| Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) | |
| Cover: | JayZHardKnockLifeCDSingleCover.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Jay-Z |
| Album: | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life |
| Released: | October 27, 1998 |
| Recorded: | 1998 |
| Genre: | East Coast hip hop |
| Length: | 3:58 (album version) 3:36 (radio edit) |
| Producer: | The 45 King |
| Prev Title: | Can I Get A... |
| Prev Year: | 1998 |
| Next Title: | Money, Cash, Hoes |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
"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.
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]
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.
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]
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".
| Chart (1998–1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (RPM) | 6 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[5] | 6 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[6] | 2 |
| Chart (1998) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[7] | 98 | |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 56 | |
| UK Urban (Music Week)[9] | 2 |
| Chart (1999) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (Official German Charts)[10] | 48 | |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] | 110 | |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] | 82 | |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 46 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 89 | |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] | 53 |
The song was parodied by Mike Myers as his character Dr. Evil in the 2002 movie Austin Powers in Goldmember.[16]
Comedy rap trio Sudden Death parodied the song on their album Die Laughing (2005), titled "Star Trek Life".[17]
Deconstructing Hip Hop
. 9 July 2012.Francesco Marcone
. 11 January 2023.