The world knows Shawn Corey Carter as a talented musician Jay-Z who has sold more than a hundred million copies of his albums. The artist’s life and personality are no less attractive than his works: here are ten interesting facts that will prove that to you.
- As a boy, Jay-Z was a whizkid and successfully passed graduates’ tests when he was only a six-grade student, according to his school teachers.
- The rapper was a good friend of Michael Jackson. Their collaboration was productive: in 2001, Shawn contributed to his colleagues hit “Bad”, and Jackson did the same in “Girls, Girls, Girls” in 2009, not long before his death. The King of Pop was not credited in the single, though.
- 49-year-old Jay-Z is the wealthiest rapper in the world in 2019, as Forbes reported: his current net worth exceeded one billion dollars. The musician has surpassed his old opponent Sean Combs, professionally known as P. Diddy, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, and Drake.
- The man takes inspiration not only from colleagues’ tracks but also from literature. He told journalists once that the famous Ancient Greek poem Odyssey was one of the major influences on him due to its “beautiful rhythm”.
- Still, inspiration is as changeable as the weather for Jay-Z. He left the stage as a singer at some point because there was no worthy opponent around – and the competitive spirit had been the primary fuel for him. In other words, there was no fun in making new music when it would win victories anyway.
- Only 40 guests were invited to the artist’s wedding ceremony; he wanted to protect Beyoncé from the paparazzi hype. Carter showed the same care when his beautiful wife gave birth to the first child: he had guards in the hospital, and no media were allowed there.
- When at school, Jay-Z had a rap battle with Busta Rhymes. The latter was a beginner in speed-rapping at that time and lost to his more experienced colleague; the competition occurred in a lunch room.
- Shawn is on friendly terms with the former US President Barack Obama; however, he would not like to try himself as a politician.
- The celebrity is known as a philanthropist and social activist. For example, he helped bail out many Baltimore rioters and created the Shawn Carter Foundation that collected more than $3 million for educational purposes.
- The musician was the hip-hop pioneer who headlined Glastonbury Festival in 2008. Although such a choice led to some criticism, he insisted that hip hop was an art equal to any other form.