drug dealing would inform his lyrics when he began rapping under the stage name Jazzy, soon shortened to Jay-Z (a name that may also have been derived from the proximity of the J and Z subway lines to the Marcy Projects).
James and two friends founded their own company, Roc-A-Fella Records, to release his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996), which eventually sold more than a million copies in the. The critically acclaimed The Blueprint (2001), featuring the triumphant hit “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” solidified his status as one of the preeminent voices in hip-hop at the dawn of the 21st century.
Shortly after its release, Jay-Z pleaded guilty to assault relating to a 1999 nightclub stabbing and received three years’ probation, but the incident did little to derail his career. Ahead of the release of The Black Album (2003), however, Jay-Z announced his retirement as a performer.
