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Today’s Hot Reverse Jam: Jay Z – Hard Knock Life

Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released 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. It also helped him emerge as an extremely dominant force in the post Biggie/Tupac era of hip hop. This album also won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1999. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold 5.7 million copies in the US and 7.9 million Worldwide. Upon its release, the album received generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics, while hip hop purists felt his aims to be a crossover success had compromised the quality and complexity of his music.