Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter, on December 4, 1969 and was raised in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, New York. During his school days, he befriended a young Christopher Wallace, who grew up to be known as the Notorious B.I.G.

As a hustler in his rough neighborhood, Jay-Z used his money to finance a career in music and released independent records in the late ’80s. His parents were avid record collectors and Jay-Z would sit down at the dining room table as a child writing rhymes w…jay-z