JAY-Z LIVE FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: ANSWER THE CALL" in honor of the fallen heroes from the September 11th, 2001 tragedy. Live on Fuse T.V!

He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America.

Bio:

One of the top hip-hop performers of the late '90s, hardcore rapper Jay-Z grew up in Brooklyn's tough Marcy Projects. (He supposedly took his name from two nearby subway lines.) Like fellow New York rappers DMX and Nas, he achieved broad mainstream acceptance for his unflinching accounts of urban life. After appearing on tracks by Big Jaz and Original Flavor, Jay-Z released his first album, Reasonable Doubt (#23 pop, #3 R&B, 1996), which included Ain't No Nigga (#50 pop, #17 R&B, 1996) with Foxy Brown. Another single, Can't Knock the Hustle (#73 pop, #35 R&B, 1996), featured guest vocals from Mary J. Blige. Unhappy with the album's distribution, Jay-Z formed his own record company, Roc-A-Fella, and signed a deal with Def Jam. In My Lifetime, vol. 1 (#3 pop, #2 R&B, 1997) was an unqualified success, but 1998's Volume 2...Hard Knock Life (#1 pop and R&B, 1998) allowed the rapper to thoroughly dominate the pop charts. Two singles, debuting within a month of each other, did the rest: the jaunty Can I Get a... (#19 pop, #6 R&B, 1998), from the Rush Hour soundtrack, and Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (#15 pop, #10 R&B, 1998), which used a sample of a children's chorus from The Original Broadway Cast of Annie. The rapper embarked on a hugely successful tour and boosted the careers of such proteges as Ja Rule, Beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek. Volume 2 sold more than 4 million copies and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The 1999 follow-up, Volume 3... The Life & Times of S. Carter (#1 pop and R&B, 2000), along with two hits - Mariah Careys #1 pop and R&B Heartbreaker(on which he rapped) and Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up) (#17 R&B, 1999) - continued the winning trend. A new album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (#1 pop and R&B, 2001), included the hit I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) (#11 pop, #1 R&B, 2001).

On September 11th, 2001 Jay-Z released The Blueprint, which after some success, was followed by The Blueprint: The Gift and The Curse. An abbreviated version of this 2-disc set was offered in The Blueprint 2.1 in 2002 and in 2003 Jay-Z announced his retirement as a recording artist with his curtain call release of The Black Album. However, the Jiggaman did not stray far for very long. Throughout 2004 and 2005, Jay-Z performed with the rap-rock group Linkin Park (along with various other artists including Phish), resulting in the collaborative Collison Course, released November 30, 2004. Unsurprisingly, Jay-Z soon closeted his vow of retirement and returned with Kingdom Come in 2006, which produced the hit single Show Me What You Got.

Source: The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)

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• Multi-Platinum Rap Artist Jay-Z to Donates His Proceeds From Denver Concert to Families of the Victims of Columbine High School Shooting

  Nov, 2007

  Hard Knock Life Tour mate DMX Also to Contribute His Profits of April 27 Denver Coliseum Show.

  Multi-platinum rap artist Jay-Z has announced that he will donate his
  proceeds from last night's Hard Knock Life concert at the Denver Coliseum to the families of the Columbine High School shooting victims.

  DMX, a featured act on the tour, has pledged his profits from the night's show as well.

  After hearing of the tragedy last week, the rappers realized that the tour was heading right to Denver, stopping at the Coliseum on April 27, and decided immediately to help the affected families in the most direct way possible. Their donation is also meant to be a symbolic gesture, a
  demonstration of support from the hip hop community.

  Jay-Z has sold over 4 million copies of his current album, Vol. 2...Hard
  Knock Life (Roc-A-Fella Records). His current tour is the most successful hip hop tour to date, selling out in every venue, and featuring acts such as Redman, Method Man and DJ Clue.

• Shawn Carter (Jay Z) Scholarship Fund

  In addition to his personal success, Jay-Z continues to give back to his neighborhood and community. The Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund was created in 2003, and is chaired by Jay-Z's mother Gloria Carter to assist those generally not serviced by traditional scholarship means. The Fund provides disadvantaged youth, non-traditional High School graduates, GED recipients, and those who have been formerly incarcerated, an opportunity to fulfill their desire to attend college. The scholarship awards have ranged from $1,000 to $10,000. For more information on the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund, please visit http://scartersf.org/# or call (212) 603-7803 or write to: The Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund P.O. Box 1898 Radio City Station New York, NY 10101-1898

• Team Roc

  Initially established in October of 1998, Team Roc is a youth empowerment program that uses the tenets of basketball to re-shape the lives of young people from Central Harlem and the outer boroughs. Team Roc is a multi-faceted effort that combines academics, cultural enrichment, and basketball into one program. The program provides the children with models to develop effective life, leadership and social skills while offering educational support. Basketball is the game of choice due to its overwhelming popularity in urban society. Team Roc's athletic training focuses on teamwork and self-discipline. Organized basketball games with community involvement provide positive socialization among the participants. Team Roc takes it a step further by involving participants' family members, enabling them to engage in the positive development of their children.
  
  Team Roc is an after school program offered at Minisink Townhouse, New York City Mission Society's community center located in Central Harlem. The typical program session begins by with a nutritious meal that prepares the mind and body for the program's physical and educational activities. The participants will then receive an hour of homework assistance. Team Roc also engages participants in other activities including such as; the Annual Holiday Art Exhibit and Residential and Day Camp.
  "We need to let them know that there is a world outside of their block where they can succeed in anything" states Damon Dash.
  
  See this story by the NY Times in April of 2006 how Team Roc and its personnel made life-changing difference in the life of Rob Thomas, currently a red-shirt freshman with St. John's Red Storm.
  
