143-441: " Pain Away " is a song by American rapper Meek Mill , released on November 20, 2020 from his EP Quarantine Pack . Featuring American rapper Lil Durk , it was produced by S1 and Epikh Pro. Meek Mill teased the song and its video on Instagram in September 2020. The track originally featured American rappers A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Roddy Ricch . In October 2020, Canadian rapper Drake urged Meek Mill on Instagram to release
286-415: A Boyz II Men song and shout her out, and how she wanted him to leave [the management of] Roc Nation to sign with a friend of hers", referring to Mill's former partner, Charlie Mack of 215 Aphillyated, and that "she showed up at his community service" when a typical judge would not, among several other irregularities. In February 2018, the officer of Mill's original 2007 case was brought under scrutiny for
429-573: A Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration , and was performed with Linkin Park live at the Grammys, with a special appearance by Paul McCartney , who added verses from the song " Yesterday ". The EP sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. Jay-Z was the executive producer of The Rising Tied , the debut album of Fort Minor , the hip hop side project of Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda . Jay-Z also planned to retire in 2004. Later in 2004, Jay-Z
572-457: A ghostwriter for " R.I.C.O. ", a song off Mill's second album, Dreams Worth More Than Money . He also admitted that he was upset that Drake did not promote the album on Twitter, upon its release. "Stop comparing [me to] Drake. He don't write his own raps. That's why he ain't tweet my album because we found out!", Meek Mill commented. Meek Mill had identified the ghostwriter as Quentin Miller,
715-460: A "turning point in American pop culture's response to globalization." The album has sold 1 million copies in the U.S. On January 1, 2008, Jay-Z resigned as president of Def Jam. In winter 2008, it was announced that Jay-Z would become the first major hip hop artist to headline Britain's Glastonbury Festival . Tickets sold out quickly. Former headliner Noel Gallagher of Oasis condemned
858-403: A Jay-Z album. The album helped to introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes , Just Blaze , Kanye West , and Bink , which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums. The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S. alone. In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with
1001-442: A Jay-Z line from " Money, Cash, Hoes " that he felt alluded disparagingly to Mobb Deep and Prodigy's dispute with Tupac Shakur , Snoop Dogg , and Death Row Records . He later performed the song " Takeover ", at Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson . A line at the end of "Takeover" referred to Nas , who criticized him on "We Will Survive". Nas responded with
1144-521: A boycott of Mill due to the song's lyrical content. "As a hip-hop fan, I want to encourage every rap fan in Philadelphia who is a believer in Jesus Christ, to boycott Meek Mill until he acknowledges this blatant disrespect. And being a resident of North Philadelphia and a pastor, I revoke Meek's 'hood pass' until this happens," Johnson said in a statement. On July 17, 2012, in an interview on
1287-520: A consequence of being on probation. On July 11, 2014, Mill's probation was revoked and he was sentenced to three to six months in jail. He was released on December 2, 2014. He was found guilty for a parole violation again on December 17, 2015, due to him performing at an Atlanta show for Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint tour , the 2015 BET Awards and American Music Awards respectively, all without reporting his actions as related court orders to gain approval. The judge hearing his case refused to give him
1430-415: A dealer's manifesto while making references to political figures of the late 1980s with the lyric: "Blame Reagan for making me to into a monster, blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra , I ran contraband that they sponsored, before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert." Also notable about the "Blue Magic" music video was Jay-Z flashing €500 notes; Harvard Business School professor Rawi Abdelal called this
1573-434: A diss of his own, and Jay-Z straightaway added a verse to "Takeover" which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. The feud had ended by 2005; Jay-Z stated that record producer Mark Pitts had helped them settle their differences. On September 11, 2001, Jay-Z released his sixth studio album, The Blueprint , which received a five-mic review from hip-hop magazine The Source . Written in just two days,
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#17327918488531716-470: A diss track titled "I'm Coming". In November 2018, Sigel supported Mill's album, Championships , stating there were "no skips" on the album, assumably ending the dispute between the two. In an interview with Power 106 in November 2018, when Meek Mill was asked about rapper 6ix9ine , who was arrested on racketeering , weapons and drugs charges earlier that month, he spoke about wanting to warn him of
1859-440: A five-minute freestyle, "92 Bars", which was rumored to be a diss towards Meek Mill. Previously, Mill and Game collaborated on 2015's "The Soundtrack". Hours after the release of "92 Bars", Game admitted that the freestyle was specifically a diss towards Mill. The next day, the two rappers ended up in an Instagram exchange, with The Game cyber-flirting with Meek Mill's girlfriend, Nicki Minaj, as well as accusing Mill of informing
2002-453: A five-track EP entitled Watch the Throne , although it was later revealed by West that the project had become a full-length LP. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations and began in November 2010. The first single released for the project was " H•A•M ". The track was co-produced by Lex Luger and West himself. The track ended up being on the deluxe edition of
2145-413: A greatest hits record, as well as the release and tour of Unfinished Business , the second collaborative album between Jay-Z and R. Kelly. In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park , in which they released their collaborative remix EP Collision Course , which featured mashups of both artists' songs, as well as a concert DVD. The album's only single, " Numb/Encore ", went on to win
2288-551: A light" on the criminal justice system. On July 24, 2019, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania granted Mill's appeal, overturning his 2008 conviction and ordering a new trial to be overseen by another judge other than Judge Brinkley. In a statement, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said it was pleased that the appeals court "validated our position that Robert Rihmeek Williams deserves
2431-637: A local rapper from Atlanta. Meek Mill's claims received support from Funkmaster Flex , an American hip hop DJ on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. Flex released multiple audio recordings of reference tracks featuring Quentin Miller performing the soon-to-be Drake songs, "10 Bands", "Used To", "Know Yourself" and his guest verse on "R.I.C.O." Drake was later supported by his long-time friend, collaborator and co-founder of OVO Sound , award-winning multi-platinum selling producer Noah "40" Shebib , who claimed that not only does Drake write his own songs, he has also written number-one records for other artists. "No one
2574-432: A misdemeanor firearm charge in Philadelphia. All other charges were dismissed, officially ending the case against Mill from 2007 and temporarily dismissing him as a convicted felon. On August 9, 2019, a docuseries Free Meek premiered on Amazon Prime Video . The five-part series was produced by Roc Nation, with Mill and Jay-Z serving as executive producers. On November 29, 2017, Meek Mill and Roc Nation were sued by
2717-424: A new song and he and West proclaimed that it was to be on The Blueprint 3 . On May 21, 2009, Jay-Z announced he would be parting ways with Def Jam, and had struck a multi-million-dollar deal to sign with Live Nation , with whom he would start his Roc Nation imprint which would serve as a record label, talent/management agency, and music publishing company and also partnered with production team Stargate to start
