What is Jay-Z's full name?

Jay-Z’s full name is Shawn Corey Carter. He was born on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York, and became one of the most influential rappers, entrepreneurs, and record executives in modern music.

Carter grew up in the Marcy Houses housing project in Brooklyn’s Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. He adopted the stage name Jay-Z during his early career, a name commonly associated with his mentor Jaz-O and with the J/Z subway lines near his Brooklyn neighborhood.

Jay-Z released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996. He later co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and built a broad business career involving music, fashion, sports, entertainment, and technology. His marriage to Beyoncé also made the Carter surname widely familiar beyond hip-hop.

The name is sometimes written as Shawn Carter or JAY-Z in professional contexts, but Shawn Corey Carter is the artist’s birth name and the canonical answer to this question. “Shawn Corey Martin,” “Shawn Corey Jackson,” and “Shawn Corey Williams” are incorrect.