Jay Z是说唱歌手，Def Jam Recordings唱片公司前首席执行官。与他人共同拥有新泽西网队。从说唱歌手到唱片公司老板，他成功迈向商界。2007年，Jay Z发行个人第十张专辑，一跃成为最多产的说唱歌手之一。

　　Jay-Z was born as Shawn Carter in Brooklyn in 1969. He grew up in a rough neighbourhood. His father abandoned him when he was 11 and he shot his brother in the shoulder when he was 12. He went to high school with fellow rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. Jay-Z was interested in drum rhythms and writing lyrics from a young age.

　　1969年，Jay-Z出生（原名肖恩·卡特）在布鲁克林区。成长环境异常艰辛。11岁时，父亲将他遗弃，12岁时他开枪击中了哥哥的肩膀。他与之后的说唱歌手克里斯托弗·华莱士，布斯塔·莱姆斯一同进入高中学习。Jay-Z喜欢鼓点，从很小开始就自己写词。

　　Carter’s nickname was "Jazzy", which eventually developed into his stage name, "Jay-Z". He appeared on several hip-hop artists’ records in the late 1980s. Other rappers recognized his ability to rap and he recorded his first single in 1995. He was unable to secure a contract and founded Roc-A-Fella Records. He released his debut album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ in 1996, to critical acclaim.

　　卡特的外号是“Jazzy”，最终演变成了他的艺名“Jay-Z”。80年代末，他曾多次出现在说唱歌手专辑中。许多歌手发现了他的说唱才华，1995年他录制了第一张单曲。因无法签约，他独立创建了Roc-A-Fella唱片。1996年发行个人专辑《Reasonable Doubt》，并受到好评。

　　Jay-Z turned into one of rap’s biggest stars over the next decade. He invested a lot of time into developing his business interests. He developed a hip-hop clothing line called Rocawear and received ‘GQ’ magazine’s International Man of the Year award. He also co-owns an American sports bar chain and has got into property development. Jay-Z married R&B star Beyonce in 2008.

　　在未来十年间，Jay-Z成为了最著名的说唱歌手之一。他也将大量时间投身到商业发展当中。他创建了嘻哈服装品牌Rocawear，并荣获《GQ》杂志国际年度男士奖。他还与他人共同拥有一家美国运动酒吧连锁，还投身房地产业。2008年，他与明星碧昂丝结婚。

　　1.hip-hop 嘻哈音乐

　　例句：At the age of8, I discovered my first love, Hip-Hop music.

　　在我8岁的时候，就发现了我的初恋&嘻哈音乐。

　　2.be interested in 对…感兴趣

　　例句：I thought she might be interested in Paula's proposal

　　我觉得她对葆拉的提议可能会感兴趣。

　　3.stage name 艺名

　　例句：Under the stage name of Beverly Brooks, Patricia had small parts in several British films.

　　帕特里夏以贝弗利·布鲁克斯的艺名在几部英国电影中饰演过小角色。

　　4.record label 唱片公司

　　例句：She landed a contract with record label EMI

　　她获得了一份与百代唱片公司的合约。