Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter is co-founder of The Shawn Carter Foundation, which he created in collaboration with his mother, Hon. Dr. Gloria Carter. A self-made entrepreneur and musical phenom, JAY-Z has devoted his career and international platform to address injustices and contribute to positive societal change.
The Shawn Carter Foundation was conceptualized out of JAY-Z and Gloria Carter’s belief in the importance of meaningful academic opportunities and their desire to ensure better outcomes and futures for young adults pursuing higher education. In more than twenty years, The Foundation has worked to promote equitable outcomes, foster upward mobility, and remove systemic barriers across education. Core to The Foundation’s overarching mission is to extend to students the same guidance and encouragement needed to achieve greatness that Gloria Carter gave JAY-Z at every stage of his life. Their goal of shared prosperity is fundamentally embedded in many of JAY-Z’s professional and philanthropic undertakings today.
Notably among JAY-Z’s business endeavors is Roc Nation, the globally elite entertainment company he is co-founder and Chairman of. In nearly a decade since it was established by JAY-Z in 2008, Roc Nation has successfully launched and guided some of the most exceptional artists and athletes in popular culture, brokering brand deals and sponsorships for their long-term career growth. Leveraging the vast network and capabilities of Roc Nation, JAY-Z pursues opportunities to further the scope of his philanthropy through Team Roc, the company’s dedicated internal division for humanitarianism.
In a similar vein, Roc Nation established the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment in partnership with Long Island University, Brooklyn, to educate and mentor students interested in careers in music and entertainment, sports, and media. The school offers engaging experiences and tailored majors to prepare young leaders and artists for post-graduate life in their professional fields. JAY-Z’s activism within Team Roc and Roc Nation is further exemplified in the numerous production roles he has executed to raise awareness of social injustices and racial inequities through television and film.
In 2016, JAY-Z narrated “The War On Drugs Is An Epic Fail.” The video, illustrated by Molly Crabapple, outlines the turbulent history of combating drugs in America and the racial disparities of mass incarceration. He then executive-produced the 2017 Peabody Award-winning documentary series, “TIME: The Kalief Browder Story,” which explored juveniles in solitary confinement and the bail system in New York. That same year, JAY-Z wrote a moving opinion piece in the New York Times regarding Meek Mill and how probation is a prison sentence in its own right. In 2018 and 2019, respectively, JAY-Z was an executive producer of the documentary series “Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story” and “Free Meek.” JAY-Z and Team Roc were deeply involved in the 2023 A&E investigative documentary, “Exposing Parchman,” which delved into ongoing abuses and barbaric living conditions within Mississippi’s Parchman Prison. Jointly produced by Roc Nation, Good Caper Content, and Red Summer TV, “Exposing Parchman” featured interviews with JAY-Z and detailed how he and Team Roc participated in procuring legal representation for more than 200 incarcerated men.
Driven by his longstanding commitment to criminal justice reform, JAY-Z is a founding partner of REFORM Alliance. The organization, which was established to transform and improve probation and parole through fair legislation, aims to enact a prison-to-freedom pathway that prioritizes support and accountability, ensuring easier post-incarceration transitions and safer communities. Similarly, JAY-Z is actively involved in the United Justice Coalition (UJC), a charitable organization formed in part from the work accomplished by Team Roc. Dedicated to amplifying its mission to advance the U.S. judicial system, JAY-Z is a UJC board member and extends his time and resources to rectify social and criminal injustices.
JAY-Z’s historic feats as a musical artist and philanthropist have been recognized by a number of esteemed organizations. At the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2024, he received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for his influential work in hip-hop and building a legacy that reaches beyond music. JAY-Z’s prolific music career has earned him inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame.