Artist Research - Jay-Z

Jay-Z is a successful rapper who has won numerous awards for his unique rapping techniques. Jay-Z's image has changed dramatically in the last 15 years, he started out as a tough gangster turning to a stylish wealthy entrepreneur.

This music video for one of Jay-Z's earlier songs, "99 Problems", is set in Brooklyn, NY. This is Jay-Z's hometown where he grew up, most of this video is filmed at his neighbourhood of Marcy Projects. Jay-Z regularly refers to this place because he is proud of where he came from, this is a very typical attitude for rappers.  The entire video is in black and white giving it more of a classier feel but with more modern imagery. The video typically depicts an "ordinary day" in his life from getting pulled over by cops, hanging out with friends and even attending dog fights which was edited out in some countries. The ending is also dramatic as we see Jay-Z being shot several times, this is meant to show his gangster side to him and that such crimes were normal back in his neighbourhood.

Jay-Z was the head of Def Jam Recordings from 1998 to 2007. During that time he launched artists such as Rihanna, Kanye West and Ne-Yo. This adds to his many successes as not just an artist but also an entrepreneur. He also has his own designer clothing line called Rocawear.





Jay-Z is one of the few rappers who is known for his amazing live performances where he interacts with the crowd frequently. Jay normally collaborates with many other successful artists during live peformances as well as on his records. Some artists he has performed with are:

- Akon
- R.Kelly
- Linkin Park
- Missy Elliott
- Pharrell
- Coldplay
- Beyonce

In 2008, Jay-Z was chosen to headline Glastonbury which was seen as controversial as he was the first major hip/hop artist to do so. Glastonbury is generally seen as a guitar driven festival, Noel Gallagher of Oasis was his major critic saying that 'Im sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?' I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong.

Jay-Z's response to this was opening with a cheeky cover of Oasis hit "Wonderwall". Critics then praised him for doing so and described the performance as a success.




Jay-Z is also very active in politics being one of the main celebrity supporters of Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election. Jay-Z actively called for voters to vote for Obama and took part in his campaign. Jay-Z performed with Beyonce at the President's Inauguration ball.