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 ...

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 ...

Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life, like Mack 10's most recent album, features so many guest rappers and guest producers that it often feels more like a compilation of tracks that happen to feature Jay-Z ...

When Jay-Z first got to work crafting the hit single “Hard Knock Life,” he had a difficult time getting approval to sample Annie’s “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” on which the song is based.

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 to axis of American pop. Trending on Billboard ...

Hard Knock Life song “It’s Like That.” But, Capri and The 45 King decided to give the song to Jay-Z, and Hov got to work trying to clear the Annie sample.

This week marks the beginning of a legacy. On October 17, 1998, Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first of Jay-Z's many albums to do so and the start of a ...

This post is the second in a series that counts down to Jay-Z’s KeyArena concert Saturday, Oct. 17th. In 1998, “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” cemented in the minds of millions the idea ...

In 1999, Jay-Z nicked the chorus of a song from the all-but-ignored musical Annie and turned it into his then-biggest hit, “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem).”Now, to steal lyrics from that song ...

Paper Chase: 10 Little Known Facts About Jay Z’s Hard Knock Life [Photos] - Page 2. Written by Lee Vann Published on December 19, 2014 Share. Share the post Share this link via.