Jay-Z

Jay-Z and his homeboy Jay Brown celebrated their birthdays at a private party attended by family and friend last night.

Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter, turned 49 on Dec. 4. Despite his lack of a father figure growing up, Jay-Z made a name for himself as a smalltime drug dealer-turned award-winning rap artist with multi-platinum mega hits to his credit.

Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce, 37, took to the stage at the Nelson Mandela Global Citizen Festival to perform a nearly 90-minute set in South Africa on Sunday. The power couple performed crowd pleasers from their extensive music catalogues, plus new songs from their joint album, Love Is Everything.

As the aging rapper’s testosterone levels fall, his hairline is reportedly thinning. Jay-Z wears a male lacefront wig and a variety of caps and headbands placed strategically to conceal the lace.

Jay-Z, whose nickname is Hov, released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996 and never looked back.

His net worth is in the neighborhood of $900 million, according to Forbes magazine.

Beyonce and Jay-Z share 3 children: Blue Ivy Carter, 6, and 18-month-old twins Rumi Carter and Sir Carter.