Remember when cats were HEATED when JayZ's Hard Knock Life got 4.5 mics?

[Michael Knight]

Outkast wasn't a factor

Aquemini and Hard Knock Life, both came out the same day.

Both sold over 500,000 copies, of course with selling more thanks to Def Scam.

there's records, and TRL clips of this. It was even deemed an epic day for Hip-Hop.

Of course I was riding with 'Kast.

Kast wasnt seeing X and Jay in 98.

They blew up off Stankonia.

 

[head shots101]

4 mic album I love that shyt then and now

 

[Rapmastermind]

I was a freshmen in College when it dropped and nobody was heated cause everyone was loving Hip Hop in 1998. The year I graduated High School and started College. It was a great Year for Rap. Classic to Near Classic albums dropping the entire year. "HKL" was the LP that made Jay what he is today. It did come at a time after Big and Pac's death that just filled a unique void. X was bigger in 98, HKL blew mostly in 99 but it was still Big for that last part of the year. The only reason the album gets hate today is cause people like to go against the grain and it was Jay's most popular LP.

My only beef with the album is I felt Jay relied on callabo's too much, it felt like a compilation in parts. There are features on every damn song damn near. Also how are you going to have Bleek do that intro over Premo and you don't rap? WTF?. But besides that It is a solid 4-4.5 MIC LP and to a lot of people it's a Classic album based on his impact and how people connected to it. Someone said earlier, "It's the best Commercial LP after Life after Death". I'd say LAD is WAY better but I can agree with that statement. Jay had a song for everyone on that joint like Big did. He had the clubs on smash with "Can I get A and Money Cash Hoes". He had the streets on lock with "HKL and N!gga What, N!gga Who".

I mean kats loved Timbalands beats cause of Aaliyah, Missy and Ginuwine but I didn't feel Tim get love from Hip Hop Heads until that beat. That was by far everyone favorite Beat of the year. He even got deep on songs like "Just a week ago". Overall it's a great LP in Jay's catalog. I mean is there a Weak song on the album? Maybe "Ride or Die" but he still went in on that. I liked damn near every track. Actually I think Jay's 1st 3 LP's are his best Lyrically. Musically "Blueprint" and "The Black Album" were just as good but Lyrically Jay has gone down since his 1st 3. I will forever have love for this LP. How were you not floored by this beat:

 

[Wacky D]

YO!!!!!!!!

this dude michael knight bodied this thread with a couple haymakers.

that man said "laptop listeners".

i wish i coined that phrase. im jealous.

Outkast wasn't a factor

Aquemini and Hard Knock Life, both came out the same day.

Both sold over 500,000 copies, of course with selling more thanks to Def Scam.

there's records, and TRL clips of this. It was even deemed an epic day for Hip-Hop.

Of course I was riding with 'Kast.

i understand that youre a kast fan but dog, outkast's sales in the '90s were like the equivalent of j.cole's sales. just empty figures with no impact. i guess 15 years from now, people are going to be saying that cole was bigger than rick ross. that seems to be the pattern.

and lets keep it 150, you accuse def jam of sales scamming but act as if outkast's label wasnt dirty. you think clive davis, l.a. reid and them were playing the game by the book?

i didnt even know when that album dropped or what it sold. thats how much of a non-factor it was. word to evelyn.

their biggest highlight for that album was rosa parks literally poppin out of the woodwork to make a statement against the "rosa parks" song. and the biggest thing about that was how people were at the fact that she was still alive, as alot of people assumed that she had to have died in the '80s.

 

[Awesome Wells]

Easily a 4 mic album.

I still fukk with that joint.

 

[The_Third_Man]

Vol.2 was 2-2.5/5 ablum at best. Easily Jay worst album.

 

[semicko82]

If you want to go by the mic system, then to me its a definite 4 mic. Loses steam towards the end of the album. Although some refer to this is as his commercial album i think he went back to the streets after going pop with vol 1. In My Lifetime. Hard Knock Life even with the "Annie" sample was a street song. I think that's biggest conception that its pop, the singles was even on some hood shyt. Honestly I think this was the last time Jay gave something too the street before he went Hollywood.