Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)

"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
Single by Jay-Z
from the album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
Released	October 27, 1998
Recorded	1998
Genre	East Coast hip hop
Length	3:58 (album version) 3:36 (radio edit)
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Shawn Carter Mark James Charles Strouse Martin Charnin
Producer(s)	The 45 King
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Can I Get A..." (1998) "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (1998) "Money, Cash, Hoes" (1998)
Alternative cover

"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is a single from American rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, released on October 27, 1998. It features a vocal and pitch-modified instrumental sample^[1] of the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the 1977 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, and it reached platinum status on July 15, 2015. In addition, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the top 20 of the charts in Austria and Belgium. This marks the first time Jay-Z was associated with the Annie brand, as Jay-Z would later produce the 2014 film adaptation of Annie.