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Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)JAY-Z

Released: September 29, 1998

Songwriter: Charles Strouse Martin Charnin James H. Billington JAY-Z

Producer: DJ Mark The 45 King

[Produced By: Mark the 45 King]

[Intro]
Take the bass line out
Uh-huh, Jigga
Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah
Let it bump though

[Chorus]
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!

[Verse 1]
From standin' on the corners, boppin'
To drivin' some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen
From droppin' some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard
From the dope spot, with the smoke Glock
Fleein' the murder scene, you know me well
From nightmares of a lonely cell, my only hell
But since when y'all niggas know me to fail? Fuck naw
Where all my niggas with the rubber grips, bust shots
And if you with me, mama, rub on your tits, and what-not
I'm from the school of the hard knocks, you must not
Let outsiders violate our blocks and my plot
Let's stick up the world and split it 50/50, uh-huh
Let's take the dough and stay real jiggy, uh-huh
And sip the Cris' and get pissy-pissy
Flow infinitely like the memory of my nigga Biggie, baby!
You know it's hell when I come through
The life and times of Shawn Carter, nigga, Volume 2
Y'all niggas get ready!

[Chorus]
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!

[Verse 2]
I flow for those 'dro'ed out
All my niggas locked down in the 10 by four, controllin' the house
We live in hard knocks
We don't take over, we borrow blocks
Burn 'em down and you can have it back
Daddy, I'd rather that
I flow for chicks wishin', they ain't have to strip to pay tuition
I see your vision, mama
I put my money on the longshots
All my ballers that's born to clock
Know I'ma be on top whether I perform or not
I went from lukewarm to hot
Sleepin' on futons and cots to King Size
Green machines, to green 5's
I've seen pies, let the thing between my eyes analyze life's ills
Then I put it down type Braille
I'm tight grill with the phony
Rappers, y'all might feel we homies
I'm like, "Still, y'all don't know me."
Shit, I'm tight grill when my situation ain't improvin'
I'm tryna murder everything movin' – feel me?

[Chorus]
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!

[Verse 3]
I don't know how to sleep, I gotta eat, stay on my toes
Got a lotta beef, so logically, I prey on my foes
Hustlin' is still inside of me, and as far as progress
You'd be hard-pressed to find another rapper hot as me
I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and y'all lamed out
Didn't really appreciate it 'til the second one came out
So I stretched the game out, etched your name out
Put Jigga on top and dropped albums non-stop for ya, nigga!

[Chorus]
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!

JAY-Z

Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, and holding the solo artist record of 14 Billboard 200 #1 albums, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter is possibly the most talented, accomplished and respected rapper of all-time. He has released 13 studio albums and five collaborative albums over his 30-year career.

Three of his albums, Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album, are considered landmarks in the genre, with all of them featured in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Hov has won 21 Grammy Awards from sixty-four nominations, making him the 10th most awarded artist of all-time.

Legendary for never writing down his lyrics, JAY-Z’s flow is considered one of the greatest to grace the genre, his wordplay and metaphorical ability is unmatched, and his live shows push the envelope of what it means to be a hip hop artist. His MTV Unplugged appearance introduced the idea of having a full band (The Roots) backing up a hip hop artist at major concerts, and during his 2004 documentary Fade to Black he doubled down, selling out Madison Square Garden (in mere minutes) while featuring an enormous live band performance.

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