Hard Core (Lil' Kim album)

Hard Core
Studio album by Lil' Kim
Released November 12, 1996 (1996-11-12)
Recorded 1995–96
Genre Hip hop
Length 56:59
Label Undeas, Big Beat
Producer Sean "Puffy" Combs, Christopher "B.I.G." Wallace (exec.), Stevie J., Andraeo "Fanatic" Heard, Jermaine Dupri, Carlos "6 July" Broady, Ski, Jacob York (exec.), Lance "Un" Rivera (exec.), Stretch Armstrong, Fabian Hamilton, Nashiem Myrick
Lil' Kim chronology
Conspiracy
(1995)		 Hard Core
(1996)		 The Notorious K.I.M.
(2000)
Singles from Hard Core
  1. "No Time"
    Released: October 29, 1996
  2. "Crush on You (Remix)"
    Released: June 13, 1997
  3. "Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)"
    Released: June 30, 1997

Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on November 12, 1996, by Undeas Recordings and Big Beat Records. The album was notable for its overt raunchy sexual tone and Kim's lyrical delivery, which was praised by music critics. Hard Core debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200,[1] and number 3 on the Billboard's Top R&B Albums, selling 78,000 copies in its first week,[2] and reached the top ten of the Canadian Albums Chart. In the United States, Hard Core was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and is considered by many a classic hip-hop album.[3][4]

Background

After making her debut recording appearance on Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Conspiracy album, Lil' Kim appeared on records by artists such as Mona Lisa, The Isley Brothers, and Total. With recording her debut album, Hard Core was principally recorded at Manhattan-based studio, The Hit Factory, in New York City.[5] Working with a number of producers, including Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Jermaine Dupri, the album featured edgy hardcore rap and explicit sexuality, as the title suggested, which at the time were two territories that had long been the province of male rappers.[6] The album was originally titled "Queen Bee".[7]

Guest artists included Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and other members of Junior M.A.F.I.A.[8] The promotional campaign for the album, including the album cover, featured provocative advertisements of Kim dressed in a skimpy bikini and surrounded by furs.[9]

Singles

The first two singles from Hard Core, the platinum "No Time" and remix version of "Crush on You" both peaked in the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100, top ten of the Hot R&B Singles chart, and topped the Rap Songs chart. Both singles peaked at in the top fifty in the UK Singles Chart. A third single "Not Tonight" became a huge top ten success in 1997, peaked at number six on the Hot 100, number three on the Hot R&B Singles chart, and also topped the Rap Songs chart, making Kim the first female rap artist to have three consecutive number-one singles on that chart. The single also reached the top twenty on the UK charts and number ten in Germany. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA.[10] It was nominated in 1998 for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Reception

Chart performance

The Hard Core album debuted and peaked at number eleven on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart.[11] In the United States, it was certified double platinum by the RIAA for more than two million copies shipped to music stores. In Canada, the album peaked at number nine.

The first two singles from Hard Core, the platinum "No Time" and remix version of "Crush on You" both peaked in the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100, top ten of the Hot R&B Singles chart, and topped the Rap Songs chart- making the rapper the first female rap artist to have two consecutive number-one hits on that chart. Both single peaked at in the top fifty in the UK Singles Chart. A third single "Not Tonight" (Ladies Night Remix)" became a huge top ten success in 1997, peaked at number six on the Hot 100, number three on the Hot R&B Singles chart, and also topped the Rap Songs chart. The single also reached the top twenty on the UK charts and number ten in Germany. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA.[12] It was nominated in 1998 for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [13]
Entertainment Weekly(A) [14]
PopMatters(favorable) [15]
RapReviews.com(7/10)[16]
Rhapsody(favorable) [17]
Robert Christgau[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
Spin(7/10) [20]
The Source [20]

The album received critical acclaim, as The Source called the album "...a solid debut because phat beats and rhymes are really all it takes, and they're both present...", while Rolling Stone magazine included Hard Core in its list of "Essential Recordings of the 90's".[20] Rolling Stone concluded in reviewing the album in the magazine's 2004 version of the Rolling Stone Album Guide:[21]

Hip-hop had never seen anything like Brooklynite Kimberly Jones at the time of her solo debut: She single-handedly raised the bar for raunchy lyrics in hip-hop, making male rappers quiver with fear with lines like "You ain't lickin' this, you ain't stickin' this . . . I don't want dick tonight/Eat my pussy right" ("Not Tonight"). Riding the wing of Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die and Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Kim's Hard Core helped put East Coast hip-hop back on top in the late '90s. The album's overreliance on old '70s funk samples doesn't detract a bit from the Queen Bee's fearless rhymes: In "Dreams", she demands service from R. Kelly, Babyface, and nearly every "R&B dick" in the field. A landmark of bold, hilarious filth.