2860-527: A new trial before a court that has no appearance of partiality." However, the D.A. declined comment on its plans for a new trial, stating the office was weighing its options before proceeding. Reports alleged that there was an FBI investigation into the conduct of Brinkley, the judge presiding over his case. This was later publicly acknowledged by Mill's defense team. Mill's attorney, Joe Tacopina, made several allegations of inappropriate statements and actions by Brinkley, including that "she requested he re-record
3003-404: A one-minute video, ending in "4:44 – 6.30.17, Exclusively on Tidal". On June 18, the project was confirmed to be a new Jay-Z album, and a clip featuring a song titled "Adnis" was posted on Sprint's YouTube page. 4:44 was released through Roc Nation and Universal Music Group , as an exclusive to Sprint and Tidal customers. The album is the first in a planned series of music exclusives from
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#17327918488533146-807: A pair of concerts in Detroit and New York. The event was dubbed The Home & Home Tour . The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue. Jay-Z was the supporting act for U2 on the Australian and New Zealand leg of their U2 360° Tour , beginning in Auckland , New Zealand, in November 2010, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in December. Jay-Z also appeared on stage during U2 performances of " Sunday Bloody Sunday ", and in Auckland also on
3289-662: A rainy day / But I just bought that Rolls truck to take the pain away / And all these diamonds give me confidence / Don't judge my pain if you don't know the shit that I'm against". The music video begins with Meek Mill showing a stack of cash in one hand and carrying a weapon in the other. He is seen outside in numerous environments, as he flaunts his money, cars, private jet, chains and home, and rides in ATVs as well. The setting changes to nightfall, after which Lil Durk performs his verse. Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill ,
3432-524: A record label called StarRoc . Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 was originally to be released on September 11, 2009, but was instead released in North America on September 8, 2009, due to increasing anticipation. Its international release followed on September 14. It is his 11th album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has surpassed Elvis Presley's previous record, making him
3575-495: A response to Lamar's verse on "Control". Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z , is an American rapper. Born and raised in New York City , he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. He served as president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007, and founded the entertainment company Roc Nation
3718-499: A response track with his cousin and label mate Omelly called " War Pain ". The track references several lines from "Summer Sixteen", including an incident in which Drake played "Back to Back" in a public hotel, in which, he had a room directly above Mill. Four months later, Mill released a remix of Fat Joe and Remy Ma 's " All the Way Up " with fellow rappers Fabolous and Jadakiss . Meek directly references Drake in several lines of
3861-564: A result of him not completing his required community service hours. His house arrest ended fifteen days later. On March 11, 2017, Mill was arrested at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport in Missouri for assaulting two employees. Shortly after his arrest, he was given a court summons. Then, in August, he was detained in New York City after a noise complaint was filed over Mill popping
4004-444: A second chance and ordered him not to work or perform before his sentencing on February 5, 2016. He was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest on February 5. The sentence became effective on March 1. Mill was not allowed to work and was required to do daily community service with groups serving adults. He was also sentenced to an extended six years probation. On June 2, 2016, Mill was sentenced to eight additional days of house arrest as
4147-430: A setback occurred, when Mill was sentenced to a stint in jail for a drug and gun charge. After being released in 2009, he continued working as an artist under Grand Hustle, Mill formed a work relationship with the label's resident disc jockey , DJ Drama . Mill and Drama teamed up to release the third edition of Mill's Flamers series. The mixtape, titled Flamers 3: The Wait Is Over , was released on March 12, 2010, and
4290-547: A strategy Jay-Z later said was used to block an internet leak . It debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Store in 23 countries. It also broke Coldplay 's record for most albums sold in one week on the online retailer, selling 290,000 copies on iTunes alone. It held that record until Lil Wayne 's Tha Carter IV was released twenty-one days later, selling 10,000 copies more. It debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, selling 436,000 copies in its first week. The album received generally positive reviews. Jay-Z and West later gave
4433-542: A surprise performance of "Otis" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards . Jay-Z collaborated with M.I.A on her single " XXXO ", which achieved a fair level of success and went on to become remixed by several producers worldwide. In May 2012, Jay-Z and former Philadelphia mayor Michael A. Nutter announced Jay-Z as the curator and the headliner for the first annual "Budweiser Made in America" festival at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on September 1 and 2, 2012. The performance
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4576-643: A sweat, and instead uses smoothness and clever wordplay to keep the audience interested and entertained". Jay-Z's fast rapping technique, also known as the "triplet rhyme", was developed during his early years of creating music with former mentor Jaz-O. Jay-Z has also established himself as a successful entrepreneur with a business empire spanning a variety of industries from clothing lines, beverages, real estate, sport teams, and record labels. In an interview, he stated that "my brands are an extension of me. They're close to me. It's not like running GM , where there's no emotional attachment." Jay-Z and Damon Dash are
4719-408: A total 50 million dollars to the foundation as of 2019. To lead the organization, Reform hired political activist, and CNN host/political analyst Van Jones as their inaugural CEO. A feud started between Meek Mill and fellow Philadelphia-born rapper Cassidy , when Mill offered to battle several underground rappers including Cassidy. Cassidy would later accept the challenge, adding "if the money
4862-639: A variety of high-profile collaborators. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year , while the title track was nominated for Song of the Year and " The Story of O.J. " was nominated for Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards . On June 6, 2018, Jay-Z and Beyoncé kicked-off the On the Run II Tour in Cardiff , United Kingdom. Ten days later, at their final London performance,
5005-656: A verse and how he uses 'partial linking' to add more rhymes to a verse. Jay-Z's early style is described by Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX -type, stiggety style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That", referring to the fast rhythms and vocal delivery of the group Das EFX. He is also known to write lyrics in his head, as described by Pusha T of Clipse in How to Rap , a style popular with many MCs such as The Notorious B.I.G. , Everlast , Bobby Creekwater and Guerilla Black . Shock G of Digital Underground describes Jay-Z's live performance style, saying he "rarely breaks
5148-621: A wave of crime in Baltimore . It received positive critical reviews. A month earlier, in October, Mill also claimed to have had plans to release an album before the end of the year. However, this did not occur, as his fifth studio album, Expensive Pain , was only released a year later, on October 1, 2021. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 after accumulating 95,000 equivalent units. Mill went on to state that Atlantic Records
