Four fours from forty-fourOn the track, "44 4s", Jay-Z showed off his lyrical prowess when he used variables of four, for, fore and forever forty-four times in a song.In four years, the man born Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York will be 44 years old but today, he is 40 and below are 40 reasons to love - or loathe - him.STYLE1. TrendsettingRising from humble beginnings to the top of the charts, Jay-Z sets trends with virtually every move he makes. Rocking hood sweats or tuxedos, he blends in and stands out wherever he goes. He killed the throwback jersey movement and had thugs wearing button up shirts and tailored suits. He once famously rapped "we don't drive X5's, we give those to baby mamas', thus costing BMW some male support.RELATIONSHIPS2. Memphis BleekSince Jay's debut in 1996, Bleek has been riding shotgun, enjoying the benefits of loyalty and friendship. Though his career has not taken off like Jay-Z predicted, his lieutenant remains his right-hand man on stages across the world. On the "Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)", Jay rapped, "Bleek can be a hit away his whole career/but as long as I'm alive, he's a millionaire/and even if I die, he's in my will somewhere."3. Damon DashBefore the acrimonious split and jabs in interviews, Harlem's Dash and Brooklyn's Carter were an unstoppable force in Hip-Hop. A Jay-Z video seemed incomplete without Damon's champagne popping and crazy dancing. They "Lost One".4. The Notorious B.I.G.Jay and the fallen rap legend were actual friends who collaborated on the hood classic "Brooklyn's Finest" and "I Love the Dough" before Biggie's demise. Ever since his murder in 1997, Jay-Z has kept Biggie's name alive in his music, helping immortalise the "livest one from Bedford-Stuyvesant".5. Kanye WestSince his work on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia album, Mr. West has been a regular Jay-Z collaborator and protégé, helping craft the soundscape for the classic Blueprint album, alongside Just Blaze. West has openly documented his quest to do it like "Big Brother" does.6. Michael JacksonBefore the King of Pop died, he was a bit of a recluse but at Hot 97's annual Summer Jam concert in 2001, Jay-Z brought Michael Jackson onstage and in that moment, two of the best that ever did it held the crowd spellbound. Jay also popped up on a remix of the King's comeback single "You Rock My World" and this year revealed to NME that "(Jackson) was on my song ‘Girls, Girls, Girls', singing these background vocals and I didn't even put his name on it."7. NasTheir 2001 battle remains one of the biggest in Hip-Hop as two of New York's best MCs went at each other. When the dust finally settled, with both parties still standing, Jay signed Nas to Def Jam in 2006. They have since collaborated on Nas' "Black Republican", Jay-Z's "Success" and Ludacris' "I Do it for Hip-Hop".8. The RootsHip-Hop's foremost rap band got more mainstream exposure when they backed Hov up during his MTV Unplugged set and the Fade to Black concert, amongst other performances. They rose from the underground to international acclaim off of that Jay-Z co-sign.9. BeyoncéThe first couple in music has been able to keep fans interested by keeping their affairs public as much as they can. According to Gotham Magazine, the most important thing on the horizon seems to be a plan to have children with Knowles, whom he wedded on the roof of their Tribeca building last year.10. Barack ObamaThe Jigga Man came out strong in support of the first black president during his campaign. He played free concerts in a bid to urge young people to vote for Obama. He popped up Young Jeezy's "My President" remix and more recently alluded to being "a small part of the reason the president is black/I told him I got him, when he hit me on the jack" on "What We Talkin' Bout" off of The Blueprint 3.11. Oprah WinfreyThe talk show queen had publicly spoken out on her aversion to rappers who use the "N" word, amongst other things, but in his own words, "had Oprah chilling in the projects/had her out in Bedstuy, chilling on the steps/drinking quarter waters, gotta be the best." The biggest star in TV couldn't resist the biggest star in Hip-Hop, it seems.12. CollabosThere are too many to mention but chances are, put Jay on a track, and it's a hit. The list includes names as diverse as The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Coldplay, OutKast, Linkin Park, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, BlackStreet, Changing Faces, Amy Winehouse, Dead Prez, Faith Evans, DMX, Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes, Mya, Lenny Kravitz, Juvenile, Punjabi MC, Mavado, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, Paul McCartney usual suspects Kanye West and, of course, Beyoncé.13. GhostwritingTouted as one of the best female rappers ever, Foxy Brown's first (and most successful) album, Ill Na Na, was almost exclusively written by Jay-Z. Dr. Dre's comeback single, "Still D.R.E." is another writing credit for Young Hova, as is former protégé, Amil's "I Got That". He is also