Rap

To the admiration of a generation Jay-Z led an incredibly storied career in the rap industry pulling himself up by his bootstraps as a youth to one day become the reigning rapper of New York City and then a major-label executive following his retirement from music-making. More than anyone Jay-Z embodied the ultimate rags-to-riches rap dream advancing from poverty to power largely on behalf of his lyrical talent coupled with incredible dedication (while his industry smarts later propelled him to presidential status). Following the Brooklyn-born rapper-turned-president's 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt his albums sold millions and his endless parade of hits made him omnipresent on urban radio and video television. He retained a strongly devoted fan base — not only the suburban MTV market but also the more fickle urban one as well — and challenged whatever rivals attempted to oust him from atop the rap game most notably Nas. As a result of his unchecked power Jay-Z and his associates greatly influenced the industry and established many of the trends that pervaded during the late '90s and early 2000s. He worked with only the hottest producers of the moment (Clark Kent DJ Premier Teddy Riley Trackmasters Erick Sermon Timbaland Swizz Beatz) and if they weren't hot at the time they surely would be afterward (Neptunes Kanye West Just Blaze). He similarly collaborated with the hottest rappers in the industry everyone from East Coast rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. ("Brooklyn's Finest") and DMX ("Cash Money Hoes") to the best rappers from the Dirty South (Ludacris Missy Elliott) and the West Coast (Snoop Dogg Too Short). Following his self-stated retirement from rapping he assumed the presidency of the seminal rap label Def Jam and embarked on another phase in his illustrious career that of an industry executive.