Lil’ Kim ‘Hard Core’ 20th Anniversary
Release date: 12th November 1996
Label: Atlantic
Producers: Stretch Armstrong, Puff Daddy, Ski, Jermaine Dupri and others.
Profile (courtesy of Wikipedia):
“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. Following successwith the group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and their album Conspiracy (1995), Kim began working on her solo album with The Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer. She collaborated with a number of producers, including Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, Stevie J., David “Ski” Willis and Jermaine Dupri, among others. Rappers Jay Z, Lil’ Cease and Puff Daddy feature on the album. Recording for the album took place from 1995 to 1996, mainly at The Hit Factory studio, in New York City.
The album was notable for its overt raunchy sexual tone and Kim’s lyrical delivery. Hard Core debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, and number 3 on the Billboard’s Top R&B Albums, selling 78,000 copies in its first week, and hit the top ten in the Canadian Albums Chart. In the United States, Hard Core was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and to date has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.”
Additional info:
- The album comes in at #16 in Ego Trip’s Top 25 Rap Albums of 1996.
- The single ‘No Time / Queen Bitch’ comes in at #9 in Ego Trip’s Top 40 Rap Singles of 1996.
- Listen to samples used in the making of the album on WhoSampled.
Listen: Spotify
Purchase: Discogs