Today we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Jay-Z’s third studio album, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life. The classic album is a landmark in the rapper’s career, pulling Jigga into the mainstream light and giving us a chance to witness him realize his potential. Led by the hit single “Can I Get A…” and the unavoidable “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and the album’s critical and commercial success, and later the record-breaking tour, Jay was now well on his way to ascending to the throne of New York.
Speaking in December 1998 to noted journalist Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul magazine, Jigga revealed his intentions with the album. “Primarily I see myself as so much more than a rapper,” he declared. “I really believe I’m the voice for a lot of people who don’t have that microphone or who can’t rap. So I wanted to represent and tell the story of everybody who’s been through what I’ve been through, or knows somebody that has. I also wanted to speak about our lifestyle to people who—though they may live, say, in the suburbs and not be part of that world—still want to know about it and understand it.”
Jigga was supported by features from Roc-A-Fella’s Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, Amil and Da Ranjahz; his mentor Jaz-O; childhood friend Sauce Money; Murder Inc partners DMX and Ja Rule; Bad Boy hustlers The LOX; the original Bonnie to his Clyde, Foxy Brown; and Oakland legend Too $hort. The album’s production covered the grimey and the glossy, with beats from DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Mark 45 King, Irv Gotti, J-Runnah, Rockwilder, Kid Capri, Stevie J and Jermaine Dupri filling the tracklist.
Vol. 2 was Jay-Z’s first album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 350,000 copies in its first week. The album sat atop the chart for a record-breaking five weeks, even increasing sales between his third and fourth week—which was almost unheard of in the genre. Vol. 2 is still Hov’s highest selling album, having been awarded a RIAA certification of 5x Multi-Platinum just 18 months after its release. The album won the Grammy Award for “Best Rap Album” at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards.
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