Cultural Product that could be potential Myth

A person that is not only embedded in the culture but also helped create and mold what it is today that will most certainly be a myth years from now is Hip Hop icon Sean Carter, stage name Jay-Z. His first album Reasonable doubt put out in 1996 at 26 years old, Jay-Z was shut down by record labels left and right when he was first trying to sign a deal. They didn't understand the impact Hip Hop could have at the commercial level at that time, and even after Jay-Z's signing they barely understood the impact he would have on the genre. When he and fellow entrepreneur Damon Dash came together and created Roc-a-fella records in 1995, their touring success and Jay-Z rapping with fellow Brooklyn rapper Biggie Smalls helped them gather a large audience. This large audience and popularity would be enough for Universal Music Group, who would buy the independent Roc-A-Fella label and help it grow. Although only several decades away from Jay-Z's beginning, his rise to popularity in the culture has already created myth-like stories, the most popular being his apparent association with the long talked about secret society group of rich men called the Illuminati. It is said that the sign he holds up "the roc sign" representing his label Roc-A-Fella records is supposed to be a sign that links him to this secret society group. Although I myself believe this "secret group" is a way for a "depressed" culture to explain how a man from Marci projects in Brooklyn New York could not only make it out alive but be a huge success, most people believe Jay-Z and many other artists from the black community only made it by "cutting a deal with the devil." He is never fully praised for his hard work and drive to make a better life for himself, going on tours in vans to sometimes very small shows and getting shut out by every major record label when he first came knocking. Jay-Z will grow old and just like the rest of us pass away, but how he made his rise to fame will forever be argued in circles around the world. As more time and more artists come along and mention him as one of the greatest rappers to ever do it, Jay-Z's myth will continue to grow.