44 Awesome JAY-Z Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

1. JAY-Z actually lived in London during the late 1980s.

The rapper, who was pictured in a Mercedes Benz, lived in London in 1989. JAY recorded music with Monie Love and soaked in the culture, before moving back to the States. Picture: Instagram

2. Michael Jackson secretly sang on Jay Z's hit single 'Girls, Girls, Girls'.

"He was on my song ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, singing these background vocals and I didn’t even put his name on it,” Jay once revealed in an interview with NME.

3. JAY-Z's father left the house when we was 11 or 12-years-old and never returned.

JAY-Z was forced to become the man of the house at a very young age after his father Adnes Reeves walked out. The pair briefly renunited back in 2003. However Adnes died a few years later from liver disease, developed from a drinking problem. Picture: WENN

4. 'Reasonable Doubt' was originally called 'Heir To The Throne'.

5. Jay Z tries to take Beyonce on a pizza date every Sunday in Brooklyn.

6. Jay Z and Busta Rhymes went to school together and once battled with each other in their cafeteria.

7. Jay Z rode the subway to a gig in Brooklyn New York.

Picture: Splash

8. Jay Z's daughter Blue Ivy featured on his song 'Glory' when she was just two days old.

9. And here he is riding the tube to London's O2 Arena with Coldplay's Chris Martin.

10. Jay Z is worth $500 million, according to Forbes.

11. Despite a close friendship with Barack Obama, he says he will never be a politician.

Picture: BarackObama Twitter

12. Jay Z and Diddy both pledged $1 million to the US Red Cross' relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.

13. Up until September 2013, the rapper had a stake in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

14. Jay Z founded Rocawear along with Damon Dash. The label's annual revenue is $700 million.

15. Jay Z writes all his lyrics in his head - he doesn't write any down.

16. Jay Z was president of Def Jam records from 2004-2008.

17. Jay Z and Beyonce's ''03 Bonnie & Clyde' samples Tupac's 1996 song 'Me And My Girlfriend'.

Tupac Shakur

18. Jay Z's name was inspired by his old nickname Jazzy.

19. Jay Z is an investor in Carol's Daughter, a range of beauty products.

20. Jay Z produced the musical Fela! - based on Fela Kuti - with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

21. And in April 2013 the rapper launched Roc Nation Sports, a sport management group.

22. Jay Z and Linkin Park were joined by Paul McCartney when they performed at the 2003 Grammy Awards.

23. The FBI were called in when Jay Z's single 'Show Me What You Got' leaked online in 2006.

24. Jay Z has sold 50 million albums worldwide.

25. It was at 40/40 that Jay Z first announced 'The Black Album'.

26. Jay Z sold records from his car before creating Roc-A-Fella with Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs.

27. Jay Z is the first artist Beyonce goes to when she records new music to get the rapper's opinion.

28. Jay Z's memoirs, Decoded, were released in November 2010.

29. Jay Z shot his 'Picasso Baby' in a New York museum over six hours.

30. Jay Z's real name is Shawn Corey Carter.

Picture: Getty