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 Jay-Z
reigned over the New York rap scene throughout the late '90s and early
2000s and steadily built up the Roc-a-Fella Records dynasty in the
process. The Brooklyn rapper made his splash debut in 1996 and cranked
out album after album and hit after hit throughout the decade and into
the next. Jay-Z became so successful that Roc-a-Fella, the record label
he began with Damon Dash, became a marketable brand itself, spawning a
lucrative clothing line (Roca Wear); a deep roster of talented rappers
(Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, M.O.P.) and producers (Just Blaze, Kayne West);
a number of arena-packing cross-country tours; and even big-budget
Hollywood films (Paid in Full, State Property). While such success is
amazing, Jay-Z's musical achievements outweigh the commercial
achievements of his franchise. Every one of his albums sold millions,
and his endless parade of singles made him omnipresent on urban radio
and video. Moreover, he retained a strongly devoted fan base -- not only
the suburban MTV crowd but also the street-level crowd as well -- and
challenged whatever rivals attempted to oust him from atop the rap
industry, most notably Nas. As a result of his unchecked power, Jay-Z
and his Roc-a-Fella clique greatly influenced the rap industry and
established many of the trends pervaded during the late '90s and early
2000s. He worked with only the hottest producers of the moment (Clark
Kent, DJ Premier, Teddy Riley, Trackmasters, Erick Sermon, Timbaland,
Swizz Beatz) and if they weren't hot at the time, they surely would be
afterward (Neptunes, Kayne West, Just Blaze). He similarly collaborated
with the hottest rappers in the industry, everyone from East Coast
rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. ("Brooklyn's Finest"), Ja Rule ("Can I
Get A..."), and DMX ("Cash, Money, Hoes"), to the best rappers from the
Dirty South (Ludacris, Missy Elliott) and the West Coast (Snoop Dogg,
Too Short).
Jay Z Links
Born
and raised in the rough Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, NY, Jay-Z underwent
some tough times after his father left his mother before the young
rapper was even a teen. Without a man in the house, he became a
self-supportive youth, turning to the streets, where he soon made a name
for himself as a fledging rapper. Known as "Jazzy" in his neighborhood,
he soon shortened his nickname to Jay-Z and did all he could to break
into the rap game. Of course, as he vividly discusses in his lyrics,
Jay-Z also became a street hustler at this time, doing what needed to be
done to make money. For a while, he ran around with Jaz-O, aka Big Jaz,
a small-time New York rapper with a record deal but few sales. From Jaz
he learned how to navigate through the rap industry and what moves to
make. He also participated in a forgotten group called Original Flavor
for a short time. Jay-Z subsequently decided to make an untraditional
decision and start his own label rather than sign with an established
label like Jaz had done. Together with friends Damon Dash and Kareem
"Biggs" Burke, he created Roc-a-Fella Records, a risky strategy for
cutting out the middleman and making money for himself. Of course, he
needed a quality distributor, and when he scored a deal with Priority
Records (and then later Def Jam), Jay-Z finally had everything in place,
including a debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996).
Though Reasonable Doubt only reached number 23 on Billboard's album
chart, Jay-Z's debut became an undisputed classic among fans, many of
whom consider it his crowning achievement. Led by the hit single "Ain't
No Nigga," a duet featuring Foxy Brown, Reasonable Doubt slowly spread
through New York; some listeners were drawn in because of big names like
DJ Premier and the Notorious B.I.G., others by the gangsta motifs very
much in style at the time. By the end of its steady run, Reasonable
Doubt generated three more charting singles -- "Can't Knock the Hustle,"
which featured Mary J. Blige on the hook; "Dead Presidents"; and "Feelin'
It" -- and set the stage for Jay-Z's follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
(1997).
Much more commercially successful than its predecessor, In My Lifetime
peaked at number three on the Billboard album chart, quite a substantial
improvement over the modest units Reasonable Doubt had sold. The album
boasted numerous marketable contributors such as Puff Daddy and Teddy
Riley, which no doubt helped sales, yet Jay-Z's decision to move in a
more accessible direction for much of the album, trading gangsta rap for
pop-rap, increased his audience twofold. Singles such as "Sunshine" and
"The City Is Mine" confirmed this move toward pop-rap, both songs
featuring radio-ready pop hooks and little of the grim introspection
that had characterized Reasonable Doubt. In My Lifetime still had some
dramatic moments, such as "Streets Is Watching" and "Rap Game/Crack
Game," yet these moments were few and greatly eclipsed by the pop-rap.
