I've never liked the most well known song from this album, 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'. To say the least, the sample is annoying, and as a side-note is there a harder titled softer song? Moving on, like his other albums there is some bad production. Swizz Beatz, who is very capable of producing terrible beats that somehow make it onto albums provides one with 'If I Should Die'. 'Nigga What, Nigga Who' is also pretty bad in the production department as is 'Money, Cash, Hoes' that has a vomit inducing beat - Again it's Swizz on the boards. Thankfully the following song 'A Week Ago' steps it up being the best song here sampling The Isley Brothers' 'Ballad for the Fall Soldier'.
As I could copy and paste from my other Jay reviews, I find Jay's style overrated and his ear for beats poor. With his Vol series, he seems to also have gotten caught up in the Puff/JD pop production values from the time period this was created in and this is probably his worst produced album. Here his rapping and topics are probably a step down from the norm as well. A couple of good songs, but nothing groundbreaking, with a lot of average late '90s hip hop cuts.
Best Tracks: Intro, Ride or Die, A Week Ago, It's Like That
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