JAY-Z, whose real name is Shawn Corey Carter, has changed his professional name again. The rapper and businessman used to be satisfied with Jay-Z. Then he took the hyphen out and wanted it to be Jay Z. He claimed the hyphen wasn't useful anymore.
Now he has put the hyphen back in it, and he wants his stage name to be in all capital letters. Therefore, from now on he would be pleased if the media and others would write his name as JAY-Z. The 47-year-old musician made the announcement on Monday, but he said he will give people time to make the change in their writing.
Since he has a habit of changing it, don't get too used to the new change because he might change it again.
Hyphen back in
After the release of "Magna Carta Holy Grail," the iconic rapper dropped the hyphen on July 18, 2013. With the debut of his visual album, "4:44," on June 30, 2017, he has put the hyphen back in with an additional change. He wants every letter in his name to be written in all capital letters. Previously, it was just the first letter and the last letter that were capitalized. After four years, the talented musician wants the punctuation mark back in his name.
A lot of news outlets didn't stop using the hyphen. Therefore the only change they need to make from now on is to make sure every letter is capitalized.
It is interesting that the name change comes when he releases an album or a video. Could this be the way it will continue to be, or will he decide not to change it again?
Origin of JAY-Z
When Shawn Carter was growing up, his friends called him "Jazzy." He later changed it to Jay-Z as a salute to his musical mentor rapper and producer, Jaz-O.
It is also the subway line in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. It is not unusual for rappers to change their names. What's unusual about this situation is that this rapper has changed his name more than once.
Other names
Over his career, the Roc Nation’s rap and business legend have had several monikers, such as Hov, Jay Z, Jay, Jigga and his birth name, Shawn Carter.
JAY-Z says he will give everyone some time to get used to the new way he wants his name written.
Of course, people on social media reacted to the name change. Some said they never knew he took the hyphen out before. Others said it was confusing. Some asked, "What's the point?" Some wanted to know the reason for putting the hyphen back in since he claimed it wasn't useful when he took it out. One person said JAY-Z wants his name in all capital letters because on social media it means a person is shouting. Therefore, he wants people to shout his name even when they are writing it.