Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter

by

Jay-Z

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Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter is the fourth studio release by East Coast hip hop artist Jay-Z. It is, for the most part, his return to a more street-oriented sound. However, it did manage to produce some very successful radio-friendly singles. Vol. 3 topped the billboard charts with nearly half a million sold in its first few days of release. To date, the album has sold over 3 million copies, the most successful single from the album and arguably Jay-Z's career is the now-infamous Big Pimpin'. This album is also noted for insulting the rapper 50 Cent (before his rise to fame) on the song "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)". It was a response to "How To Rob", a song from 50 Cent's unreleased first LP "Power of the Dollar" where he comically explains robbing numerous mainstream rappers, including Jay-Z. In the song, Jay-Z raps "I'm about a dollar/What the fuck is 50 cents." This was also the last time Jay-Z worked with DJ Premier; this album was their fourth straight album in a row.

Jay-Z was able to beat many odds with the release, and critical/commercial success of this album. He was able to regain much "street cred" with lyrics on songs such as, NYMP, Come and Get Me, It's Hot, There's Been a Murder, and Jigga my Nigga. He also won the applause of the young culture at the time with the Big Pimpin' video, which at the time was blasted by news corporations for being overly-misogynistic.