Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
Encyclopedia
"Hard Knock Life" is a single from rapper
Jay-Z
's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
. It samples
the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway
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. In addition, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance
at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999.
It was ranked number 11 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop.
The song was parodied by Mike Myers
's character Dr. Evil
in the 2002 movie Austin Powers in Goldmember
.
"Hard Knock Life" was Jay-Z's first single to achieve success outside the US, reaching the top 10 in several countries. Its biggest success came in the United Kingdom
, where it reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart
in December 1998.
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 29, 1998, on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. The album propelled Jay-Z into superstar status and cemented him as a household name in the post Biggie/Tupac era of hip hop. This album also...
. It samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
. The song was produced by The 45 King
DJ Mark the 45 King
DJ Mark the 45 King , also known as the 45 King, started DJing in New Jersey in the mid-1980s. The nickname "the 45 King" comes from his ability to make beats using obscure 45 RPM records.-Career:...
and at the time of its release, was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
it as a gold single in March 1999. In addition, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999.
It was ranked number 11 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop.
The song was parodied by Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
's character Dr. Evil
Dr. Evil
Dr. Evil is a fictional character, played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the antagonist of the movies, and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Donald Pleasence's Ernst Stavro Blofeld . Dr...
in the 2002 movie Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
.
"Hard Knock Life" was Jay-Z's first single to achieve success outside the US, reaching the top 10 in several countries. Its biggest success came in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in December 1998.
Peak positions
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 31 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 11 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
19 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 6 |
| French Singles Chart | 21 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 10 |
| Norway Singles Chart | 4 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 89 |
UK CD
- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Radio Edit)"
- "Can't Knock The Hustle (Fools Paradise Remix)"
- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Album Version)"
A-side
- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Single Version Clean)"
- "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (LP Version)"