Old heads....just how powerful was "Hard Knock Life" when it dropped?

[YBE]

Was Jay really "that nikka" back then, or is it just revionist history now that he's on top...I was only about 9 or 10 when this dropped, so all I remember is the dopeboys blasting this at the park




That annie sample

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

I was 15 then

It was the first time he WAS that nikka...any account before this and money aint a thing saying that he was the man (reasonable doubt dvd bullshyt for example) is straight lies. This was the hottest song out until hate me now dropped.

 

[smokeurobinson]

Thats when Jay blew up.....I dont think anyone even really saw it coming. Vol 1 was so slept on. It came out when EPMD and Rakim made their return, Mase was the top dog, Busta was killing the game and Master P had everyone saying "Uugh." Also The Firm album was pretty hot around that time as well. Going into 98 was Gangstarr and Smif n wessons new albums. Scarface made the best southern compilation ever....DMX, Big Pun, Camron and Silkk The Shocker were the new blood on the scene.....Cappadonna debut....Pras debut.....Snoop jumped to No Limit and Master P was supposed to retire. Nore dropped a banger that summer, Lauryn Hill came out of nowehere with a classic and Canibus dropped a dissapointing debut. Def Jam was promoting like crazy that year......They had a concert in Harlem that summer for Onyx, DMX and Cormega that foxy brown was also a part of............I think its safe to say that the biggest hype to drop that year from Def Jam was Method Mans 2nd album followed by Redmans 4th. Jay dropped the Streets Is Watching VHS tape around the summer time which was being pushed by the "Its alright" single which would be a bonus track on Vol 2 later down the line....Earlier that year Jay did a song with Jermain Dupri that would also be a bonus on Vol 2. ..Jay Z was that dude like never before when Vol 2 dropped. "Can I Get A" was helping promote that Rush Hour movie.....Hard Knock Life was a hot song on NY radio first....Then the video came.....If I'm not mistaken "nikka whut" followed behind that but by that time the court of Hip Hop opinion had given Jay Z his top dog status.....By the end of 98 it was Jay , Busta, DMX, Meth, No Limit records and Lauryn Hill..........Lauryn Hill took the crown tho.......I believe a video for money Cash Hoes dropped in early 99 and by this time Jay was an MTV star......its been uphill for jay ever since.

 

[frush11]

Never like it, but the day that album drop, I remember like always after school hanging out in the my friends neighborhood. But that day, one of his neighbors just bought the album, and had that song on repeat literally for 2/3 hours straight, loud ass fukk.

 

[scarhead]

Jay had been 2nd tier till 97.

But Hard Knock Life, Can I get a..., that Bentley on the album cover, and that iced out platinum chain (he was one of the first to rock platinum shyts) generated a lot of buzz and cemented him as one of the top hiphop acts.

 

[YoungOldHead]

Lol at old heads....nikka u just young as hell. But on topic I think that's when people started to consider jigga that dude. Seemed like people were desperate to find a new king of hip hop with the death of big and pac and that album put him in that position.

 

[flea]

they used to play this bytch on the box 24/7. which was ironic because i thought the song was awful. hell i still kinda do.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Imaginary Player >




But on topic. that song went hard. It updated his status because this last album flopped. Can I Get A, and nikka What were better songs though.

 

[Jone2three45]

It wasn't just a a city Behide him,
That song basically pushed him to universal popularity.
Lets not forget the helping of Rush Hour the movie soundtrack.
But at the time like someone said,
Busta and Mase was really holding NY down at that time.

 

[Tom Foolery]

I always felt this and money ain't a thing made Jay's career. But yeah, it was huge because it was catchy song that major media outlets could play. He tried to recreate that same feeling with Anything but with less success.

But in Retrospect, the Annie hook made that song hot. Everything else was ok at best.

 

[George's Dilemma]

Sometimes I wonder if he owes his entire career to that sample. Back then to me, he was just another nice NY emcee, which was a dime a dozen during those years. Hard Knock Life is what seperated him from the rest of the pack creativity wise. That album wasnt that great to me hindsight, but it was definately a foregleam of his potential. Plus they put out the perfect singles with the Annie sample being the nuclear option. It was so different from the traditional sounds on Reasonable Doubt but it wasnt polished like The Blueprint or the Black Album.

 

[diggy]

I really didnt like the song but it is what gave him his career, but they failed miserably with trying to do another one...didnt take off..He owes the sample to helping him out...Jay has always been talented but didnt have that big mainstream song until then

 

[Danie84]

This catapult the Jiggaman into the stratosphere, and he's been there ever since

But, Paper Chase and Money Cash, Hoes, were

D-M-X and my dogs bite
Jigga my nikka rhyme all night

 

[Breh Obama]

at old heads

 

[Tom Foolery]

Thats when Jay blew up.....I dont think anyone even really saw it coming. Vol 1 was so slept on. It came out when EPMD and Rakim made their return, Mase was the top dog, Busta was killing the game and Master P had everyone saying "Uugh." Also The Firm album was pretty hot around that time as well. Going into 98 was Gangstarr and Smif n wessons new albums. Scarface made the best southern compilation ever....DMX, Big Pun, Camron and Silkk The Shocker were the new blood on the scene.....Cappadonna debut....Pras debut.....Snoop jumped to No Limit and Master P was supposed to retire. Nore dropped a banger that summer, Lauryn Hill came out of nowehere with a classic and Canibus dropped a dissapointing debut. Def Jam was promoting like crazy that year......They had a concert in Harlem that summer for Onyx, DMX and Cormega that foxy brown was also a part of............I think its safe to say that the biggest hype to drop that year from Def Jam was Method Mans 2nd album followed by Redmans 4th. Jay dropped the Streets Is Watching VHS tape around the summer time which was being pushed by the "Its alright" single which would be a bonus track on Vol 2 later down the line....Earlier that year Jay did a song with Jermain Dupri that would also be a bonus on Vol 2. ..Jay Z was that dude like never before when Vol 2 dropped. "Can I Get A" was helping promote that Rush Hour movie.....Hard Knock Life was a hot song on NY radio first....Then the video came.....If I'm not mistaken "nikka whut" followed behind that but by that time the court of Hip Hop opinion had given Jay Z his top dog status.....By the end of 98 it was Jay , Busta, DMX, Meth, No Limit records and Lauryn Hill..........Lauryn Hill took the crown tho.......I believe a video for money Cash Hoes dropped in early 99 and by this time Jay was an MTV star......its been uphill for jay ever since.

This post should be on Wikipedia. I bought all those albums that came out around that time.