Shawn Corey Carter is the real name of which US rapper?

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969) known professionally as Jay-Z (stylized as JAY-Z), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, and one of the most acclaimed rappers of all-time.

Born and raised in New York City, Jay-Z began his musical career in the mid 1990s, after which he released his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996, to widespread critical and commercial success. He released the album a year after founding the record label Roc-A-Fella Records. His subsequent albums have also seen great praise, with The Blueprint (2001) and The Black Album (2003) later being heralded as modern musical classics. He followed these with the collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West, his critically lauded thirteenth studio album 4:44 (2017), and a collaborative effort with wife Beyoncé in 2018.

His heavily publicized marriage to Beyoncé in 2008 has made him a global figure in popular culture. As a couple, they have an estimated combined net worth of $1.16 billion, with his individual net worth of $900 million making him the richest hip hop artist in the world.