Jay Z thrust himself into mainstream with the 1998 album 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life.' ... Jay-Z dropped Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life and nothing quite has ever been the same in American pop culture.

On Sept. 29, 1998, Jay-Z dropped the album that made him a mainstream star, Vol 2. Hard Knock Life. Jay was already force in hip-hop, having made a big splash with his polished, street-slick 1996 ...

But, saturation aside, Hard Knock Life is a worthwhile if uneven album that, like Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, alternates between hedonistic celebrations of wealth and songs that analyze street ...

Imagine a 1999 hip-hop world without Jay-Z’s lucid pharasing and conversational swagger. There’d be no “Hard Knock Life,” the ubiquitous hip-hop anthem buoyed by a sample fr… ...

As Jay-Z's 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life' album turns 20, XXL examines how the album marked the start of his musical partnership with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Skip to main content Skip to site footer.

It wasn’t until Jay-Z released his third album, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, that Jay-Z saw significant commercial success, with the album selling over 5 million copies.

Jay Z struck platinum in 1998 with a single powered by a sample of “It’s A Hard Knock Life” for his similarly titled album. As a well-timed tie-in for the current movie, Thomas Golianopoulos ...

That song, as well as its parent album, Vol.2 … Hard Knock Life, which turns 20 today (Sept. 29), marked a point of inflection for Jay-Z’s career as he transformed from respected New York MC ...

On this date in 1998, Jay-Z and his Roc cohorts dropped his third album Vol.2…Hard Knock Life on their independent Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam imprint.