5291-404: A wheelie on his motorcycle. Soon after, he was released once the disturbance violation and reckless driving charges were dropped. The case was later taken to court in October, and was to be dismissed if Mill would have completed six months of therapy, resulting in good behavior and thirty hours of community service added to his Pennsylvania-state related twenty-hour term. On November 6, 2017, he
5434-923: Is "to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole", where it plans on doing so by gathering leaders from various fields such as business, entertainment, government, sports, technology, and more, who have the common interest of donating and advocating for criminal justice reform in the United States. Later, in August 2018, Mill donated 6,000 backpacks to students of Philadelphia. The founding partners of Reform Alliance, besides Meek Mill and Jay-Z, includes Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft , Philadelphia 76ers owner Michael G. Rubin , Brooklyn Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai , Vista Equity Partners founder Robert F. Smith , as well as other leaders in business, law and politics, whom have collectively pledged
5577-524: Is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper , and later formed a short-lived rap group, The Bloodhoundz. He signed with T.I. 's Grand Hustle Records as a solo act in 2008, although he departed by 2011 and released no albums with the label. He then signed with Rick Ross ' Maybach Music Group (MMG) that same year, and rose to mainstream recognition following his performances on
5720-766: Is as talented as Drake... [there are] countless number ones and songs Drake has written for others never mind himself", 40 said on Twitter. On July 25, 2015, Drake premiered a track, titled " Charged Up " on the Beats 1 OVO Radio Show that is widely seen as a response to Meek Mill's allegations. Drake highlighted Meek Mill's relatively low sales volume and further claimed that the rapper was fading into obscurity. Drake also dissed Funkmaster Flex by promoting his rival DJ Clue? . On July 29, Drake released an aggressive diss track, named " Back to Back ", that further attacked Meek Mill. The track, streamed over 500,000 times in 4 hours, heavily suggested that Mill's relationship with Nicki Minaj
5863-514: Is helmed as a " Gangsta Grillz mixtape". The mixtape features his promotional single "Rosé Red", which was later remixed with additional verses from fellow American rappers T.I., Rick Ross and Vado . Rick Ross contributed his verse after he was visiting Philadelphia and asked his Twitter followers who he should collaborate with; Meek Mill was the overwhelming response. The remix was included on Mill's following mixtape, Mr. Philadelphia . Due to Mill and T.I.'s respective legal troubles, Mill
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6006-753: Is just a natural progression. Rap music is still evolving. We have to respect each other's genre of music and move forward." Jay-Z opened his Glastonbury set with a tongue-in-cheek cover of Oasis's iconic song " Wonderwall ", and went on to deliver a performance heralded as a successful response to pre-festival criticism. He also headlined many other summer festivals in 2008, including Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Hove Festival in Norway and O2 Wireless Festival in London. During Kanye West's concert of August 6, 2008, at Madison Square Garden, Jay-Z came out to perform
6149-599: Is lopsided in the latter's favor and also further criticized the former for not responding to "Charged Up" and for only relying on Twitter to attack Drake. The track was released for streaming on the OVO SoundCloud account and on Apple Music . The next day, Meek Mill released a track attacking Drake titled " Wanna Know " through Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97. On "Wanna Know", Meek Mill revealed another reference track, ghostwritten by Quentin Miller for Drake, who he criticized for being soft. Meek Mill also dissed AR-Ab on
6292-555: The Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 51, becoming Mill's most successful single at that time. In August 2011, Mill released Dreamchasers , a well received mixtape featuring his urban hit "House Party" and guest appearances from Rick Ross, Yo Gotti and Beanie Sigel among others. In February 2012, MTV listed Meek Mill as the "#7 hottest MC" in their annual "Hottest MCs in the Game" list. On May 7, 2012, Mill released
6435-911: The Billboard 200 as of the issue dated July 18, 2015. Meek Mill posted 6 videos on his Instagram previewing music for his mixtape, DC4 . The mixtape was planned to have featured a remix of his enemy, Drake 's song, " Back to Back ", and a remix to Drake and Future 's song, "I'm the Plug", but unfortunately, due to DC4 being released commercially, neither of these two remixes made the final cut. On January 16, 2016, Meek Mill dropped songs on his extended play , 4/4 , with 4 tracks. On January 30, 2016, Meek Mill released another extended play title 4/4, Pt. 2 . Meek Mill released DC4 on October 28, 2016. On July 21, 2017, Mill released his third studio album titled Wins & Losses . On November 16, 2018, Mill announced his fourth album, Championships , which
6578-497: The Billboard 200 , and was generally favored by critics. This album would later be included in Rolling Stone ' s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as No. 248 and eventually reach platinum status. After reaching a new label distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 . Featuring production by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs , DJ Premier, and Ski , it earned platinum status in
6721-423: The Billboard 200 ; Jay-Z holds the record for the most number-one albums (14) of any solo artist on the chart. He has also released the collaborative albums The Best of Both Worlds (2002) and Unfinished Business (2004) with singer R. Kelly , Collision Course (2004) with Linkin Park , Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West , and Everything Is Love (2018) with his wife Beyoncé . He peaked
6864-515: The Billboard Hot 100 on four occasions: once as a lead artist with his 2009 single " Empire State of Mind " (featuring Alicia Keys ), and thrice with his guest performances on the singles " Heartbreaker " by Mariah Carey , " Crazy in Love " by Beyoncé, and " Umbrella " by Rihanna . Through his business ventures, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop billionaire in 2019. In 1999, he co-founded
7007-624: The 2015 ceremony . In 2016, he won a lawsuit for the song "Made in America" with Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean against Joel McDonald. In early June 2017, posters were displayed in New York City and Los Angeles, and banner ads were placed on the Internet promoting a Tidal -related project titled 4:44 . A teaser ad was aired during the NBA Finals on June 7 featuring actors Mahershala Ali , Lupita Nyong'o and Danny Glover in
7150-647: The BET show 106 & Park , Mill stated, "I don't think no preacher or no church approves of any type of rap music—because rap music, period, is a lot of bad stuff said. But at the end of the day, it's real life. And me, I wasn't trying to disrespect no religion or anything like that." Mill released the third installment of the Dreamchasers series, Dreamchasers 3 . The mixtape featured guest appearances from Rick Ross , Akon , Future , Waka Flocka Flame , Wale , Trina and Jadakiss among others. The mixtape
7293-506: The Flint water crisis in Michigan as he teamed up with Big Sean . In 2018, following his release from state custody, Mill immediately became a leading advocate of criminal justice reform in the United States , where he transitioned his advocacy into the co-formation of Reform Alliance with fellow recording artist and entrepreneur Jay-Z . The nonprofit organization states its mission
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#17327918488537436-545: The Oval Office . Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of Roc-A-Fella records artists, as well as Ne-Yo , Teairra Marí , T.I. , Young Jeezy , Akon , Kanye West , Paul Wall , The LOX , and Diddy . At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and Nas . The two former rivals shook hands and shared
