Shawn Corey Carter aka Jay-Z is an extremely successful hip-hop performer. His debut album Reasonable Doubt brought him instant fame. It was ranked 248 by Rolling Stone in its 500 Greatest Albums of All time. Since then Jay-Z has released a number of albums and has sold over 26 million copies in the United States alone.
He has also received several Grammy Awards for his music. Jay-Z is also an entrepreneur and businessman. He is one of the former owners of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. He is one of the owners of the New Jersey Nets. Jay-Z is also involved in a good deal of philanthropic activity.
Jay-Z is married to fellow artiste Beyonce Knowles and he sometimes makes appearances and sings in her music videos.