"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" 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' 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 U.S., reaching the top 10 in several countries. Commercially, its biggest success came in the United Kingdom, where it reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1998.
Famous quotes containing the words hard, knock and/or life:
“A pious woman’s neighbor, a philanthropist’s child, a liberal’s servant—these three have a hard life.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“Franceska: I was happy in the life I built up for myself. I put a fine high wall of music around me and nothing could touch me. I was safe and secure. And then you had to come along and knock it all down and I hate you for that.
Maxwell: On the contrary, you love me.”
—Muriel Box (b. 1905)
“The true colour of life is the colour of the body, the colour of the covered red, the implicit and not explicit red of the living heart and the pulses. It is the modest colour of the unpublished blood.”
—Alice Meynell (1847–1922)