Jay-Z changes his name again: It's now JAŸ-Z; an umlaut addition ahead of Roots Picnic performance

Jay-Z has never been a man who stays still for long, not in music, not in business, and apparently not in punctuation either. The rapper, born as Shawn Carter, has quietly added an umlaut to his stage name, now referring to himself as JAŸ-Z, and reportedly, the change carries more personal meaning than it might seem.According to E! News, cover art from the artist's earliest records, including his 1996 debut album 'Reasonable Doubt' and its breakout singles 'Ain't No N---a', 'Can't Knock the Hustle' and 'Feelin' It', featured an umlaut, making the new name a deliberate nod back to where it all began. The update also extends to his name across major music streaming platforms ahead of his headlining performance at The Roots' annual Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30. This is not the first time the 56-year-old has played with punctuation. Reportedly in 2013, he famously dropped the hyphen from his name. Speaking on 'Big Boy's Neighborhood', he explained: "The hyphen was really big back in the day. It's not useful anymore. You change with the times . I had umlauts over one of the letters. I removed the umlaut, too." The hyphen was then reintroduced in time for his 2017 album '4:44', with his team stating to Entertainment Weekly that read: "'Jay Z' is now a relic of the past, consigned to the dustbin of history. In its place stands JAY-Z, now with the hyphen back in its place and the whole name in all-caps."With JAŸ-Z, the wheel has come full circle, back to the umlaut that started it all, just in time for a reunion with The Roots on stage in Philadelphia.It turns out Jay-Z applies the same thoughtfulness to naming his children. Speaking to Gayle King on 'CBS Mornings' in 2023, he revealed how 13-year-old Blue Ivy Carter got her name: "We were calling her Blueberry. Like, 'Look at the little blueberry.' It was like a nickname. It just was natural. We just took the 'berry' off and called her Blue." As for 7-year-old twins Rumi and Sir Carter, he explained on the 'Rap Radar' podcast in 2017 that Rumi was named after his and Beyoncé's favourite poet, while Sir earned his name simply by carrying himself like a gentleman from the very first moment, a quality Jay noted that has never left him. "Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that," he said. Whether it is a stage name or a child's name, it is clear that for Jay-Z, every word carries weight.