Lots of rappers struggle to find the right stage name. They often shuffle through a myriad of names before settling on one and hoping it sticks with fans. Kendrick Lamar used to be K. Dot. 2 Chainz was Tity Boi. Eminem couldn’t be M&M for obvious copyright purposes. None of these names really screams star rappers either. Jay-Z had to go through a similar phase, going through his Rolodex before landing on how we know him today. Frankly, it seemed like he made the right decision.
In an April 2000 interview with Q Magazine, Hov reveals how he landed on his now legendary stage name and some of the options he was trying out early in his career. “When I was young, I was a cool, laidback little dude, so they called me Jazzy,” he recalls. “Later, that turned into Jay-Z.”
As far as other aliases go, he settled on various names over the years. In the conversation with Q Magazine, he highlights three in particular that stuck. The first is Jay-hovah, eventually spinning into shorthand for Hov. “I’m not saying I’m God. I didn’t create this place. But as far as lyrics, I’m God MC,” Jay-Z explains. “The Supajigga” was an option because he used to rap and rhyme fast. Eventually, that just became ‘Jigga’ in the end, too. Lastly, “S-Dot” still has merit because it is shorthand for his government name, Shawn Carter, after all.
Jay-Z Reveals The Names He Went Through Before landing on The one We All Know
Nowadays, Hov operates as a staunch businessman more than a rapper. Most recently, he was feverishly trying to bring a Caesar’s Palace casino to Times Square. His argument was that those kind of partnerships helps show what “New York really looks like.” Still, he faced quite a bit of opposition from locals and the President of the Broadway League, Jason Laks.
“The residents and workers of this neighborhood see through it,” Laks says of the big Jay-Z push. “These are massive corporations with virtually unlimited resources. But Broadway represents creative vitality and is the beating cultural heart of this city, something fundamentally different from what a casino represents.”
Still, fans can still eventually anticipate some new music. Longtime friend and Roc-a-Fella cohort Memphis Bleek teased the idea on Drink Champs after seeing Jay-Z in Las Vegas. “I just was with him in Vegas. He just came out on the show, like, yo, my n***a, they went stupid,” Bleek says. “I said, ‘Listen, I know you working. Save me a verse.’ He’s like, ‘Alright, I got you.’ So if it happens, it happens.”
The post The ‘Laidback’ Origins of Jay-Z’s Stage Name (and Other Nicknames He’s Collected Over the Years) appeared first on VICE.
