How did Jay Z get his name?

Behind most rappers is an intriguing stage name: some of hip-hop's heavyweights have looked within themselves for the inspiration behind their monikers. ... He later changed his rap moniker to Jay-Z to salute his mentor rapper and producer, Jaz-O, and the subway lines of his hometown of Brooklyn. read more

In his neighborhood, Carter was known as "Jazzy", a nickname that eventually developed into his showbiz/stage name, "Jay-Z". The moniker is also an homage to his musical mentor, Jaz-O, as well as to the J Z subway services that have a stop at Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn.On 18 July 2013, he announced he was dropping the hyphen, and prefers to be known as Jay Z. read more

He later changed his rap moniker to Jay-Z to salute his mentor rapper and producer, Jaz-O, and the subway lines of his hometown of Brooklyn. Rappers tend to stick to short rap monikers if their names aren't short. read more