JAY-Z

AGE: 37
OCCUPATION: Rapper, president of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 2

PRO: Owns one of the largest hip-hop record labels in the U.S. and his 2006 album Kingdom Come debuted at number one on the Billboard chart, selling 680,000 copies in its first week.

CON: Has been accused of using claims of retirement as elaborate marketing ploys to drive up sales of albums and concert tickets.