"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"is a single from AmericanrapperJay-Z's third albumVol. 2... Hard Knock Life,released on October 27, 1998. It features a vocal and pitch-modified instrumentalsample[1]of the song "It's the Hard Knock Life"from the 1977musicalAnnie.The song was produced byThe 45 Kingand at the time of its release was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. TheRIAAcertifiedit as a gold single in March 1999, and it reached platinum status on July 15, 2015. In addition, it was nominated forBest Rap Solo Performanceat the41st Grammy Awardsin 1999. The song peaked at number 15 on theBillboardHot 100.Outside of the United States, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the top 20 of the charts in Austria and Belgium. This marks the first time Jay-Z was associated with theAnniebrand, as Jay-Z would later produce the2014 film adaptation of Annie.
| "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyJay-Z | ||||
| from the albumVol. 2... Hard Knock Life | ||||
| Released | October 27, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:58(album version) 3:36(radio edit) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | The 45 King | |||
| Jay-Zsingles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
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Reception
editCritical reception
editChuck TaylorofBillboardpraised the inclusion of the "Hard-Knock Life" sample from"Annie",noting: "It's this kind of clever twist and original thinking that has the potential to expand the horizons of the genre." However, he criticized the radio version of the song, writing that song was "edited and blanked to the point of distraction." He went on to say: "Programmers will have to weigh the value of the novelty against wondering why the artist didn't just start over with a clean slate if he intended to hit the airwaves."[2]
Commercial reception
editWhile it peaked at number 15 on theBillboardHot 100,"Hard Knock Life" was also Jay-Z's first single to achieve significant success outside the United States, peaking within the top ten of the charts in several countries, including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. "Hard Knock Life" achieved its biggest success in the latter country, debuting and peaking at number two on theUK Singles Chartin December 1998, stalling behind Britain's biggest-selling song of 1998, "Believe"byCher,during its seventh consecutive week at the summit of the chart.
Music video
editThemusic videofor the song consists ofJay-Zperforming outdoors in his native Brooklyn, New York.Dame Dash,DJ Clue,andBeanie Sigelall appear in the video.[3]
Impact and legacy
editSlant Magazinelisted "Hard Knock Life" at number 84 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s" in 2011, writing, "Jay-Z’s co-opting of a discordant, already famous showtune is a rare novel endeavor in a genre generally defined by following the leader; it’s pulled off so seamlessly that it’s easy to forget what a ballsy move it was. The transformation of the original’s piano base into a thumping organ creep sets the stage, but it’s undeniably Jay-Z, transparently showing off his executive command by fussing with the levels at the start, which makes the song. The source material and the resulting product may seem diametrically opposed, but they end up being fundamentally about the same thing: forming a common thread of struggles with poverty spun into gold."[4]
VH1placed it at number 11 on their list of "100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop".
Formats and track listings
editUK CD
edit- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Radio Edit)"
- "Can't Knock The Hustle (Fools Paradise Remix)"
- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Album Version)"
Vinyl
editA-side
edit- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (swearing version)"
- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (LP Version)"
B-side
edit- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Instrumental)"
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
|
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Usage in media
editThe song was parodied byMike Myersas his characterDr. Evilin the 2002 movieAustin Powers in Goldmember.[37]
Comedy rap trio Sudden Death parodied the song on their albumDie Laughing(2005), titled "Star Trek Life".[38]
References
edit- ^Deconstructing Hip Hop (9 July 2012)."Remaking Jay-Z's 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'…".YouTube:Deconstructing Hip Hop.
- ^Taylor, Chuck(October 24, 1998)."Reviews & Previews: Singles"(PDF).Billboard.p. 22.RetrievedDecember 6,2020.
- ^Jay-Z (11 January 2023)."Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (1998)".YouTube:Francesco Marcone.
- ^"The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s".Slant Magazine.January 9, 2011.RetrievedMay 3,2021.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ".ARIA Top 50 Singles.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "(in German).Ö3 Austria Top 40.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "(in Dutch).Ultratop 50.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "(in French).Ultratop 50.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^Billboard: Hits of the World, February 27, 1999
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "(in French).Les classement single.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Íslenski Listinn Nr. 305: Vikuna 8.1. – 15.1. 1999".Dagblaðið Vísir(in Icelandic). January 8, 1999. p. 10.RetrievedDecember 20,2020.
- ^"Irish-charts.com – Discography Jay-Z".Irish Singles Chart.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Nederlandse Top 40 – week 52, 1998"(in Dutch).Dutch Top 40.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ".Top 40 Singles.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ".VG-lista.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ".Singles Top 100.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) ".Swiss Singles Chart.Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.
- ^"Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.
- ^"Jay-Z Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.
- ^"Jay-Z Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)".Billboard.
- ^"Jay-Z Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)".Billboard.
- ^"Årslista Singlar – År 1998"(in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan.RetrievedMay 14,2020.
- ^"Best Sellers of 1998 - Singles Top 100"(PDF).Music Week.January 16, 1999. p. 7.RetrievedSeptember 15,2023.
- ^"The Urban Top 40 Of 1998"(PDF).Music Week.January 9, 1999.RetrievedAugust 6,2023.
- ^"Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts"(in German).GfK Entertainment.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^"Jaarlijsten 1999"(in Dutch).Dutch Top 40.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^"Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999".dutchcharts.nl.RetrievedJune 23,2020.
- ^"Swiss year-end chart".swisscharts.com. 1999. Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2011.RetrievedNovember 22,2017.
- ^"Billboard Top 100 - 1999".Archived fromthe originalon 2006-11-10.Retrieved2010-08-28.
- ^"Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1999".Billboard.RetrievedMay 14,2020.
- ^"British single certifications – Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedApril 19,2022.
- ^"American single certifications – Jay Z – Hard Knock Life".Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^"Comedies".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-07.Retrieved2014-02-06.
- ^"Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming, Online Music".grooveshark.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-03-29.