I think it's because the literal meaning was lost on them, so they turned into superlative due to them thinking over time that it was Hell instead of Hail.
Also cold as Hail makes more sense too.






It ain't never been easy in Harlem.So leaving in hell sposed to be easy?
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I can't imagine hell being easy, so I would say both work.![]()



Hard as HEIL![]()
