JAY-Z

His real name is Shawn Corey Carter. The name Jay-Z evolved from the nickname of his childhood, when he was called "Jazzy." Jay-Z is also an homage to his musical mentor, Jaz-O, as well as to the J/Z subway lines that have a stop where he grew up, Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn. He is also known by a variety of stage names including S. Carter, Jigga, Hova, J-Hova, Hov, and Young Hov.

Jay-Z broke Elvis Presley's record for most #1 albums by a solo artist when The Blueprint 3 hit the top in 2009, giving him 11 chart-toppers. He extended the record to 14 with his 2017 album 4:44, but Taylor Swift tied him in 2024 when The Tortured Poets Department hit the top spot.

He was invited to headline the Glastonbury Festival in 2008. This caused a public furor, mainly fueled by Noel Gallagher from Oasis, who slammed organizers for inviting a rap star to a festival "built on a tradition of guitar music." Jay-Z responded by opening his headline set with a cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall."