Vol 2...Hard Knock Life 20th anniversary Thread
- Thread starter Newark88
- Start date
XannyWarbucks
Superstar
Word. About to take a walk through gentrified-ass Flatbush while bumping this.
I don't understand the hate this album get, It's no different than Vol. 1 or 3, but better executed.
XannyWarbucks
Superstar
Really only saw the hate during the blog/backpacker era. All of a sudden it was a "one-song album" and unimportant. I never understood why though. I was young as shyt, but you only heard X and Jigga Man from Summer 1998-99. One of my first music memories, too.
Champion
#RxLife #UCF #FAMU
A lot of classic tracks on this album.
B!tchuoffendingme
Superstar
I think the production hasnt aged well, but Jay's confidence, swagger and delivery may be better on this album than on any of his others.
areohbee824
Superstar
Bought this, Aquemini and The Love Movement all the same day. Great album, but I like Vol. 1 little more
~*--------(Big Boom)
Piff Lord
My freshman album 
everybody in Brooklyn was bumping
everybody in Brooklyn was bumping
Newark88
Superstar
Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life” Shows Hip-Hop Chart Tenacity
By TIARRA MUKHERJEE
The last hardcore rapper to debut at No. 1 and hold on to the top spot was the Notorious B.I.G., with his 1997 blockbuster Life after Death. Even still, B.I.G.’s was a posthumous release and it showed a decline in sales each week. Before B.I.G., Queensbridge’s Nas held his own, also in ’96, with It Was Written, but the old-school-styled MC’s SoundScan numbers also fell. The Fugees also stayed at No. 1 for four weeks with The Score, but they were a different story altogether, debuting at No. 12 and growing into the No. 1 position. Once they peaked, however, their numbers decreased each week.
Jay-Z, however, hasn’t just held on to his throne, but his sales increased between his third and fourth week, which is almost unheard of in the genre. “Most hip-hop and metal acts don’t get the access to the vehicles that keep artists visible on a mainstream level, like MTV and pop radio,” Mayfield says, which is one reason why Jay-Z’s third-week spurt is more significant.
So why the fervor around former hustler Jay-Z? “He’s one of the last really great hardcore rappers since B.I.G., who’s in a similar sensitive-gangsta mold,” says hip-hop writer Toure. “In the Death Row era, rappers just told you they shot thirty guys and that was it. The sensitive gangsta might talk about all the evil things he did, but then explains why he did it and how he felt about it. It’s a more intelligent way of rhyming, and people are really responding to that.”
Jay-Z’s chart performance alone has already established him as a great new pillar of hip-hop, and if he locks down yet another week, his numbers will have broken a hip-hop chart record. “I don’t think he’s going to do it,” says Mayfield. “There’s an R.E.M. album coming out this week, and an Alanis Morissette. Either one could have enough sales to debut at No. 1.” Will rock fans claim the throne, or will Jay-Z continue delivering hard knocks? Check back on Nov. 4 to find out …
Jay-Z’s ‘Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life’ stays number one for fourth week – Rolling Stone
By TIARRA MUKHERJEE
The last hardcore rapper to debut at No. 1 and hold on to the top spot was the Notorious B.I.G., with his 1997 blockbuster Life after Death. Even still, B.I.G.’s was a posthumous release and it showed a decline in sales each week. Before B.I.G., Queensbridge’s Nas held his own, also in ’96, with It Was Written, but the old-school-styled MC’s SoundScan numbers also fell. The Fugees also stayed at No. 1 for four weeks with The Score, but they were a different story altogether, debuting at No. 12 and growing into the No. 1 position. Once they peaked, however, their numbers decreased each week.
Jay-Z, however, hasn’t just held on to his throne, but his sales increased between his third and fourth week, which is almost unheard of in the genre. “Most hip-hop and metal acts don’t get the access to the vehicles that keep artists visible on a mainstream level, like MTV and pop radio,” Mayfield says, which is one reason why Jay-Z’s third-week spurt is more significant.
So why the fervor around former hustler Jay-Z? “He’s one of the last really great hardcore rappers since B.I.G., who’s in a similar sensitive-gangsta mold,” says hip-hop writer Toure. “In the Death Row era, rappers just told you they shot thirty guys and that was it. The sensitive gangsta might talk about all the evil things he did, but then explains why he did it and how he felt about it. It’s a more intelligent way of rhyming, and people are really responding to that.”
Jay-Z’s chart performance alone has already established him as a great new pillar of hip-hop, and if he locks down yet another week, his numbers will have broken a hip-hop chart record. “I don’t think he’s going to do it,” says Mayfield. “There’s an R.E.M. album coming out this week, and an Alanis Morissette. Either one could have enough sales to debut at No. 1.” Will rock fans claim the throne, or will Jay-Z continue delivering hard knocks? Check back on Nov. 4 to find out …
Jay-Z’s ‘Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life’ stays number one for fourth week – Rolling Stone
Go to the :58 mark....the week of October 17, 1998, the top four albums in the entire country, in order, were:
1. Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z
2. Aquemini - Outkast
3. The Love Movement - ATCQ
4. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
WATTBA(The next week, it was 1. Jay again 2. Lauryn and 3. Bizzy Bone, with "Heaven'z Movie")
Escobar305
Pullin' up in that new toy
They ain’t even recognize hov until Annie...
feelosofer
#ninergang
It's my least favorite Jay-Z album but even then there were some gems. I think the divide in opinion is generational because a lot of 80's babies consider the album a personal classic.
Vol. 1 shyts on this album
