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Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)

"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is a single from American rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, released on October 27, 1998. It features a vocal and pitch-modified instrumental sample[1] of the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the 1977 musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA certified it as a gold single in March 1999, and it reached platinum status on July 15, 2015. In addition, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 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 the Annie brand, as Jay-Z would later produce the 2014 film adaptation of Annie.

"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
Single by Jay-Z
from the album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
ReleasedOctober 27, 1998
Recorded1998
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length3:58 (album version)
3:36 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The 45 King
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Can I Get A..."
(1998) 		"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
(1998) 		"Money, Cash, Hoes"
(1998)
Alternative cover

Reception

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Critical reception

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Chuck Taylor of Billboard praised 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

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While it peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 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 the UK Singles Chart in December 1998, stalling behind Britain's biggest-selling song of 1998, "Believe" by Cher, during its seventh consecutive week at the summit of the chart.

Music video

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The music video for the song consists of Jay-Z performing outdoors in his native Brooklyn, New York. Dame Dash, DJ Clue, and Beanie Sigel all appear in the video.[3]

Impact and legacy

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Slant Magazine listed "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]

VH1 placed it at number 11 on their list of "100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop".

Formats and track listings

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UK CD

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  1. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Radio Edit)"
  2. "Can't Knock The Hustle (Fools Paradise Remix)"
  3. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Album Version)"

Vinyl

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A-side

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  1. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (swearing version)"
  2. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (LP Version)"

B-side

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  1. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Instrumental)"

Charts

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Certifications

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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

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The song was parodied by Mike Myers as his character Dr. Evil in the 2002 movie Austin Powers in Goldmember.[37]

Comedy rap trio Sudden Death parodied the song on their album Die Laughing (2005), titled "Star Trek Life".[38]

References

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  1. ^ Deconstructing Hip Hop (9 July 2012). "Remaking Jay-Z's 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'…". YouTube: Deconstructing Hip Hop.
  2. ^ Taylor, Chuck (October 24, 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 22. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Jay-Z (11 January 2023). "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (1998)". YouTube: Francesco Marcone.
  4. ^ "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s". Slant Magazine. January 9, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Billboard: Hits of the World, February 27, 1999
  10. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  11. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Nr. 305: Vikuna 8.1. – 15.1. 1999". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 8, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Jay-Z". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 52, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  15. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  16. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". VG-lista. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  20. ^ "Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  22. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  27. ^ "Best Sellers of 1998 - Singles Top 100" (PDF). Music Week. January 16, 1999. p. 7. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  28. ^ "The Urban Top 40 Of 1998" (PDF). Music Week. January 9, 1999. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  30. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  31. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  32. ^ "Swiss year-end chart". swisscharts.com. 1999. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  33. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  34. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  35. ^ "British single certifications – Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  36. ^ "American single certifications – Jay Z – Hard Knock Life". Recording Industry Association of America.
  37. ^ "Comedies". Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  38. ^ "Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming, Online Music". grooveshark.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-29.
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