Jay-Z

The Profile

Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, widely regarded as a major figure in hip hop. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and released influential albums including Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint; he also collaborated on the Linkin Park mash-up EP Collision Course.

Publicly known as Shawn Carter (stage name Jay-Z), a Brooklyn, New York rapper. Co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. Key albums commonly cited among his most notable include Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album; he released a comeback album Kingdom Come after a widely publicized retirement narrative. Collaborated with Linkin Park on Collision Course.

Across 6 reviews, Jay-Z is framed as a top-tier Brooklyn rapper with major classics (Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint) and strong charisma/flow. Kingdom Come is treated as a solid-but-uneven comeback after a much-publicized “retirement,” buoyed by big-name guests and producers. Collision Course (with Linkin Park) is overwhelmingly described as a cynical, recycled commercial mash-up and is slammed by two reviewers. Recurring themes include sampling/production (Kanye West, Just Blaze, DJ Premier), major collaborations, and Jay-Z’s competitive status in New York rap.