![]() ![]() The “Roc-A-Fella, y’all” sample that appears at 1:20 is taken from a slightly obscure Jay-Z joint, “Who You Wit?” It’s no surprise that this track – the only one he produced on the record – contains almost a third of the album’s samples. Producer DJ Premier is known for both his self-sampling tendencies as well as his love of scratched vocal hooks (think Nas’ “Memory Lane (Sittin’ In The Park)” and Jeru the Damaja’s “Come Clean”). The Bleek lyrics at 1:10 – “tryna come up in the game,” “bringing the drama” and “add a couple of dollar signs” – are sampled from his verse on “Coming of Age,” a track included on Jay’s classic ‘96 debut, Reasonable Doubt. In celebration of the records 20th anniversary, we’re exploring the record by way of the 16 samples within, looking at work from DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, The 45 King and many more, as well as diving into the collaborators Jay-Z pulled in on the album. Dre’s The Chronic and Nas’ It Was Written. Complex listed it as the 18th best-selling rap album, beating out classics such as DMX’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, Dr. As of 2013, the record had sold 5.4 million copies, making it one of the most successful hip hop albums of all time. Buoyed by “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” then his most successful single, the LP went 3x Multi-Platinum in just two-and-a-half months. Whilst these three records aren’t thematically linked, they chart Jay’s rise from hot up-and-comer to hip hop royalty.Įven 20 years on, Vol 2… Hard Knock Life remains Jay’s commercial apex. ![]() Jay-Z followed up his acclaimed debut, 1996’s Reasonable Doubt, with a trilogy: 1997’s In My Lifetime, Vol. In retrospect, it’s an indictment on the Academy that he wasn’t recognised earlier. “I am boycotting the Grammys because too many major rap artists continue to be overlooked,” said Jay in a statement, his loyalties lying with the culture itself. The scathing critique has more than a little truth in it: it wasn’t until Jay-Z’s third album that he was recognised by The Recording Academy, and though he won Best Rap Album, Jay wasn’t there to collect it. Shit, remember Will Smith won the first Grammy?Īnd they ain’t even recognize Hov until Annie…” On Pusha T’s 2018 highlight, “Infrared,” he muses about the fickle nature of the mainstream in relation to the rap game: While the album’s legacy is often overlooked in favor of other Jay classics, Hard Knock Life still remains Jay’s commercial peak to this day, and represents the beginning of hip hop’s invasion of the mainstream. Today marks 20 years since the release of Jay-Z’s third studio album, Vol 2… Hard Knock Life. ![]()
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