Starverb
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Artist

JAY-Z

JAY-Z is an act on the Starverb influence map. Their sound grew out of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Bobby Byrd, Third Man Records, Labi Siffre and Super Freak. Those roots explain a lot about how JAY-Z arrange songs and choose their tones. They run in the same orbit as Jadakiss, Pusha T, Clipse, Mobb Deep and The Diplomats, sharing audiences, venues and reference points rather than a straight line of influence. Their influence carried into The Pinkprint, Joey Bada$$, 50 Cent, Isaiah Rashad and Original Me, where the same ideas turn up rearranged for a later generation. Altogether the chart holds 307 connections around JAY-Z, reaching back through Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and forward to The Pinkprint. Follow any of those threads to keep travelling the influence between bands and genres on Starverb.

Background

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.

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Roots — what shaped themLegacy — who they shapedKindred — same orbit
JAY-ZHarold Melvin & the …Bobby ByrdThird Man RecordsLabi SiffreSuper FreakElly JacksonMount KimbieBobby "Blue" BlandThe PinkprintJoey Bada$$50 CentIsaiah RashadOriginal MeDon JazzyBeautiful AwakeningFBG DuckJadakissPusha TClipseMobb DeepThe DiplomatsThe GameFabolousFreeway

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JAY-Z connections

JAY-Z grew out of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Bobby Byrd, Third Man Records and Labi Siffre, shares an orbit with Jadakiss, Pusha T, Clipse and Mobb Deep, went on to shape The Pinkprint, Joey Bada$$, 50 Cent and Isaiah Rashad. 307 connections mapped across roots, kindred and legacy.

Who influenced JAY-Z

Roots139

Sounds and acts that shaped JAY-Z.

Artists similar to JAY-Z

Kindred24

Artists and scenes sharing an orbit with JAY-Z.

Bands JAY-Z shaped

Legacy144

Where the influence of JAY-Z travelled next.

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