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. Jay Z's earliest musical memory was listening to his parents copy of Marvin Gaye's albums.

12. He's used samples of these songs throughout his career, including the Kanye-produced The Blueprint.

13. He wanted "Heart of The City" to be the first single for The Blueprint.

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

Picture: BarackObama Twitter

15. Radiohead allowed The Roots to sample one of their songs after Jay Z intervened.

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

17. In 2009, Jay Z and wife Beyonce were named the most powerful couple in the world.

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

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

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

21. Jay Z became the first major hip-hop artist to headline Glastonbury Festival in 2008.

22. He only decided to cover Oasis' 'Wonderwall' an hour before taking to the Pyramid stage.

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

24. He left to form Roc Nation - a collaboration with Live Nation home to artists like Rita Ora.

25. Jay Z and Nas ended their feud at the I Declare War concert in 2005.

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

Tupac Shakur

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

28. Jay Z's mum said he used to keep his family awake banging drum patterns on their kitchen table.

29. Jay Z refers to Russell Simmons as The Godfather.

30. Jay Z is ranked the 88th best artist - of any genre - of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

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

32. Jay Z owns the nightclub 40/40 in New York, which takes its name from the baseball term.

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

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

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

36. In 1999, Jay Z dueted with Mariah Carey on a song called 'Heartbreaker'.

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

38. Jay Z has sold 50 million albums worldwide.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picture: Getty