Jay-Z's next album, Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life (1998), released a year
after In My Lifetime, furthered the shift from gangsta rap to pop-rap.
Though Jay-Z himself showed few signs of lightening up, particularly on
brash songs like "Cash, Money, Hoes," his producers crafted infectious
hooks and trend-setting beats. Thus, songs like "Can I Get A..." and
"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" sounded both distinct and
unforgettable, garnering enormous amounts of airplay. Again, as he had
done on In My Lifetime, Jay-Z exchanged the autobiographical slant of
his debut for a sampler platter of radio-ready singles; and again, he
reached more listeners than ever, topping the album chart and generating
a remarkable six singles: the three aforementioned songs as well as "Jigga
What?," "It's Alright," and "Money Ain't a Thang."
Like clockwork, Jay-Z returned a year later with another album, Vol. 3:
Life and Times of S. Carter (1999), which sold a staggering number of
units and generated multiple singles. Here Jay-Z collaborated with yet
more big names (nearly one guest vocalist/rapper on every song, not to
mention the roll call of in-demand producers) and his most overblown
work yet resulted. Jay-Z scaled back a bit for Dynasty Roc la Familia
(2000), his fifth album in as many years. The album showcased mostly
Roc-a-Fella's in-house rappers: Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and Amil.
Jay-Z also began working with several new producers: the Neptunes, Kayne
West, and Just Blaze. The Neptunes-produced "I Just Wanna Love U (Give
It 2 Me)" became a particularly huge hit single this go round.
Jay-Z's next album, The Blueprint (2001), solidified his position atop
the New York rap scene upon its release in September. Prior to the
album's release, the rapper had caused a stir in New York following his
headlining performance at Hot 97's Summer Jam 2001, where he debuted the
song "Takeover." The song features a harsh verse ridiculing Prodigy of
Mobb Deep, and Jay-Z accentuated his verbal assault (including the lines
"You's a ballerina/I seen ya") by showcasing gigantic photos of an
adolescent Prodigy in a dance outfit. The version of "Takeover" that
later appeared on The Blueprint also included a verse dissing Nas as
well as Prodigy. As expected, the song ignited a sparring match with Nas,
whom responded with "Ether." Jay-Z accordingly returned with a comeback,
"Super Ugly," where he rapped over the beats to Nas' "Get Ur Self A" on
the first verse and Dr. Dre's "Bad Intentions" on the second. The
back-and-forth bout created massive publicity for both Jay-Z and Nas.
In addition to "Takeover," The Blueprint also featured "Izzo (H.O.V.A.),"
one of the year's biggest hit songs, and the album topped many year-end
best-of charts. For the most part, Jay-Z performs alone on all of the
album's songs except an Eminem collaboration, "Renegade." The lack of
guest rappers made The Blueprint Jay-Z's most personal album since
Reasonable Doubt. Consequently, many began comparing the two, calling
The Blueprint Jay-Z's best album since Reasonable Doubt or even going so
far as calling The Blueprint his best album yet. Jay-Z capitalized on
the album's lasting success by issuing two versions of the single
"Girls, Girls, Girls" and also the song "Jigga That N***a" as yet
another single. Furthermore, he collaborated with the Roots for the
Unplugged album (2001) and with R. Kelly for Best of Both Worlds (2002).
He then went on to record, over the course of the year, 40 or so new
tracks, 25 of which appeared on his next record, the double album The
Blueprint˛: The Gift & the Curse (2002). Though billed as a sequel, The
Blueprint˛ was remarkably different from its predecessor. Where the
first volume had been personal, considered, and focused, the second
instead offered an unapologetically sprawling double-disc extravaganza
showcasing remarkable scope. As usual, it spawned a stream of singles,
led by his 2Pac cover "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (with Beyoncé Knowles). He
guested on Beyoncé's summer 2003 classic "Crazy Love," as well as the
Neptunes' video hit "Frontin'," but then announced his retirement after
the release of one more album. That LP, The Black Album, was
rush-released by Def Jam and soared to the top spot in the album charts.
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