  External Source

• Trust Fund for Sean Bell's Children

  May, 2008
  Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter has established an educational trust for the for the children of Sean Bell, the unarmed African-American man who was shot and killed by police on the day he was to be married. Sources have confirmed that Jay-Z is working closely with Nicole Paultre Bell, (Sean Bell's widow), to institute the trust funds for both of their children.

• Jay-Z to give free concert for voter registration at Cobo Hall on Saturday October 4th

  Oct, 2008
  BY ROCHELLE RILEY FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER October 1, 2008
  
  Oh, it's on now.
  
  Jay-Z, the mega-rapper who last visited Detroit for a General Motors Style event in January 2007 where he was driven down the runway by GM President Rick Wagoner, will give a free concert for thousands of Michigan voters to push voter registration.
  
  Then, the hip-hop superstar and business entrepreneur, who was driven down the runway by Wagoner in a "Jay-Z Blue" GMC Yukon Denali -- was helping to kick off the North American International Auto Show. This Saturday, Sen. Barack Obama is bringing the rapper to Cobo Hall to encourage young residents of the region to register to vote. The registration deadline is Monday.
  
  Jay, a seven-time Grammy Awards winner, retired in 2003, but came back three years later with "Kingdom Come," which sold 680,000 copies in its first week, his best initial sales ever. In April, Jay performed with Mary J. Blige at the Palace of Auburn Hills in their "Heart of the City" tour.
  
  Saturday's concert begins at 8:30 p.m. at Cobo Hall. Michigan residents aged 18 and older can pick up tickets beginning at 3 p.m. today at any Campaign for Change offices throughout the region. They are listed below:
  
  Detroit Office (State HQ)
  2875 Grand Blvd. W.
  Detroit, MI 48202
  313-875-6781
  
  
  Detroit Office
  15400 Grand River
  Detroit, MI 48227
  313-270-4608
  
  
  Detroit East Side Office
  16031 Mack Avenue
  Detroit, MI 48224
  
  
  Dearborn Office
  10415 W. Warren Ave.
  Dearborn, MI 48126
  313-584-4876
  
  
  Canton Office
  42011 Ford Rd.
  Canton, MI 48187
  734-981-2208
  
  
  Southfield Office
  18284 W. Ten Mile
  Southfield, MI 48075
  248-569-3086
  
  Source:
  
  http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081001/NEWS01/81001028/1003/news
  

• Rally For Obama

  Nov, 2008
  Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Sean"Diddy" Combs, Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles came out in support of Barack Obama Sunday at a Last Chance for Change rally at Florida Memorial University in Miami. Diddy said, "We have to do it for our children, we have to do it for the people that died for us to have the right to vote."?Blige added, "We have been doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result" Barack Obama is a true example of something different. He's a true example of something our children can have in the future, what they can look at and say, Wow, we can really, really do something. We can really, really be something.-Elle Castro(thatshiphop.com)

• Brooklyn's Own Jay-Z receives Humaintarian Award from United Nations

  Oct, 2008
  Jay-Z’s philanthropic efforts were recognized in a private New York ceremony, as the mogul received a special humanitarian award from the United Nations. The esteemed distinction was bestowed by actor and host Michael Douglas for the rapper’s extensive work over the past two years raising funds and organizing awareness of the world water crisis. According to reports, a child dies every 15 seconds from not having adequate drinking water. In 2006, Jay embarked on a worldwide tour to bring awareness to the water epidemic. The effort culminated with a MTV diary chronicling the tour and the mogul creating over 1,000 water pumps in African communities. Now a staple contributor to social issues in his veteran Hip-Hop years, Jay reasons that as a worldwide human family people have to stop looking to others for community responsibility and take initiative to combat societal issues. “If you bring awareness to young people, they’re going to see and want to be involved,” Jay-Z stated. “I’m not a politician; I’m just a regular person with a heart. If you see a problem like that and do nothing about it, there’s something wrong with you.” At press time Jay-Z is prepping his final Def Jam and eleventh studio album Blueprint 3 for a December 2 release. (source AHH.com) Congratulation Jay-Z! Good deeds never go un-noticed.

• Jay-Z Answers The Call!

  Sep, 2009
  Hip-Hop superstar Jay-Z is giving back to the community in a big way with the recent announcement that he will be performing a benefit concert entitled: “JAY-Z LIVE FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: ANSWER THE CALL” in honor of the fallen heroes from the September 11th, 2001 tragedy. ALL PROCEEDS from the event will go directly to The New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children Fund, the organization that has been helping New York City families of fallen first responders for over 25 years. The event will be televised LIVE in HD and commercial-free Friday, September 11th on Fuse TV at 9pm/8c. Watch Jay-Z at his best in this very emotional, special tribute performance!

• Jay-Z Donates Instruments To School

  Feb, 2009
  Rapper Jay-Z is joining together with NBA star LeBron James to donate over 150 musical instruments to a school in Arizona this week. The pair will meet with over 200 students at Mesa Arts Academy in Mesa on Friday, February 13, to hand over the instruments – donated through a partnership with Coca Cola’s Sprite Green – and will also sign a donated piano which will permanently stay in the school’s auditorium. “We are so delighted Sprite Green is donating instruments to the students of Mesa Arts Academy and the Boys & Girls Club,” said Ramon Elias, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley. “Our kids love to perform, and we know the instruments and musical equipment . . . will be a great way to motivate the kids to go to class and come to the Club after school.” The stars are in Arizona to mark the upcoming NBA All-Star weekend and will hold their annual Two Kings Dinner later on Friday night.