世界名人简介 第136期:Jay Z

 　　Jay-Z is a rap artist and former CEO of the record label Def Jam Recordings². He co-owns the American basketball team the New Jersey³ Nets. He has successfully expanded his career as a rapper into the wider business world as a recording¹ executive. Jay-Z released his tenth album in 2007, making him one of rap’s most prolific⁴ artists.

　　Jay Z是说唱歌手，Def Jam Recordings唱片公司前首席执行官。与他人共同拥有新泽西网队。从说唱歌手到唱片公司老板，他成功迈向商界。2007年，Jay Z发行个人第十张专辑，一跃成为最多产的说唱歌手之一。

　　Jay-Z was born as Shawn Carter in Brooklyn in 1969. He grew up in a rough neighbourhood. His father abandoned him when he was 11 and he shot his brother in the shoulder when he was 12. He went to high school with fellow rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. Jay-Z was interested in drum rhythms and writing lyrics⁵ from a young age.

　　1969年，Jay-Z出生（原名肖恩·卡特）在布鲁克林区。成长环境异常艰辛。11岁时，父亲将他遗弃，12岁时他开枪击中了哥哥的肩膀。他与之后的说唱歌手克里斯托弗·华莱士，布斯塔·莱姆斯一同进入高中学习。Jay-Z喜欢鼓点，从很小开始就自己写词。

　　Carter’s nickname was "Jazzy", which eventually developed into his stage name, "Jay-Z". He appeared on several hip-hop artists’ records in the late 1980s. Other rappers recognized his ability to rap and he recorded his first single in 1995. He was unable to secure a contract and founded Roc-A-Fella Records. He released his debut⁶ album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ in 1996, to critical acclaim⁷.

　　卡特的外号是“Jazzy”，最终演变成了他的艺名“Jay-Z”。80年代末，他曾多次出现在说唱歌手专辑中。许多歌手发现了他的说唱才华，1995年他录制了第一张单曲。因无法签约，他独立创建了Roc-A-Fella唱片。1996年发行个人专辑《Reasonable Doubt》，并受到好评。

　　Jay-Z turned into one of rap’s biggest stars over the next decade. He invested a lot of time into developing his business interests. He developed a hip-hop clothing line called Rocawear and received ‘GQ’ magazine’s International Man of the Year award. He also co-owns an American sports bar chain and has got into property development. Jay-Z married R&B star Beyonce in 2008.

　　在未来十年间，Jay-Z成为了最著名的说唱歌手之一。他也将大量时间投身到商业发展当中。他创建了嘻哈服装品牌Rocawear，并荣获《GQ》杂志国际年度男士奖。他还与他人共同拥有一家美国运动酒吧连锁，还投身房地产业。2008年，他与明星碧昂丝结婚。

　　1.hip-hop 嘻哈音乐

　　例句：At the age of8, I discovered my first love, Hip-Hop music.

　　在我8岁的时候，就发现了我的初恋&嘻哈音乐。

　　2.be interested in 对…感兴趣

　　例句：I thought she might be interested in Paula's proposal

　　我觉得她对葆拉的提议可能会感兴趣。

　　3.stage name 艺名

　　例句：Under the stage name of Beverly Brooks⁸, Patricia had small parts in several British films.

　　帕特里夏以贝弗利·布鲁克斯的艺名在几部英国电影中饰演过小角色。

　　4.record label 唱片公司

　　例句：She landed a contract with record label EMI

　　她获得了一份与百代唱片公司的合约。

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

5 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

8 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》