Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Declared the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard, he has been central to the creative and commercial success of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole. He is the founder and chairman of entertainment company Roc Nation, and was the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007.
Cameron Ezike Giles, better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment under the aegis of Epic and released his first two studio albums Confessions of Fire and S.D.E. in 1998 and 2000 respectively; the former achieved gold status by the RIAA. After leaving Epic, Giles signed to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001 and released his third studio album Come Home with Me the following year; it achieved platinum status by the RIAA, and also contained Cam'ron's highest-charting singles to date; "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at No. 4 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. His fourth studio album and final release on Roc-A-Fella, Purple Haze was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and commercial success, being certified gold by the RIAA.
Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper known as a member of the rap group State Property, during his time with Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z. In 2009, Freeway was briefly signed to Cash Money Records, but returned to work again with Jay-Z at the mogul's entertainment organization and record label, Roc Nation, with his 2018 album Think Free.
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 "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1995.
Malik Deshawn Cox, known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper who was a protégé of fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. Cox started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016. He has released four albums, the first two certified Gold.
Dwight Equan Grant, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper. He first became known for his association with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records, releasing his debut studio album The Truth through Roc-A-Fella in February 2000 to critical and commercial success.
Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, composed of rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck. The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. Young Gunz' debut single, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", made the top 15 on the Billboard charts in 2003.
The Dynasty: Roc-La-Familia is the fifth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, featuring prominent appearances from signees of Roc-A-Fella Records. It was released on October 31, 2000, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its lead single, "I Just Wanna Love U ", produced by the Neptunes, was one of Jay-Z's most successful singles peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with 557,789 copies sold in its first week. The album is certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and ended up becoming the 20th highest-selling R&B/hip-hop album of the 2000–2010 decade according to Billboard.
Def Jam Recordings is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
Roc-La-Familia was an American record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. This sub-label focused on signing international artists, including reggaeton artists, much like Bad Boy Latino. "OG" Juan Perez was appointed the president of the label Robert Castillo EVP and Cipha Sounds was the senior vice president of A&R. Roc-La-Familia was an extension of Roc-A-Fella Records and headquartered in New York City. Roc-La-Familia featured a broad array of artists encompassing such musical genres as Latin hip hop, reggae, reggaeton, pop, rock and more. The first signee to the label was Houston based rapper Aztek Escobar. The only albums released from the label came from famed artists Héctor el Father, Dimitri el Boss, N.O.R.E.. Roc-La-Familia has since folded. The whole staff has reportedly been dismissed. A number of artists, such as N.O.R.E. have been complaining of the lack of promotion for some time. They plan on releasing a greatest hits CD, which will allegedly fulfill a contractual obligation with Def Jam. It has been reported that Roc-La-Familia will not be re-established.
Ricardo Thomas, also known as Rick Rock, is an American record producer originally from Montgomery, Alabama and based in Fairfield, California. He is a founding member of the former rap group Cosmic Slop Shop and the Federation with fellow rapper Doonie Baby, and is regarded as a pioneer of the hip-hop subgenre Hyphy.
"I Just Wanna Love U " is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, released as the first single from his 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It was produced by the Neptunes and features a chorus sung by Neptunes member Pharrell, and Omillio Sparks who all remain uncredited. The video for the song, directed by David Meyers, features cameos from rappers Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease, Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Jermaine Dupri and actor John Witherspoon.
Roberto Guzmán Rosado, Jr., better known by his stage name Tru Life, is an puerto rican American rapper. He was signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records briefly but was incarcerated soon after. Before signing he had spent time with various other labels, featured on numerous songs and had already generated quite a buzz due to prominent beefs, appearances on mixtapes and Smack DVD.
Héctor Luis Delgado Román is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and record producer, formerly known by his stage names Héctor el Father and Héctor el Bambino.
All Money Is Legal, also known as A.M.I.L.: , is the only studio album by American rapper Amil. It was released on August 29, 2000, through Roc-A-Fella, Columbia, and Sony Music. Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and Amil served as executive producer with a team of producers that included Just Blaze. Before the album's release, Amil was best known for her feature on Jay-Z's 1998 single "Can I Get A...". She was one of several up-and-coming artists signed to Roc-A-Fella, alongside Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel, who released an album in 2000. Although it was her only album on Roc-A-Fella, Amil had been closely associated with the label and its cofounder Jay-Z, earning the moniker "First Lady of Roc-A-Fella".
"4 da Fam" is a song by American rapper Amil, featuring verses from American rappers Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel. Ty Fyffe produced the song. It was released on Roc-A-Fella as the second single from her debut album All Money Is Legal. In the song's lyrics, Amil boasts about being the best female rapper, and Jay-Z discusses his fears of becoming a father, which his verse suggests he believed was about to occur at the time.
Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded and owned by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, with additional offices in Los Angeles, California and London, England. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, management agency, television and film enterprises, fashion clothing line, and educational and philanthropic endeavors.
Southpaw is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Kurt Sutter and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams. The film follows a boxer who sets out to get his life back on track after losing his wife in an accident and later his young daughter to child protective services. The film was released on July 24, 2015, by The Weinstein Company. The film received mixed reviews from critics, while Gyllenhaal and Oona Laurence's performances received positive reviews.
