I couldn't even think about wanting to be something else; I wouldn't let myself visualize another life. But I wrote because I couldn't stop. It was a release, a mental exercise, a way of keeping sane.

In 2004 Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park in which they released their collaborative remix EP Collision Course which featured mashups of both artists' songs as well as a concert DVD. The album features producers such as Just Blaze Pharrell Kanye West Dr. Life and Times of S.

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4 1969) better known by his stage name Jay-Z (sometimes stylized JAY Z) is an American rapper record producer entrepreneur and occasional actor. He is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records and the founder of Roc Nation. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America.