7579-487: The promotional singles "I'm So Fly," "Prolli," and "Hottest in the City." Flamers 2 caught the attention of Charles "Charlie Mack" Alston, founder and president of 215 Aphillyated Records. Mack, who previously represented for other Philadelphians Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Boyz II Men and Ms. Jade , was so impressed with Mill that he immediately signed him to his management company. During that same year, Meek Mill also met
7722-597: The pseudonym Meek Millz. He often stayed up well past midnight filling notebooks with phrases and verses that he later drew on. Later he and three friends formed the rap group The Bloodhoundz. They bought blank CDs and jewel cases at Kinkos , encouraging friends to burn them with the group's songs and distribute them. The Bloodhoundz lasted long enough to release four mixtapes . From 2006 to 2008 Mill released three solo mixtapes including The Real Me , The Real Me 2 , and Flamers . In 2009, Mill released his fourth solo mixtape, Flamers 2: Hottest in tha City, which spawned
7865-584: The second installment to his Dreamchasers series. Within six hours of its release on mixtape website DatPiff.com, Dreamchasers 2 was downloaded 1.5 million times. On May 10, it was announced Meek Mill signed with Roc Nation management. On June 19, 2012, " Amen " - originally included on Dreamchasers 2 , was released as the lead single from Mill's debut studio album . Before releasing his debut studio album Dreams & Nightmares , Mill received co-signs from both Mariah Carey and Nas , with him appearing on Carey's 2012 single " Triumphant (Get 'Em) " and
8008-796: The 100 greatest artists of all time, Jay-Z was the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. Shawn Corey Carter was born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn , New York City . He was raised in Marcy Houses , a public housing project in Brooklyn's Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. His father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned
8151-469: The Ridley Scott film of the same name , Jay-Z was heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler. The album is not the film's official soundtrack, although it was distributed by Def Jam . Jay-Z's American Gangster depicts his life in correlation to the movie American Gangster . At the start of the album's first single, " Blue Magic ", Jay-Z offers
8294-595: The Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott , Memphis Bleek , Beanie Siegel , Freeway, Mary J. Blige , Beyoncé, Twista , Ghostface Killah , Foxy Brown , Pharrell Williams and R. Kelly, with appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur , the mothers of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur , respectively. While Jay-Z had attested to a retirement from making new studio albums, various side projects and appearances soon followed. Included in these were
8437-567: The Sprint–Tidal partnership. For a short time, on July 2, the album was made available for free digital download in Tidal's site. A physical edition was released on July 7, including three additional tracks. On the same day, the album was made available to other streaming platforms, such as Apple Music , Google Play Music and Amazon Music . The album received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its emotional and personal content. On July 5,
8580-413: The U.S. and surpassing The Blueprint . It yielded a single-disc re-issue, The Blueprint 2.1 , which retained half of the songs from the original. Its original release spawned two hit singles, " Excuse Me Miss " and " '03 Bonnie & Clyde ", which features Jay-Z's then-girlfriend, Beyoncé , and contained the track "A Dream", featuring Faith Evans and the late Notorious B.I.G. ; the re-issue spawned
8723-450: The U.S., spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 . In that same year, Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter . The album proved successful and sold over 3 million copies. Vol. 3 ' s most successful single was " Big Pimpin ", featuring UGK . In 2000, Jay-Z released The Dynasty: Roc La Familia , which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but Def Jam turned into
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#17327918488538866-704: The United States. In 1998, Jay-Z released Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, " Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as Swizz Beatz , an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders , and Timbaland . Other producers included DJ Premier , Erick Sermon , The 45 King , and Kid Capri . Charting hits from this album included " Can I Get A... ", featuring Ja Rule and Amil , and " Nigga What, Nigga Who ", featuring Amil and Jaz-O . Vol. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it
9009-500: The album " Cruel Summer ", by GOOD Music . Kanye West and Big Sean starred alongside Jay-Z on the track. Jay-Z took the subway to his sold-out show at The Barclays Center on October 6, 2012. On November 12, 2012, Coldplay announced that they will be playing with Jay-Z at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on December 31. On September 23, 2010, Q-Tip confirmed working on Jay-Z's follow-up album to The Blueprint 3 , saying
9152-646: The album had sold 2.7 million copies worldwide. In 2019, The Blueprint was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In October 2001, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for stabbing record producer Lance Rivera at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City in 1999. Despite Jay-Z's sentence of three years probation for
9295-442: The album included " What More Can I Say ", " Dirt off Your Shoulder ", " Change Clothes ", and " 99 Problems ". The Black Album has sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert—billed as a "retirement party" at Madison Square Garden in New York City , which was later the focus of his 2004 documentary, Fade to Black . All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators
9438-520: The album sold more than 427,000 copies, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and reached double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America . Eminem guest performed and produced its song, " Renegade ". Four tracks were produced by Kanye West . The Blueprint includes the songs " Izzo (H.O.V.A.) ", " Girls, Girls, Girls ", " Jigga That Nigga ", and " Song Cry ". As of February 2012 ,
9581-427: The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in recognition of one million copies purchased by Sprint and offered to consumers as free downloads. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 , making it Jay-Z's 13th consecutive studio album to top the chart. The album spawned two singles, the title track "4:44" and "Bam", as well as several music videos, directed by
9724-536: The album was to hit stores by spring 2011. In May 2012 it was reported that Jay-Z would work on new music with Roc Nation producer Jahlil Beats . Beats told XXL magazine: "Me and Jay-Z been going back and forth. He picked a couple of my joints that he's working on. I don't even wanna say too much about Jay, but we definitely working on some stuff. I haven't even sent him a bunch of beats. I sent him my favorite stuff. He hit me right back like, 'Yo, I'ma go in on this,' or, 'I like this.'" The album has been named one of
9867-425: The album. The follow-up to that was the second single " Otis ", which premiered on Funkmaster Flex 's Hot 97 radio show, and was later released to the iTunes Store eleven days later. The song's existence, along with several other tracks from the album, was confirmed during a listening session hosted by Jay-Z. The album was first released on the iTunes Store, five days prior to its being released in physical format,
10010-467: The arrest remains unknown; no charges were filed, and Mill was released from custody. However, in December, because of the incident, Mill was found to have violated his probation for his 2008 federal drug and gun charges, resulting in Judge Brinkley revoking Mill's travel permit. In May 2013, Mill was again found to have violated his probation and ordered to take etiquette classes. The violation
