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JAY Z is celebrating his 55th birthday today.
On December 4, 1969. Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York City and raised in the Marcy Projects. He began rapping in the late 1980s when he appeared on songs with Jaz-O and got into numerous rap battles with LL COOL J. Hov started taking his career in Hip-Hop seriously in 1994 after he appeared on Big Daddy Kane's Daddy's Home album. From there, he launched his own record label Roc-a-Fella Records, and released his debut album Reasonable Doubt in 1996.
Hov released 13 studio albums including In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998), Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999), The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000), The Blueprint (2001), The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse (2002), The Black Album (2003), Kingdom Come (2006), American Gangster (2007), The Blueprint 3 (2009) Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013) and 4:44 (2017). He also dropped joint albums like Watch The Throne with Kanye West and EVERYTHING IS LOVE with his wife Beyoncé.
JAY-Z is not just a businessman; he's a business, man! In addition to his award-winning discography, Hov has also established himself as a billionaire entrepreneur with his hands in management, sports, liquor and spirits plus so much more. His various accolades in music, business and more were highlighted in his first-ever exhibit "The Book of HOV" at the Brooklyn Public Library in his hometown last year. The exhibit wrapped up after attracting hundreds of thousands of people. The rare exhibit also inspired a brand-new coffee table book, which is available for purchase now.
Happy birthday JAY-Z!