Rap mogul JAY-Z has changed his stage name again. The 47-year-old whose real name is Shawn Carter dropped the hyphen in his nom de guerre prior to the release of his album Magna Carta Holy Grail. Now he has added the hyphen and stylized his name in all caps as JAY-Z.
The name change confused his loyal fan base of teenagers and senior citizens who are anticipating the release of his new visual album, titled simply 4:44, due out later this month.
According to Pitchfork.com, a Roc Nation representative confirmed the name change which also happens to coincide with the birth of his IVF babies last Monday (according to gossip tabloid TMZ).
JAY-Z’s wife Beyonce, 36, reportedly gave birth to the IVF twins after she was hospitalized last week with complications related to her high risk pregnancy.
The Empire State Of Mind star was seen leaving his Beverly Hills mansion with a bodyguard and two friends heading to Soul Cycle gym in West Hollywood on Monday, June 19.
The aging rapper wore a black hoodie and shorts. He was later photographed exiting the gym through the loading dock, where he flashed smiles to waiting photographers while getting back into his car.
Neither JAY-Z or Beyonce have publicly commented on the birth of their twins, a boy and a girl. However, Beyonce’s father Matthew Knowles confirmed their arrival by Tweeting on Saturday: “They’re here! #beyonce #twins #jayz #happybirthday. Happy Birthday to the twins! Love, Granddad.”
Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images