10153-543: The authorities of a robbery involving Sean Kingston . On September 18 Meek Mill released a diss track toward Game, a remix to Young M.A .'s " Ooouuu " with Omelly and fellow Philadelphia-based rapper Beanie Sigel . Two days later, The Game responded with "Pest Control", using the same beat and sending shots at Meek Mill, Omelly, Beanie Sigel, and Sean Kingston. In 2018 the two reconciled after Mill's incarceration and subsequent release from prison. A dispute between Meek Mill and Beanie Sigel ensued on September 26, 2016, when
10296-465: The case for a hearing. Hours after his release from prison, Michael G. Rubin , a minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and longtime supporter of Mill, flew Mill in by helicopter to a 76ers game to perform a ceremonial bell-ringing on the court. Garnering support from other public figures such as Jay-Z and fellow Philadelphian Kevin Hart , Mill has said that he would like to use his situation to "shine
10439-400: The classes, noting that Mill has "a lot of issues" and that the classes would provide him with a "big-picture perspective" on his personal and professional actions. Brinkley said the classes were "more important than any concerts he might have". Of the requirement to provide travel plans to his probation officer, Mill complained, "You just gonna miss money all day." The ADA explained that it was
10582-406: The clothing retailer Rocawear and later founded the 40/40 Club , a luxury bar chain, in 2003. As both grew into multi-million-dollar businesses, he launched Roc Nation, a multi-disciplinary entertainment agency in 2008. In 2015, he acquired the technology company Aspiro and led the expansion of Tidal , the company's media streaming service. As of 2024, he is the wealthiest musical artist in
10725-566: The co-headlining Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour . During the fifth game of the 2013 NBA Finals , Carter announced his twelfth studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail , and was released on July 4, 2013. Not long after, Jay-Z confirmed that the hyphen in his stage name would be left out and officially stylized in all capital letters. Magna Carta Holy Grail debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 528,000 copies in its first week, which bypassed its predicted debut in
10868-468: The company are no longer partners in the exact term, he and Jay remain on good terms. Despite his departure, the two still work on their prison reform venture, the REFORM Alliance. On October 26, 2012, Meek Mill announced the launch of his own record label imprint, Dream Chasers Records , with the flagship artists Louie V. Gutta, Lee Mazin and Goldie. On July 24, 2019, Meek Mill announced
11011-540: The consequences of his antics. In January 2019, after it was revealed that 6ix9ine would be cooperating with prosecutors, Meek tweeted that he already predicted that 6ix9ine would do so, and would continually diss him for that. After 6ix9ine was released earlier from prison in 2020, he and Mill continued to take shots at each other; at one time Mill called 6ix9ine's song " Gooba " "trash". In June 2020, 6ix9ine criticized Mill for releasing his protest song, "Otherside of America", while not "protesting". On February 14, 2021,
11154-477: The crime, Rivera later recanted the allegations in 2023. Jay-Z then collaborated with Chicago singer R. Kelly to release collaborative studio album, The Best of Both Worlds in March 2002. In November of that year, Jay-Z released his seventh studio album The Blueprint : The Gift & The Curse —a double album. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 3 million units solely in
11297-641: The current solo-artist record holder. On October 9, 2009, Jay-Z kicked off his tour for The Blueprint 3 , during which he supported his new album in North America. In a Shave Magazine review of his performance at Rexall Place in Edmonton , Jake Tomlinson expressed that "It was the type of smooth performance you would expect from the hip-hop superstar." The review gave this performance 4 stars. His North American tour continued until November 22, 2009. At his concert on November 8, 2009, at UCLA 's Pauley Pavilion , Rihanna joined him on stage and performed "Hard" for
11440-420: The diss track "Repo", which Mill later said would be the final diss record he would release against Cassidy. Cassidy later said the feud was not personal, saying it was all in the spirit of hip hop . On January 6, 2013, Cassidy released a 10-minute-long diss response titled "Raid". Eight months later, on September 5, 2013, Meek Mill released another diss record towards Cassidy, titled "Kendrick You Next". This
11583-499: The early 1990s. He first became known to a wide audience on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home . Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's hype man during this period, although Kane explains that he did not fill the traditional hype man role, and was instead basically making cameo appearances on stage. "When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to
11726-409: The entire company. Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events. In March 2015, Jay-Z completed the $ 56 million acquisition of Aspiro , a Norwegian media technology company that operates
11869-411: The family of Jaquan Graves, who was shot and killed in the parking lot outside a Connecticut concert in December 2016. Graves had just left the facility when gunfire started and he was killed. The lawsuit also claims that Mill and Roc Nation allowed "thugs" to remain on the premises after exhibiting disorderly, disruptive, argumentative, angry and agitated behaviors toward patrons. In May 2019, Meek Mill
12012-810: The family when Jay-Z was 11 years old, and Jay-Z and his three older siblings were raised by his mother, Gloria Carter. Reeves later met and reconciled with Jay-Z prior to his death in 2003. Jay-Z claims in his lyrics to "You Must Love Me", the closing track on his 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 , that in 1982, at age 12, he shot his older brother Eric in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. He attended Eli Whitney High School and George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School , both in Brooklyn, and then Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey . He did not graduate, dropping out during his sophomore year at Trenton Central High School. According to his interviews and lyrics, he sold crack cocaine and
12155-601: The festival organizers for choosing Jay-Z to headline a traditionally guitar-driven festival. "I'm sorry, but Jay-Z?" Gallagher asked, swearing. "No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of, kind of, guitar music, do you know what I mean? And even when they throw the odd curve balls in on a Sunday night—you go, 'Kylie Minogue? I don't know about that', do you know what I mean?—but I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury, no way, no, no. It's wrong." As controversy mounted, Jay-Z replied, "We don't play guitars, Noel, but hip hop has put in its work like any other form of music. This headline show
12298-632: The first rapper in Reebok 's history to endorse the company's footwear, signing a three-year endorsement deal. He later appeared in a 2003 Reebok collection advertising his S. Carter Collection. Later that year, he and frenemy 50 Cent appeared in a commercial to promote their S. Carter and G-Unit footwears for the company, with a Just Blaze-produced song made for it. In 2006, Jay-Z's deal with Reebok expired with no renewal. In 2014, Jay-Z invested $ 200 million in Armand de Brignac champagne—owned at
12441-406: The first time, then performed "Run This Town" with Jay-Z. Among his success, Jay-Z has ventured into producing Broadway shows. Along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, Jay-Z helped produce the play Fela! , a musical celebrating the work of the late Nigerian star Fela Kuti . Jay-Z said he was inspired by the power of Kuti's work and his life story, which resulted in his interest to help produce
12584-509: The following year. A protégé of fellow New York City-based rapper Jaz-O , Jay-Z began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1994 to release his first two studio albums Reasonable Doubt (1996) and In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997), both of which were met with critical acclaim. Each of his eleven subsequent albums, including The Blueprint (2001), The Black Album (2003), American Gangster (2007), and 4:44 (2017), debuted atop
