previous            A–Z            next        Shawn Corey Carter Pseudonyms:        Jay Z        Jay-Z        Jayhova        Jazzy               Shawn Corey Carter (1969) grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant a neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York. Here Carter was known as Jazzy, a nickname that eventually developed into his showbiz name Jay-Z when he became a rapper, record producer and entrepreneur. The moniker is also a homage to his musical mentor Jaz-O, rapper and record producer, and a partial homage to the J/Z subway service, which stops at Marcy Avenue near his childhood home.        On 18 July 2013 Carter announced he would be dropping the hyphen, and wished henceforth to be referred to as Jay Z.        The first single on Jay Z’s album ‘The Blueprint’, titled ‘Izzo (H.O.V.A.)’, uses -izzle language, (a slang popularised by Snoop Doggy Dogg) to spell out HOVA (H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A). HOVA refers to a pseudonym he gave himself: Jayhova, a self-proclaimed status as the god of MC’s (Master of Ceremonies), and a reference to Jehovah, name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible.        Jay Z is a very successful artist, and appeared in many Billboard charts and together with his wife Beyoncé he proclaims to be the 'highest-earning power couple'. Together they have a child Blue Ivy. See also Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter. Source: ‘Jay-Z’, Wikipedia, retrieved 30 April 2014 previous            A–Z            next