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The rapper updated his moniker in preparation for his upcoming reunion with The Roots. For the annual Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30, his name appeared with an umlaut as JAŸ-Z on the concert billing.
In addition, Shawn Carter—Jay-Z’s real name—tweaked his stage name on major music streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal to include the diacritical mark.
The change seems to be the 56-year-old’s nod to his roots. The cover art of his earliest records—including his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt and breakout singles “Ain’t No N—a,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” and “Feelin’ It”—featured an umlaut.
This isn’t the first time Beyoncé’s husband has experimented with punctuation in his name. In 2013, he famously dropped the hyphen.
“The hyphen was really big back in the day. It’s not useful anymore,” he told Big Boy’s Neighborhood. “You change with the times. I had umlauts over one of the letters. I removed the umlaut, too.”
However, the hyphen returned for his 2017 album 4:44. At the time, his team told Entertainment Weekly:
“‘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 and the whole name in all caps.”
