Most No. 1 rap albums on the US album chart

As of 28 February 2015, rapper Jay Z (USA, b. Shawn Carter) had scored 13 No.1 albums on the US Billboard 200: Vol.2... Hard Knock Life (1998), Vol.3... Life and Times of S Carter (1999), The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000), The Blueprint (2001), The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse (2002), The Black Album (2003), Unfinished Business (2004), Collision Course (2004), Kingdom Come (2006), American Gangster (2007), The Blueprint 3 (2009), Watch the Throne (2011) and Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013). All 13 albums debuted at No.1.

As of 28 February 2015, all but three of Jay Z's 16 studio albums (including Collision Course, which is technically an EP but still features studio-recorded tracks in addition to a live DVD) had debuted at No.1. The exceptions are: Reasonable Doubt (1996; peak: No.23), In My Lifetime... Vol.1 (1997; peak: No.3) and The Best of Both Worlds (2002; peak: No.2).

Jay Z would have had a streak of 14 consecutive No.1-debuting albums on the Billboard 200 (1998-2013) had The Best of Both Worlds not stalled at No.2 behind Now That's What I Call Music! 9 on the chart dated 6 April 2002. As of 28 February 2015, Jay Z's last eight studio albums (2002-13) had all debuted at No.1.

Jay Z has had more US No.1 albums (13) than any other solo act in the history of the Billboard 200. Only The Beatles (UK), with 19 No.1s between 1964 and 2000, have had more. Bruce Springsteen (USA) is third with 11 chart-toppers (1980-2014).

Magna Carta Holy Grail bowed at No.1 on the Billboard 200 dated 27 July 2013 with sales of 528,000. It spent one further week (3 August 2013) at the top of the chart.

In July 2013, it was reported that the artist formerly known as Jay-Z had officially dropped the hyphen from his stage name.