JAY-Z Hard Knock Site

Watch JAY-Z’s latest video simply titled “Pray”.

Universal Music Group said Monday that rap artist and hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is stepping down as president of its Def Jam Records unit, effective by the end of the year.

Carter, 38, has been president of the rap label since 2005, and has signed acts including R&B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo.

Universal said Carter, a top-selling rapper who performs as Jay-Z, will continue recording for its Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam label. But the company did not give a reason for his decision to quit the executive suite.

“Now it’s time for me to take on new challenges,” he said in a statement. “I am pleased to have had the opportunity to build upon the Def Jam legacy,” he added.

Read the rest of Jay-Z to Step Down as Def Jam President

Happy birthday to JAY-Z a.k.a. Shawn Corey Carter. JAY-Z turns 38 today.

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, NYC) better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper and current president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. In addition, he co-owns The 40/40 Club, and is co-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America.

Watch JAY-Z performing Roc Boys (And The Winner Is…) with tonnes of other artistes.

JAY-Z was on the Letterman Show and he performed Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)… from his latest album “American Gangster”.

JAY-Z officially announces release of his new album, American Gangster, due Tuesday November 6.

JAY-Z Creates Original Material to be Released in Conjunction With Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment’s American Gangster

(New York, NY; Thursday, September 20, 2007): On November 6, Roc-A-Fella Records and JAY-Z will release the new album AMERICAN GANGSTER. Separate from the official motion picture soundtrack, this collection of all-new original material is a musical journey and lyrical interpretation of snapshots from the upcoming motion picture American Gangster, which pairs Oscar® winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Based on the true story of criminal mastermind Frank Lucas, who came up from the streets of New York in the ’70s, the film is produced by Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer and directed and produced by Ridley Scott. It opens on November 2.

The conceptual, full body of work from the new album balances the line between pure entertainment and real life. JAY-Z draws upon past experiences, speaking to the harsh reality of the drug trade still taking place in our nation’s cities. While not glorifying the Frank Lucas story, JAY-Z articulates the lure of a gangster’s life and stands as an example of one who chose to leave those streets behind to go on and become one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time.

Throughout AMERICAN GANGSTER, JAY-Z brings the audience into a world rich in familial relationships, hustling and the lasting effects of drugs on a community. Through its musical tone, the album complements the story as told in the major motion.

I just want to take this opportunity to wish Beyonce Knowles a happy 26th birthday!

As Amy Winehouse and JAY-Z have not produced a video music yet, here’s the best you can get.

Hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has reportedly proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Beyonce Knowles.

According to British media reports, Jay-Z cancelled several U.S. promotional appearances for his Roc-A-Fella empire and flew out to France last week to surprise the “Bootylicious” beauty with a romantic break in Cannes, where he allegedly popped the question.

Beyonce — who is currently in the U.K. as part of her world tour — reportedly accepted the proposal, and a source says the rapper has promised her “the biggest diamond she can fit on her finger.”

The source adds, “This will be the hip-hop wedding to end all hip-hop weddings.”

The couple are said to be planning to marry in Hawaii in Fall this year.

Beyoncé and her boyfriend JAY-Z are spending holidays somewhere on the French coast.

Check out the pictures