Where They’re From: Brooklyn, NY

Who They Are: You can’t knock the hustle, especially since it took Shawn Carter from rapper on the come-up to entrepreneur with a cadre of next-generation talent on his roster, to philanthropist supporting filmmakers and artists, as much as everyday people facing economic hard times. His first record under the indelible Jay-Z moniker, Reasonable Doubt, was an instant classic of 90s hip-hop, and he spent the next two decades rebuilding and re-shaping the rap game, breaking new ground on The Blueprint than retiring with The Black Album, only to come back more powerful than ever. Though Brooklyn will always be Jay-Z’s home, Philly has a special place in his heart (and vice versa) since the 2012 founding of Made In America, the annual music festival that brings hip-hop, R&B, EDM, and pop to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for two days on Labor Day Weekend.

Years Active: 1986 – present

Essential Albums: Reasonable Doubt (1996), The Blueprint (2000), The Black Album (2003)