Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York), is an american hip hop artist and former president and CEO of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records. He is more commonly known as Jay-Z or by a variety of stage names including S. Carter, Jigga, Hova, Hov, and Young Hov. He is regarded as one of the most prolific and successful American rappers of the mid-90s and early 2000s and is known for his use of metaphors, freestyling abilities, word play, flow, and blending of street and popular hip hop.
