Pop Filter Event of the Week: Hip hop superstar Jay-Z performs at Mellon Arena

It may be the name of the subway line he rode as a kid growing up in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, but today, the moniker is all his to own. Née Shawn Corey Carter in 1969, Jay-Z has worked for decades to become one of the country's most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs.

Outside of the award-winning hits, not to mention holding the record for the most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200, Jay-Z's list of accomplishments is not too shabby: creator of trendy clothing line Rocawear, former CEO of pioneering label Def Jam Recordings and co-owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets, for starters.

The singer's foray into hip hop included stints with his mentor (and partial namesake) Jaz-O, rap legend LL Cool and MC Big Daddy Kane, and eventually the establishment of his own independent record label, Roc-A-Fella Records. His chart-topping albums include Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, from 1998, a five-times platinum LP that went on to sell five million copies and garner a Grammy.

Deemed one of hip hop's "classic" albums, Jay-Z's sixth studio record, The Blueprint, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2001. With four tracks produced by Kanye West, the LP also features guest rapper Eminem. Jay-Z has collaborated with everyone from Timbaland, The Roots and Alicia Keys, to Linkin Park, Rihanna and R. Kelly. In 2008, Jay-Z  become the first major hip hop artist to headline Britain's high-profile Glastonbury Festival.

Beyond rap, Jay-Z teamed up with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith to co-produce the Broadway show, Fela!, which celebrated the legacy of late Nigerian star Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Last month, worldwide audiences heard the song "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)," which Jay-Z recorded with Rihanna and U2 for the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. Jay-Z's philanthropic efforts also include work on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and global water shortage issues.

For tickets, go here.

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