Jay-Z’s 5 Best Albums To-Date: Who You Know Fresher Than Hov?

Vol 2…Hard Knock Life (1998)

By the time Jay-Z reached his third album in 1998, he was already known as that dude — the guy who made nothing out of something and had the talent to carry him miles. This album was important for Jay for a number of reasons. For one, it became his breakout album, the one that propelled him to the proverbial next level. It wasn’t quite mainstream, though tracks like the Annie-sampling “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and the stuttering pop beat on “Money Ain’t A Thing” with Jermaine Dupri might suggest otherwise. Vol. 2 remains Jay-Z’s most successful album to date and was light on the compromise. He was able to still slide under the radar with coke-isms on songs like “Reservoir Dogs” but balanced it with introducing the world to Ja Rule and (God help us) Amil on “Can I Get A…” There is also the sequel to his classic “Coming Of Age” track with Memphis Bleek. Jay-Z succeeded on this project simply by being himself, and the result was an instant classic.