7 The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time 7inform his lyrics when he began rapping under the stage
name Jazzy, soon shortened to Jay-Z (a name that may also
have been derived from the proximity of the J and Z sub-
way lines to the Marcy Projects). Jay-Z and two friends
founded their own company, Roc-a-Fella Records, to
release his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996), which
climbed the Billboard charts, reaching number 23 on the
pop chart and number 3 on the rhythm-and-blues chart.
A string of successful albums followed at a rate of at
least one per year through 2003. Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life
(1998) not only was the fi rst of Jay-Z’s releases to top the
Billboard 200 album sales chart but also won a Grammy
Award for best rap album. In 2001 he pleaded guilty to
assault relating to a 1999 nightclub stabbing and received
three years’ probation. In 2003, with the release of The
Black Album , Jay-Z announced his retirement as a performer.
In 2004 he assumed the presidency of Def Jam Recordings,
making him one of the most highly placed African American
executives in the recording industry at the time.
Postretirement, Jay-Z stayed remarkably active, col-
laborating with the rock group Linkin Park in 2004 and
appearing as a guest vocalist on the recordings of numerous
other artists, including Kanye West and Beyoncé; Jay-Z
and Beyoncé were married in 2008. He developed a large
portfolio of business ventures and investments, including
Roc-a-Fella Films, a clothing line, and a stake in the New
Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association. He
formally returned to recording in 2006 with Kingdom
Come. In December 2007 he stepped down as Def Jam
president shortly after releasing the album American
Gangster. Jay-Z proved that he remained one of rap’s most
bankable acts when he embarked on a highly successful
tour with Mary J. Blige in 2008. The following year he won
a Grammy Award for best rap performance for Swagga Like
Us, a collaboration with T.I., Kanye West, and Lil Wayne.