Born Shawn Carter in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, N.Y., Jay-Z embodies the rag-to-riches rap success story. Using the foresight and courage that would hallmark the rest of his career as he built a music and cultural empire, Jay-Z, with the help of cohorts Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, established his own record label, Roc-A–Fella Records, landed Priority Records as his original distributor, and released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996.

With an already well-connected circle of influencers, the album featured guest appearances by the likes of Foxy Brown, DJ Premier, Mary J. Blige, and the Notorious B.I.G., and peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200. Nearly every subsequent release became a hit, from 1997's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 to its successor, the GRAMMY-winning Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life, the latter of which featured hits "Can I Get A…" and "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," both of which marked Jay-Z's first Top 20 hits. The success rolled through 1999 (Vol. 3…Life And Times of S. Carter) and 2000, when The Dynasty Roc La Familia introduced the hip-hop world to a few new names, including Kanye West.

Throughout the 2000s, Jay-Z released 10 albums to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, including 2001's The Blueprint, 2002's The Blueprint2: The Gift And The Curse and 2009's The Blueprint 3. The latter featured the GRAMMY-winning hit "Empire State Of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys. In 2011 Jay-Z collaborated with Kanye West to release Watch The Throne. The album garnered the duo a GRAMMY in for Best Rap Performance for "Otis," as well as additional nominations for the 55th GRAMMYs for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for "N****s In Paris."

To date, Jay-Z has earned 52 career GRAMMY nominations and 17 wins.