The beginning

• Shawn Corey Carter was born in 1969 in Brooklyn he is originally from the Marcy houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. Jay-Z was also involved in and won several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 90s as part of efforts to get a record deal. He first became known to a wide audience by being featured on the posse cut Show and Prove on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album daddys home.

How he made itJay-Z started off by getting himself involved in and won several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early '90s as part of an attempt to get a record deal. He first became known to a wide audience by being featured on the posse cut, Show and Prove, on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home.

In 1995 he could not find any major label to give him a record deal this lead Jay-Z to sell his CDs out of his car. This lead him to create Roc-A-Fella Records as their own independent label in 1995. After striking a deal with Priority to distribute his material, Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with which featured an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard200, and was generally favored by critics.

This album would later be included in Rolling Stone's top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as Number 248 and eventually reach platinum status. Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime. This was produced by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and sold a lot more copies than Reasonable Doubt. Jay-Z later explained that the album was made during one of the worst periods of his lifedue to the death of his close friend The Notorious B.I.G.

This is a typical jay z music video (Empire State of mind) most of his videos consist of a black and white colour grading with a lot of shots of Jay Z and the area surrounding him for example in this shot his is talking about the city of New York in which he discuses the empire state building. This therefore is an example of Goodwin's analysis in which the visuals match the lyrics. This video in particular glamourizes New york and Brooklyn in which it yet again brings up Goodwin's analysis as the stunning visuals shown on screen of new york match the lyrics as he is talks about how great the city of new york.

Empire State of Mind

This is video is very much different compared to Empire state of mind and is also one of his early works. Straight away we see a different contrast in his clothing and in how Brooklyn is portrayed. In this video its shown with a more dark and gritty and plays on the fact that the area involves a lot of violence and racial discrimination which also a representation of Goodwin's analysis as the lyrics match up the with visuals as shown below

99 Problems

websiteThere is large image of Jay Z that near enough covers The whole of the website This is to Promote the image and state to you that this is Jay Z website

Jay Z’s website is not your typical artists website as it does not focus on promoting his image and more on what I’m assuming is information on the interests of Jay Z .

This website has a link that shows what's going on In Jay Z life at the moment and another link that shows other interesting upcoming artists that jay Z is promoting.

Jay Z’s website however is not like your traditional commercial artists website. This is due to the fact that it doesn't’t promote him or his music that much compared to other commercial artists.

Album Artwork

To begin with straight away we notice that the front cover is black and white this could be compared to the fact that most of his videos are shot in black and white. It also features a picture of him on the front dressed as a gangster which also relates back to his music as the lyrics in his songs are generally about being a gangster or doing acts of violence.

This album yet again is in black and white which represents his black and white music videos in which one is included in the album with a song by the same name. This also shows a contrast between the first album as it features a more mature album cover with a lot more meaning which could be compared to the fact that he and his music has matured as he has gotten older. It also shows that he is not just rapping about being a gangster and talking about more artistic views, hence the fact the album cover features an art piece.

MAGNAR CARTER HOLY GRAIL

REASONABLE DOUBT