12727-423: The founder and owner of Grand Hustle Records , Atlanta -based rapper and record executive T.I. T.I. was also impressed by Mill and offered him an opportunity to travel, to meet with him and Warner Bros. Records ; within a week both record companies offered him a deal. Although he was offered other record deals, Mill felt collaborating with T.I. was "an opportunity of a lifetime" and thus chose his label. However,
12870-498: The founders of the urban clothing brand Rocawear . Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group for $ 204 million. He retains his stake in the company and continues to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development. Jay-Z became
13013-421: The joint venture, saying "Everything he has done leading up to this point shows he is ready to [lead] the next generation. We look at the big picture — this is way beyond signing artists and having hot records." As president of the label, Mill oversees a team in a corporate New York office and also help operate a recording studio for the label's artists. When he was 18, while walking to a corner store armed, Meek
13156-415: The label's Self Made Vol. 1 (2011) compilation album; his song " Tupac Back " (featuring Rick Ross) served as the album's lead single , while its follow-up, " Ima Boss " (featuring Rick Ross) entered the Billboard Hot 100 . Meek Mill's debut studio album, Dreams and Nightmares (2012)—released in a joint venture with MMG and Warner Bros. Records —peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and
13299-438: The latter ridiculed the former's intelligence towards him through a radio interview. Minutes after the interview, Sigel was punched on the back of his head by someone who was believed to have been one of Meek Mill's affiliates. Three days later Mill criticized Sigel through many derogatory Instagram messages. Later Mill dissed Sigel, The Game and Drake in a freestyle on Funkmaster Flex 's radio show. Sigel responded by releasing
13442-554: The latter stating, "I got my eyes on him. He's the next one to take this shit over." The album was released on October 30, 2012. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 165,000 copies. In its second week, the album sold 41,000 more copies, dropping six spots on the chart to number eight. Following the release of the lead single for Dreams & Nightmares , entitled " Amen ", Philadelphia area pastor Rev. Jomo K. Johnson called for
13585-526: The most anticipated albums of 2013 by Complex Magazine , MTV , and XXL . Production will come from Jahlil Beats , Kanye West , Rick Rubin , Swizz Beatz , Timbaland , and Pharrell Williams . Jay-Z also made an appearance on Justin Timberlake 's comeback single " Suit & Tie " from his third studio album The 20/20 Experience , the song itself was produced by both Jay-Z and Timberlake's mutual friend, Timbaland. Timberlake and Jay-Z embarked on
13728-468: The musical. Fela! is a story about an African pioneer and political activist who made his first moves on the scene during the 1970s. On January 23, 2010, Jay-Z released a track, " Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) ", with Rihanna, and U2 's Bono and The Edge , as well as performing it at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in
13871-520: The official launch of Dream Chasers Records as a joint venture with Roc Nation . Mill spoke on the deal saying "Creating a record label has always been the next step in my journey as a businessman and I appreciate Roc Nation and Jay-Z's support on this new venture. I want to take my experiences in the music industry, use them to find young, hungry talent and open doors for the next generation of artists." The label also handles its own operations, creative strategy, marketing and business affairs. Jay-Z spoke on
14014-451: The pair unveiled Everything Is Love , their much-awaited joint studio album, credited under the name The Carters . The pair also released the video for the album's lead single, " Apeshit ", on Beyoncé's official YouTube channel. The song won two awards from eight nominations at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards . In 2021, Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with fellow rapper LL Cool J . He also appeared on
14157-410: The potential mishandling of his arrest. This came upon a whistle-blower's testimony responsible for the revelation of hundreds of other corrupt officers. An appeal to reverse Mill's conviction was submitted. With Mill's continuous arrests and probation from Brinkley, he is estimated by his booking agency and management to have lost millions of dollars in profit. In August 2019, Mill pleaded guilty to
14300-486: The range of 350,000 to 400,000. In December 2013, it was announced that Jay-Z had received nine nominations at the 2014 Grammy Awards , more than any other artist. Jay-Z appeared on his wife Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, Beyoncé , with a feature on the song " Drunk in Love ". They performed this song together at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards opening. The song and its accompanying album would later win three Grammy Awards including Best R&B Performance at
14443-449: The rappers got into an altercation outside an Atlanta club, in which 6ix9ine clowned Mill for having security around him and lunged at them, but was stopped by Mill's security. Both rappers posted videos of the incident. On February 19, 2021, 6ix9ine released a diss track towards Mill, titled " Zaza ", with a music video that includes a clip of the altercation. In response, Mill issued a cease and desist to 6ix9ine. In August 2013, Mill
14586-433: The record label Dream Chasers Records in 2012, which has released his own projects and signed other artists including Yung Bleu , Vory , and Lil Snupe . In November 2017, Meek Mill was sentenced to two to four years in prison for violating parole, before being released while his trial continued after serving five months. In August 2019, a documentary series about his battle with the criminal justice system, Free Meek ,
14729-415: The service is to bring major revenue streams back to the music artists themselves as the idea of an artist-owned streaming platform was stated as to "restore the value to music by launching a service owned by artists." Jay-Z currently is a major shareholder in the company. In July 2015, Carter made a significant investment to JetSmarter , an app helping people book private executive plane flights. The app
14872-437: The single " La-La-La ", which was a sequel to "Excuse Me Miss" and failed to match its commercial success. After visiting the south of France, Jay-Z announced work on his eighth studio album, The Black Album at the opening of the 40/40 Club. He worked with several producers including Just Blaze , The Neptunes , Kanye West , Timbaland , Eminem , DJ Quik , 9th Wonder , The Buchanans , and Rick Rubin . Notable songs on
15015-519: The single's video was directed by F. Gary Gray . The album features production from Just Blaze , Pharrell , Kanye West , Dr. Dre and Coldplay 's Chris Martin (single entitled " Beach Chair "). The first week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, enough to be his "biggest sales week ever" as Billboard reported. This album has sold 2 million copies in the U.S. Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled American Gangster on November 6, 2007. After viewing
15158-471: The song " Jail " on Kanye West's 2021 album Donda , which went on to win Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards and on the song "Love All" from Drake 's 2021 album Certified Lover Boy . In 2022, his first feature was a collaboration with fellow rapper Pusha T , " Neck & Wrist " featuring Pharrell Williams from Pusha T's album, It's Almost Dry . His feature
15301-480: The song, such as "If you didn't write it, don't record it." He also implied that he was in a relationship with Drake's current love interest, Rihanna . Meek Mill and Drake were both respectively endorsed by Burger King and Whataburger for their feud. After Mill's release from prison in 2018, the feud was officially squashed. Drake was featured on Mill's song "Going Bad", from his post-incarceration album Championships . On September 16, 2016, The Game released
