Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Known for his involvement in the success of other artists, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. He served as the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007 before founding the entertainment company, Roc Nation the following year.
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first gained recognition after appearing on Jay-Z's fifth album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia in 2000. The following year, he became a member of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property, which were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. After releasing their debut album, Pridgen signed to Roc-A-Fella as a solo artist and began work on his debut album, Philadelphia Freeway (2003). Upon release, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical response. He released a follow-up, Free at Last (2007) to moderate reception before him and fellow State Property cohorts were dropped from the label.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
The College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper and record producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.
Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck. The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Young Gunz' 2003 debut single, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", reached the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Touch the Sky" is a song recorded by American hip hop artist Kanye West for his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features Lupe Fiasco on his career debut. It was produced by Just Blaze, standing as the album's only track to not include production from West. The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital EP through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on January 1, 2006. On February 14, the aforementioned labels serviced the song to US mainstream radio stations as the album's fourth single. The next month, it was released in various countries for digital download by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and as a CD single through Universal Music, respectively.
"Roc Boys ..." is the second single from Jay-Z's tenth studio album, American Gangster. The song is produced by Skyz Muzik, Diddy and two of his producers known as LV and Sean C from his production team, The Hitmen. It features additional vocals by Beyoncé, Kanye West and Cassie. The song samples "Make the Road by Walking" by The Menahan Street Band. On December 11, 2007, Rolling Stone named it the best song of 2007.
Jermaine Lamarr Cole is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007. Intent on further pursuing a musical career, he signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2009 and released two additional mixtapes: The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010) to further critical acclaim as he garnered a wider following.
Decon is a New York–based advertising agency and record label. Decon is known for their "Green Week" initiative for NBC Universal, which involved an installation at the 30 Rockefeller Center. Additionally, Decon has produced documentary-style profiles featuring Nissan Leaf. They were also involved in launch of the Fiat 500 in New York in the year 2011.
Fatimah Nyeema Warner, known professionally as Noname, is an American rapper, poet, and record producer. Since 2019, she has run the Noname Book Club, which focuses on radical texts by authors of color. She is also one third of the musical supergroup Ghetto Sage with the rappers Smino and Saba.
The discography of American rapper Jay Electronica consists of two studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), three mixtapes, six singles and eighteen guest appearances. His breakout project, Act I: Eternal Sunshine , was released on July 2, 2007, while his first song to appear on a chart was 2009's "Exhibit C". Electronica made his first appearance on the Hot 100 with the song "Jesus Lord" from Kanye West's album Donda in 2021.
Donda is the tenth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, as his final release with the label. The album features a wide range of guest performances from artists including the Weeknd, Jay-Z, Marilyn Manson, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, Baby Keem, Playboi Carti, Jay Electronica, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla Sign, Fivio Foreign, Lil Durk, Pop Smoke and Young Thug, among others; vocals from Chris Brown were also included prior to the album being updated. A deluxe edition was released on November 14, 2021 and featured guest vocals from André 3000, Tyler, the Creator, and KayCyy. West himself, as well as BoozDaBeast, Dem Jointz, Mike Dean, and Ojivolta primarily helmed the albums production. West recorded much of the material at multiple locations in the summer of 2021, including Bighorn Mountain Ranch in Wyoming and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Act I: Eternal Sunshine is the debut mixtape by American rapper Jay Electronica, self-published onto MySpace on July 2, 2007. The mixtape plays as one 15-minute track, sampling five different tracks of American record producer Jon Brion's 2004 film score, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The mixtape covers a range of themes and subjects, including hip hop, Islam, and unidentified flying objects. It is notable for its lack of drums.
A Written Testimony is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay Electronica. It was released on March 13, 2020 through Roc Nation. The album follows the release of Jay Electronica's debut mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine , almost 13 years earlier. A Written Testimony was primarily recorded in 40 days, from December 2019 to February 2020. It was supported by "Shiny Suit Theory", featuring vocals from Jay-Z and The-Dream, released in November 2010 and rereleased as a single on Tidal in September 2018.
Act II: The Patents of Nobility is the second studio album by American rapper Jay Electronica. It released on October 5, 2020, after leaking in full the day prior, and seven months after the release of his debut album, A Written Testimony. It features guest appearances from Jay-Z, The-Dream, Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Bullitts, and LaTonya Givens.
"Shiny Suit Theory" is a song by American rapper Jay Electronica. The song features guest appearances from American rapper Jay-Z and American singer The-Dream. The song was produced by Jay Electronica, who raps about advice given to him by Sean Combs. The song is Jay Electronica's first collaboration with Jay-Z, who sent in his verse by email as an effort to sign Jay Electronica to a record deal.
"Hurricane" is a song by American rapper Kanye West and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd featuring fellow American rapper Lil Baby, from the former's tenth studio album Donda (2021). The song features additional vocals from the Sunday Service Choir and KayCyy. It came from a jam session at Archwood Music Studio and was passed on by Chance the Rapper to West, who shared a preview in September 2018. The song was originally slated for inclusion on West's since scrapped album, Yandhi, and went through multiple reiterations prior to release, with the final version being debuted in July 2021. On August 8, 2021, it was accidentally made available via certain streaming services before being pulled less than 24 hours later, but was officially released with the rest of the album on August 29, 2021. It was also eventually sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the album's lead single on September 14, by GOOD Music and Def Jam. An R&B, hip hop, and pop jam with an atmospheric beat, it contains organs and bass.
"Jail" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album, Donda (2021). The song includes vocals from fellow American rapper Jay-Z. Towards the end of the album, another version of the song titled "Jail pt 2" appears, which includes more vocals from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson. It won the award for Best Rap Song at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
"God Breathed" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released on his tenth studio album Donda on August 29, 2021. The song features vocals from American rapper Vory.
