Jay-Z kicked off his music career under the name “Jazzy.” However, as his career and music progressed, he switched to Jay-Z. So, what’s the story behind his stage name? Well, basically, it was a mix of paying homage to his mentor and music producer, Jaz-O, and Brooklyn’s J/Z subway line.
Jay-Z and Jaz-O were like brothers back in the day. He wrote about the start of their friendship and collaboration in “Decoded,” his 2010 autobiography. “I connected with an older kid who had a reputation as the best rapper in Marcy. Jaz was his name—and we started practicing our rhymes into a heavy-ass tape recorder with a makeshift mic attached,” Jay-Z shared. “DJs started setting up sound systems in the project courtyards, and me and Jaz and other MCs from around the way would battle one another for hours.”
Unfortunately, the brolationship turned to beef in 2001, after Jaz-O turned down Jay-Z’s offer to sign with his record label Roc-A-Fella. The heat was turned up when the ex-mentor allegedly collaborated with Jay-Z’s former nemesis, Nas, for his diss track “Ether.” His ex-mentee clapped back with his own diss tracks, “Get High (Freestyle)” and “What We Talkin’ About.” A lot of verbal sparring and smack-talking flowed over the next 20 years until the two finally kissed and made up in 2017. They were photographed hanging backstage during the Chicago leg of Jay-Z’s 4:44 tour.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Nicki