15444-418: The song. The song finds the rappers reflecting on the emotional suffering and losses they have experienced in the past during their respective rises to prominence, as well as injustices they have faced and their difficulty to trust others. In the chorus, Meek Mill expresses his wish for the money from his success to ease his pain: "I just hope this money take the pain away / And I've been tryna save my money for
15587-527: The stage together to perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is Yours". Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006, titled Kingdom Come . Jay-Z's comeback single, " Show Me What You Got ", was leaked on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the FBI to step in and investigate. Jay-Z worked with video director Hype Williams , and
15730-542: The stage." According to his second verse on " 99 Problems ", released in 2003, Jay-Z was allegedly stopped by an NYPD detective in 1994 while en route to I-95 , possibly for a search of drugs in his car. Detection dogs were called, but another police car had passed; Jay-Z was let go soon after. Jay-Z appeared on a popular song by Big L , "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo 's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by his former Murder Inc. colleagues Ja Rule and DMX in 1995. His first official rap single
15873-434: The subscription-based music streaming service Tidal , which has been in operation since October 2014. The music service was acquired through his company Project Panther Bidco Ltd. (an entity indirectly owned by Jay-Z's S. Carter Enterprises a company holding interests in leading international music, media and entertainment companies). The music service combines audio and music videos with curated editorial. The main idea of
16016-459: The time by Sovereign Brands, a New York–based wine and spirits company—for a 100 percent stake, making it the second alcoholic product acquisition in his financial investment portfolio. The brand is known for its popularity with high-profile artists as being the gold bottles often referred to in media. His ties to the company date back to 2006, and he received millions of dollars per year for his association with Armand de Brignac before he bought
16159-437: The track, and claimed that Drake was urinated on inside a movie theatre. Mill then removed the song from SoundCloud and said that he was moving on from his feud with Drake after WWE sent him a cease and desist . On January 30, 2016, Drake released a new diss track aimed at Mill, titled " Summer Sixteen ", as the buzz single , used to promote his fourth studio album, Views . Less than fifteen minutes later, Mill released
16302-525: The video for the track, " Pain Away ". That same month, the film, Charm City Kings , was released exclusively on HBO Max . Originally scheduled for a May 2020 theatrical release by Sony Pictures , it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later acquired by HBO . The Angel Manuel Soto -directed and Will Smith-produced drama stars Mill and opposite Jahi Di'Allo Winston as street bikers who end up under
16445-508: The wax, that's what I really listen to." He often uses excerpts from these artists as samples in his work, particularly in the Kanye West productions included on The Blueprint. Royce da 5'9" and Fredro Starr of Onyx both describe Jay-Z's emphasis on flow in the book How to Rap —Starr says that Jay-Z is "a master of the flow—he can flow fast, he can flow slow". The book describes how Jay-Z uses 'rests' to provide structure to
16588-508: The world with a net worth of US$ 2.5 billion. One of the world's best-selling music artists with 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards , the tenth-most of all time and most awarded for any hip hop artist jointly with Kanye West. He has been awarded the NAACP 's President's Award , a Primetime Emmy Award , a Sports Emmy Award , and been nominated for a Tony Award . Ranked by Billboard and Rolling Stone as one of
16731-701: Was " In My Lifetime ", which was released with an accompanying music video in 1995. An unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side "I Can't Get with That." With no major label to give him a record deal, Jay-Z sold burned CDs out of his car, and with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke , created Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label in 1995. After striking a distribution deal with Priority , Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G. The album reached number 23 on
16874-422: Was a failure to report travel plans as required and social media postings that resulted in death threats to the probation officer who assigned his case. In requiring the classes and stressing the requirement to report travel, Brinkley noted, "You need to try to get this right next time." In June 2013, the court noted that Mill continually failed to report his travel plans. Brinkley established an August deadline for
17017-446: Was arrested for illegally possessing a firearm and was beaten up by the police . Because of the beating, his lips and both eyes became swollen and one of his braids was ripped out. He was charged with attempted or aggravated assault against a police officer after two black cops gave a statement against him in the case, saying he chased them down with a gun and tried to shoot one of them. He was then placed on probation. In 2008, Mill
17160-461: Was built by Sergey Petrossov. From 2005 to 2007, Jay-Z was inaugurated as the president of Def Jam Recordings. Under Jay-Z's leadership, Def Jam launched the successful careers of contemporary R&B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo . At the end of 2007, after he released American Gangster , Jay-Z decided not to renew his contract as the president and CEO of Def Jam. Shortly after, he started his Live Nation venture, Roc Nation . In April 2011, it
17303-457: Was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies. The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination and the academy's decision to not broadcast urban music categories. In 1999, Jay-Z collaborated with Mariah Carey on " Heartbreaker ", a song from her seventh album, Rainbow . The song became Jay-Z's first chart-topper in
17446-405: Was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia , and second-degree possession of a loaded firearm by a convicted felon . He was sentenced to eleven to twenty-three months in prison, followed by eight years probation, by Philadelphia County Superior Court Judge Genece Brinkley. After Mill's 2008 conviction, Brinkley continued to handle Mill's further legal cases and oversaw his probation. Mill
17589-403: Was despite the fact that he said "Repo" would be his final diss record. Three days later, Cassidy released a diss record titled "Catch A Body", as a response. By 2017, the two rappers had resolved their differences. In July 2015, Meek Mill publicly criticized Canadian rapper Drake on Twitter , calling him out for not writing his own lyrics. In a series of tweets, Meek Mill claimed Drake used
17732-521: Was entitled the "I Declare War" concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. As he had previously "declared war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events, many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out assault by Jay-Z upon his rivals. The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as president and CEO of Def Jam , complete with an on-stage mock-up of
17875-497: Was included in XXL 's "Freshman Class of 2011". Later that year, he released his debut single , " Tupac Back ", featuring Rick Ross , from his label's compilation album Self Made Vol. 1 (2011). That same year he released his second single, " Ima Boss ", also take from the compilation and featuring Ross. The song was later remixed , featuring T.I., Birdman , Lil Wayne , DJ Khaled , Swizz Beatz and Rick Ross. The remix charted on
18018-678: Was led by the single " Amen " (featuring Drake ). His second album, Dreams Worth More Than Money (2015), peaked atop the Billboard 200, while his third album, Wins & Losses (2016), peaked at number three. His fourth album, Championships (2018), debuted atop the chart once more; its lead single, " Going Bad " (featuring Drake), peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song. His fifth album, Expensive Pain (2021), also peaked at number three, and his collaborative album with Rick Ross, Too Good to Be True (2023), peaked at number 23. He founded
