Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on 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 in the post Biggie/Tupac Shakur 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 also went to #1 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. (This marks the first of nine consecutive chart-topping albums on both charts to date from Jay-Z, not counting the collaboration albums with R. Kelly or Kanye West.) 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.