Commercial performance

The Hard Core album debuted and peaked at number eleven on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number three on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart,[22][23] selling 78,000 copies in its first week.[2] Despite not spending another week inside the top 30,[2] the album became a commercial success and went onto be certified double platinum by the RIAA, selling 1.4 million copies in the U.S. alone.[24] The album spent a total of 47 weeks on the Billboard 200.The album has sold more than 5.7 million copies worldwide.[25]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro in a-Minor"     2:14
2. "Big Momma Thang" (featuring Jay-Z and Lil' Cease)Kimberly Jones, Christopher Wallace, Harvey Fuqua, James Lloyd, Sylvester James, Shawn CarterStretch Armstrong 4:17
3. "No Time" (featuring Puff Daddy)Jones, Wallace, Steven JordanSteven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen 5:00
4. "Spend a Little Doe"  Jones, Wallace, David WillisSki 5:35
5. "Take It!"     0:46
6. "Crush on You" (featuring Lil' Cease and The Notorious B.I.G.)Jones, Wallace, Cameron Giles, James Lloyd, Jeff Lorber, Mason BethaAndraeo "Fanatic" Heard 4:35
7. "Drugs" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.)Jones, D. Owen, Wallace, Fabian Hamilton, Isaac HayesFabian Hamilton 4:20
8. "Scheamin'"     0:49
9. "Queen Bitch"  Jones, Wallace, Carlos Broady, Nashiem MyrickCarlos "6 July" Broady, Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen 3:17
10. "Dreams"  Jones, Wallace, Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool, Reggie AndrewsDaven "Prestige" Vanderpool for The Hitmen 4:39
11. "M.A.F.I.A. Land"  Jones, Wallace, Bert Kaempfert, Brent Toussaint, Herbert Rehbein, Richard AhlertBrent "Faraoh" Toussaint 4:37
12. "We Don't Need It" (featuring Junior M.A.F.I.A.)Wallace, Jones, James Lloyd, Mark Richardson, Rayshaun SpainMinnesota 4:10
13. "Not Tonight" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)JonesJermaine Dupri 4:31
14. "Player Haters"     0:43
15. "Fuck You" (featuring Junior M.A.F.I.A.)Jones, Antoine Spain, Chris Cresco, Wallace, Rayshaun SpainChris "Cornbread" Cresco, Christopher "B.I.G." Wallace 2:53
1997 reissue
No. Title Length
16. "Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)" (featuring Da Brat, Angie Martinez, Missy Elliott and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes) 4:24

Sample credits

Charts and certifications

Chart

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart 9
US Billboard 200[22] 11
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 3

Certifications

Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
United States 2x Platinum (RIAA)

Personnel

Technical personnel
Art personnel

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[26] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Hard Core album". LilKim.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Mayfield, Geoff (July 15, 2000). "Between the Bullets". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 112 (29): 112. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Crime Doesn't Pay". Vibe (Vibe Media Group) 14 (5): 56. May 2006. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved August 22, 2014. With scanty clothing and the cachet that comes with having what many consider a classic album, Hard Core, Lil' Kim was one of the few female rappers whose consistent platinum sales showed that she could play with the big boys.
  5. ↑ "Legendary Hit Factory Studio Turning Into Condos". December 5, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Lil Kim Biography". Starpulse.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Why 70% Of Women Should Know Lil' Kim's Hardcore Album". The Source. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Hardcore: Lil Kim: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lil Kim". Hip Hop Galaxy. March 14, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Artist Chart History - Lil' Kim - Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  12. ↑ RIAA searchable database - Sales, certification dates, ...
  13. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason (November 12, 1996). "Hard Core - Lil' Kim". Allmusic. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  14. ↑ Bernard, James (January 10, 1997). "Hardcore Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  15. ↑ Sawyer, Terry. "Lil' Kim: Hardcore". Popmatters. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Lil' Kim: Hardcore - Undeas Recording/Big Beat". Rapreviews.com. February 1, 2005. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  17. ↑ Bwinning (November 12, 1996). "Hard Core : Lil Kim". Rhapsody. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  18. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lil' Kim". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  19. ↑ The new Rolling Stone album guide - Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard - Google Boeken. Books.google.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 "Lil' Kim - Hard Core CD Album". Cduniverse.com. November 12, 1996. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Lil' Kim: Biography". Rollingstone.com. April 23, 2009. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  22. 1 2 http://www.billboard.com/artist/307304/lil-kim/chart?f=305
  23. 1 2 http://www.billboard.com/artist/307304/lil-kim/chart?f=333
  24. ↑ Concepcion, Mariel (June 9, 2007). "A Bad Rap?". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 119 (23): 24. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  25. ↑ "The Billboard 200 1997-10-18". Billboard. October 18, 1997. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  26. ↑ "American album certifications – Lil' Kim – Hard Core". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 2, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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