he was featured on Big Daddy Kane's album. After struggling to get signed, he founded his own label Roc-A-Fella Records and released his debut album Reasonable Doubt in 1996 to critical acclaim.

2. The beginning
• Shawn Corey Carter was born in 1969 in Brooklyn
he is originally from the Marcy houses in
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in
New York City. He is one of the most financially
successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in
America. Jay-Z was also involved in and won
several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early
90s as part of efforts to get a record deal. He first
became known to a wide audience by being
featured on the posse cut Show and Prove on the
1994 Big Daddy Kane album daddys home.

3. How he made it
Jay-Z started off by getting himself involved in and won several battles with
rapper LL Cool J in the early '90s as part of an attempt to get a record deal.
He first became known to a wide audience by being featured on the posse
cut, Show and Prove, on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home.
In 1995 he could not find any major label to give him a record deal this
lead Jay-Z to sell his CDs out of his car. This lead him to create Roc-A-
Fella Records as their own independent label in 1995. After striking a
deal with Priority to distribute his material, Jay-Z released his 1996
debut album Reasonable Doubt with which featured an appearance by
The Notorious B.I.G.. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard
200, and was generally favored by critics.
This album would later be included in Rolling Stone's top 500 Greatest
Albums of All Time as Number 248 and eventually reach platinum status.
Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime. This was produced by Sean
"Puff Daddy" Combs and sold a lot more copies than Reasonable Doubt.
Jay-Z later explained that the album was made during one of the worst
periods of his lifedue to the death of his close friend The Notorious B.I.G.

4. This is a typical jay z music video (Empire State of mind) most of his videos consist of
a black and white colour grading with a lot of shots of Jay Z and the area surrounding
him for example in this shot his is talking about the city of New York in which he
discuses the empire state building. This therefore is an example of Goodwin's
analysis in which the visuals match the lyrics. This video in particular glamourizes
New york and Brooklyn in which it yet again brings up Goodwin's analysis as the
stunning visuals shown on screen of new york match the lyrics as he is talks about
how great the city of new york.
Empire State of Mind

5. This is video is very much different compared to Empire state of mind and is also one of his
early works. Straight away we see a different contrast in his clothing and in how Brooklyn is
portrayed. In this video its shown with a more dark and gritty and plays on the fact that the
area involves a lot of violence and racial discrimination which also a representation of
Goodwin's analysis as the lyrics match up the with visuals as shown below
99 Problems

6. website
There is large image of Jay Z
that near enough covers
The whole of the website
This is to Promote the image
and state to you that this is
Jay Z website
Jay Z’s website is not your
typical artists website as it
does not focus on
promoting his image and
more on what I’m
assuming is information
on the interests of Jay Z .
This website has a link that shows
what's going on In Jay Z life at the
moment and another link that
shows other interesting upcoming
artists that jay Z is promoting.
Jay Z’s website however is not like
your traditional commercial artists
website. This is due to the fact that it
doesn't’t promote him or his music
that much compared to other
commercial artists.

7. Album Artwork
To begin with straight away we notice that the front
cover is black and white this could be compared to the
fact that most of his videos are shot in black and white. It
also features a picture of him on the front dressed as a
gangster which also relates back to his music as the lyrics
in his songs are generally about being a gangster or
doing acts of violence.
This album yet again is in black and white which
represents his black and white music videos in which one
is included in the album with a song by the same name.
This also shows a contrast between the first album as it
features a more mature album cover with a lot more
meaning which could be compared to the fact that he
and his music has matured as he has gotten older. It also
shows that he is not just rapping about being a gangster
and talking about more artistic views, hence the fact the
album cover features an art piece.
MAGNAR CARTER HOLY GRAIL
REASONABLE DOUBT