18161-498: Was named president of Def Jam Records, which led to Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs selling their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z taking control of both of the companies. Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash as to what direction Roc-A-Fella could undertake. On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert
18304-409: Was never able to release an official album under Grand Hustle and they parted ways in 2010. That same year, a film was released called Streets . A direct-to-DVD crime drama , starring Mill, produced by Alston and directed by Jamal Hill. In February 2011, Rick Ross announced the signing of Mill along with fellow American rapper Wale to his Maybach Music Group (MMG) label. In March 2011, Mill
18447-411: Was one of the many rappers mentioned by Kendrick Lamar on his guest verse on Big Sean's " Control ". Lamar touted himself as the king of both coasts and threatened to "murder" the rappers he mentioned, despite being associated with them before. During a performance at a music festival in New York City , Mill sent derogatory messages to Lamar. On September 9, 2013, Mill later released "Ooh, Kill 'Em",
18590-405: Was produced by Live Nation and assembled an eclectic lineup of " rock , hip hop , R&B , Latin music and dance" musicians. Jay-Z and Rihanna were the two main headlining acts for BBC Radio 1 's 2012 Hackney Weekend music festival on June 23 to 24. Jay-Z opened his set with an appearance from Rihanna, they performed "Run this Town". On September 6, " Clique " was released, a single from
18733-487: Was released in early 2009 under a five-year parole agreement after serving seven months. In January 2023, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf pardoned Mill for these convictions. On the night of Halloween 2012, following an album release party for his debut, Dreams and Nightmares , in South Philadelphia, Mill was detained by city police after a car which he was riding in was pulled over. The outcome of
18876-512: Was released on Amazon Prime Video . Jay-Z executive produced the series; he and Meek Mill also co-founded the nonprofit Reform Alliance that same year, which focuses on national prison reform . Robert Rihmeek Williams was born on May 6, 1987, in the South Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , the son of Kathy Williams. He has an older sister, Nasheema Williams. Kathy grew up in poverty and her mother died when she
19019-565: Was released on November 30. The album received positive reviews from critics and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, selling 229,000 album-equivalent units in its first week (42,000 coming from pure sales ). In June 2020, Mill released his protest song " Otherside of America ", amid the protests following the murder of George Floyd . On November 20, 2020, Meek returned with a four-track EP, Quarantine Pack , which features rappers 42 Dugg , Vory , and Lil Durk , who also appears in
19162-539: Was reported that Jay-Z had outbid executives at Universal Music and Jive Records to acquire independent record label Block Starz Music . For a decade (2003–2013), Jay-Z enjoyed his role as a part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, having paid a reported $ 1 million for his share, which declined in value to $ 350,000 in April 2013, based on Forbes magazine's valuation of the team. He encouraged
19305-558: Was responsible for the low sales of the album. He went as afar to state that the label wouldn't allow him to bring PnB Rock nor Roddy Ricch as artists to his Dream Chasers imprint, while also clarifying that Atlantic restricted him from releasing any more music for the following nine months and demanded his release alongside labelmates, fellow Philadelphian Lil Uzi Vert , and YoungBoy Never Broke Again . On July 11, 2022, Mill confirmed that he had ended his management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Entertainment, stating that although he and
19448-498: Was right". They participated in a short social exchange, after which Cassidy released "The Diary of a Hustla", which was originally thought to be a diss track towards Mill. This was later refuted by Cassidy. They both asked $ 100,000 each for the battle to take place. However, after Meek Mill dissed Cassidy's song, "Condom Style" (a remake of Psy 's " Gangnam Style "), Cassidy released a formal diss track towards Mill with "Me, Myself & iPhone". Afterwards, Meek Mill responded with
19591-431: Was scheduled to be released on May 6, 2013. However, he had announced that it would be pushed back, eventually to be released on September 29, 2013. In November 2013, Mill announced that he was halfway finished with his second studio album. On March 8, 2014, Mill announced that the album would be titled Dreams Worth More Than Money . Mill's album, Dreams Worth More Than Money , which was released on June 28, 2015, topped
19734-681: Was sentenced to two to four years in state prison for violating his parole. He served five months at the State Correctional Institution – Chester in Chester, Pennsylvania . On April 24, 2018, Mill was released, pending outcome of an appeal to the Pennsylvania supreme court. The Philadelphia district attorney petitioned Brinkley for his release, citing credibility issues with the arresting officer in his initial 2008 conviction. Brinkley declined and instead scheduled
19877-485: Was shot at three times during this period. His former friend was sentenced to prison for possessing drugs and weapons. Known as "Jazzy" around the neighborhood, he later adopted the stage name "Jay-Z" in homage to his mentor Jaz-O . Jay-Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including " H. P. Gets Busy ", "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie". Jay-Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper LL Cool J in
20020-606: Was shy and rarely spoke. As a kid, he became acquainted with another of his father's brothers, who under the MC name Grandmaster Nell was a pioneering disc jockey (DJ) in the late-1980s Philadelphia hip-hop scene and influenced rap artists Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff . Meek's interest in hip-hop grew as a result of these early influences. He was also influenced by the independent hip-hop artists Chic Raw and Vodka, whom he learned to emulate by watching their DVDs. During his early teenage years, Meek often took part in rap battles under
20163-789: Was succeeded by a four-minute guest appearance on DJ Khaled 's album title track, " God Did ". He also was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) , as a producer for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show . Jay-Z says his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was mostly of soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway . He says "I grew up around music, listening to all types of people... I'm into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever. As long as I can feel their soul through
20306-676: Was turned away from the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas when attempting to attend a show. His attorney, Joe Tacopina, alleged that Mill was turned away because of his race. On May 25, 2019, Mill said that he intended to pursue legal action against the hotel for racial discrimination. Within days, the Cosmopolitan issued the requested apology. Tacopina then announced that his client had accepted it, and no lawsuit would be forthcoming. In 2016, Meek Mill spent $ 50,000 to donate 60,000 Ice Mountain brand bottled water to contribute to and support
20449-487: Was young. Meek's father was killed when Meek was five years old, apparently during an attempted robbery. His uncle, Robert, described Meek Mill's father as a " black sheep of the family". After her husband's death, Kathy moved with Meek and his sister to North Philadelphia , where they lived in a three-bedroom apartment on Berks Street. Their financial condition was poor and she started cutting hair, doing other jobs, and shoplifting in order to support her family. At home, Meek
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