TheGrio's 100: Jay Z, the blueprint for urban success

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It’s been years since Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, stepped out Brooklyn’s Marcy housing projects into a glitzy world of celebrities, corporate executives and politicians.

The nine-time grammy-winning hip-hop artist-turned music executive is on a first-name basis with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, dines with former president Bill Clinton and, in 2009, was the first rapper to appear on Oprah for more than a decade. Jay-Z also got played on President Barack Obama’s iPod before the rapper became a staunch supporter of Obama’s presidential campaign.

But back in Brooklyn 1982, where crack was king, a 13-year-old Jay-Z was using his now heralded business acumen in a different vein. He sold crack to help feed his family that had been abandoned by his father. After deciding that the rap music he created and sold on the streets of Brooklyn offered better job security than selling dope, the somewhat shy and reclusive youngster got serious. After initially signing with a small record label, Jay-Z launched his own label Roc-A-Fella records in 1996.

A succession of hits followed on his 11 solo studio albums, including Reasonable Doubt, Hard Knock Life, Kingdom Come, American Gangster, and The Blueprint. He has sold more than 30 million records and built a business empire that includes Rocawear clothing line and Roc Nation, an innovative management, production and entertainment company formed with concert promoter Live Nation. He’s also a part owner of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets.

Mark Anthony Neal, a professor at Duke University who teaches courses in black popular culture, says that Jay-Z’s ongoing success at age 40 can be attributed to his ability to reinvent himself.

“I think artistically he’s an exceptional talent,” says Neal. “His word usage is incredibly witty; there’s always more going on than what’s on the surface.”

Neal also admires how Jay-Z has come into his own in terms of self-confidence, charisma and his ability to maintain a personal relationship and subsequent marriage to “THE girl,” Beyoncé Knowles, singer and actress. Jay-Z’s future likely will be as diverse as his music and other interests. “He’s wise enough, wealthy and influential enough to no longer be tied to being a recording artist,” says Neal. “He’s expressed an interest in filmmaking. You can see his change and progression.”