believed to have written for Diddy, Queen Pen and bizarrely enough, Nas, whose "Braveheart Party" features an S. Carter writer credit.BUSINESS14. Roc-A-FellaWhen no one would sign him, Jay-Z, along with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke joined to form Roc-A-Fella Records. Distributing Reasonable Doubt through Priority Records, the trio "switched factories" for Def Jam and went on to become a Hip-Hop powerhouse before they went their separate ways in 2004.15. RocawearThe clothing label he co-founded with Damon dash in 1999 has grown into a multimillion dollar empire. In 2007, Jay-Z sold the brand to Iconix Brand Group Inc. for $204 million (approx. N30.3 billion) but retained his stake in the company as well as his status as chief executive officer.16. 40/40 ClubHe co-owns The 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that By Chinedu iroCheLEGEND In Hip-Hop circles, no name sparks conversation - good or bad - like Jay-Z's. Today, Brooklyn's favourite son is 40Four fours from forty-four started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore.17. Reebok S. CarterIn 2003, Reebok announced collaboration with Jay-Z to create the S. Carter tennis shoe, making him the first non-athlete with his own signature shoe. The shoes went on to become the fastest selling Reebok shoes of all time. Maybe that's why he bought a stake in the NBA's New Jersey Nets.18. Def JamJay-Z was appointed president of Def Jam in 2004 and held the position until he stepped down at the end of 2007. As president, his major moves include bringing Nas and Fabolous to the label and the signings ofR & B p o w e r houses, Ne-Yo and Rihanna.19. Roc NationEarlier this year, he signed a multi-million dollar deal with Live Nation to start his Roc Nation imprint, which would serve as a record label, talent/management agency, and music publishing company and also partnered up with production team, Stargate to start a record label called StarRoc.20. Fela!Along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, Jay-Z helped produce the play Fela!, a musical celebrating the work of the late Nigerian legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Jay-Z said he was inspired by the power of Kuti's work and his life story, which resulted in his interest to help produce the musical.THE LIVE EXPERIENCE21. Backstage: Hard Knock Life TourIn 1998, Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records partnered with Ruff Ryders and Def Jam for Hip- Hop's most successful nationwide tour at the time. Sharing the stage with fellow powerhouses DMX, Method Man and Redman, alongside up and coming stars, Ja Rule, Eve, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel, it re - opened the door for rap concerts which had been marred by violence in the past.22. Jay-Z... MTV UnpluggedMTV's intimate jam session regularly reserved for rock stars opened its door to the Hip-Hop sensibilities of Jay-Z one night in 2001. With The Roots backing him up, and several celeb friends dropping by, S Dot vibed (and almost cried) with the crowd at one of the more popular unplugged sessions.23. I Declare WarIn September 2005, Jay announced that the theme for his October show at radio station Power 105.1's annual concert was "I Declare War" and he would take shots at all artists that opposed him. Instead, he brought out several feuding acts including The LOX and Diddy, Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel and officially ended his longstanding beef with Nas when he brought him out on stage for a merged performance of "Dead Presidents" and "The World is Yours".24. GlastonburyControversy ensued in 2008 when Jay-Z was announced as the headliner for the annual British rock festival. Noel Gallagher of Oasis was the most vocal opposition to Jay- Z's selection and he in turn, comically began his set with a mockery of the Oasis hit "Wonderwall". Jay went on to have a very successful performance.25. YankeesOn hit record, "Empire State of Mind", Jay declared he "made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can" then went on to deliver unprecedented performances at the World Series and the New York Yankees' victory parade last month. What more can I say?26. South Africa 2010 World CupAlongside his wife, Beyoncé and other international music stars, Jay-Z is set for a pre-World Cup concert to launch the greatest show on earth.CHARITY27. Fade to BlackIn 2003, Jay-Z announced that The Black Album would be his last and the "retirement" concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, would serve as the premise for his movie, Fade to Black. With The Roots backing him up once more, Hov produced an electrifying night of lights and love as the biggest names in entertainment and thousands of fans came out to share in his swan song. Proceeds from the concert went to charity.28. Water for LifeNearly 2 million children die each year due to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation. In a partnership with MTV and the UN, Jay-Z toured several developing countries in 2006, meeting with young people who do not have access to safe water. Nigeria was one of his stops, where he commissioned a bore hole in Kwara State. MTV released the Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life, where the rapper declared, "we say we're from the hood but we're not by a long shot."29. Answer the CallTo celebrate the coinciding 8th anniversaries of the World Trade Centre disaster and his first Blueprint, Jay held a charity concert at Madison Square Garden for theNew York Police and Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund, letting them know that their tough times had not been forgotten.MUSIC30. Summer AnthemsOften releasing albums at the end of the year, Jay-Z has still managed to create hits summer after summer. There is a long list to pick from including "Ain't No N!gg@" featuring Foxy Brown, "The City is Mine" featuring BlackStreet, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Can I Get A..." featuring Amil & Ja Rule, "Big Pimpin'" featuring UGK, "I Just Wanna Love U (Give it 2 Me)", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "Takeover", "Excuse Me Miss", "La La La (Excuse Me Again)", "Dirt off your Shoulders", "Numb/Encore", "Show Me What You Got", "Roc Boys (And the Winner is...)", "Run this Town" and a whole lot more.31. Reasonable DoubtThe debut classic that formally introduced the world to Jay-Z is a timeless collection of songs. Thirteen years later, it still comes off as relevant, supporting the notion that it was way ahead of its time.32. "Can't Knock the Hustle"Repeatedly, Jay-Z has referred to himself as a hustler and no one song better typifies that fact than this. Both the original version and the Meli'sa Morgan Fool's Paradise remix preach tales of an understanding of both the rap game and crack game, that it could be said to be the blueprint to The Blueprint.33. The BlueprintWidely touted to be his second classic, some will argue that there have been others before. Either way, this soulful gem ushered in two of Hip-Hop's most respected producers in Kanye West and Just Blaze. From the intro to the hidden bonus tracks, it is the perfect marriage of lyrics and beats like only jay-Z could have carried out.34. The Best of Both WorldsWhen the top Hip-Hop performer and the top R&B performer, R. Kelly, announced that they were releasing this collaborative effort, the world rejoiced. However, Kelly's child pornography allegations marred the promotion of this monumental occasion but the ill-fated disc still enjoyed platinum success.35. The Black AlbumThe "retirement" album also garnered classic status. Arguably, his most personal set to date, Jay chronicled his life so far and what music had meant to him, even bringing his mother on board to tell his story. With hits like "PSA", "Dirt off your Shoulder", "Change Clothes " and "Encore" coming off of that album, not much more needs to be said.36. American GangsterAfter criticism for his return disc, Kingdom Come, claiming that he'd sold out, Jay channeled inspiration from the Frank Lucas biopic, American Gangster to release an album of the same name, chronicling his relationship with drugs and the streets. He reunited with Diddy for the project, to create the old school vibe that silenced the critics.37. "Mr. Carter"With Lil Wayne, regarded as the new figure head in Hip-Hop, the man born Dwayne Carter featured Shawn Carter on this song, with the latter rapping, "I share/mic time, with my heir/ Young Carter, go farther/go further/go hard!" It was the perfect way to pass the baton to the future... but not just yet because...38. ..."D.O.A (Death of Autotune)"...signaled a warning shot to young artists that have overused the pitch correcting device made prominent by T-Pain. Without naming names, he launched a scathing attack against the entire landscape advising artists to get their creativity up and stop relying on technology for hits.39. "Empire State of Mind"Surprisingly, this is his first Billboard Hot 100 number one single. The Alicia Keys featured song seems to have reinvigorated the patriotic spirit of New Yorkers, especially with its release around 9/11. He recently said, "I guess I was just really centered with my birthplace while I was making the record because it wasn't a conscious thing at all. New York is alive, real people, it never shuts down, the honesty of it, the variety of it. It makes you look forward to every single season. When it gets too hot, you look forward to fall. When it's fall, you look forward to seeing the snow. It's just the most beautiful place in the world to me."40. Mr. BillboardWith the release of The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z scored his 11th number one album on Billboard, giving him the record for most number ones by a solo artist, with only the Beetles having more at 19. The albums are: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 Blueprint2: The Gift & the Curse (2002) The Black Album (2003) Unfinished Business (2004) - with R. Kelly Collision Course (2004) - with Linkin Park, Kingdom Come (2006) American Gangster (2007) The Blueprint 3 (2009)
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