| Hard Core | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 12, 1996 (1996-11-12) | |||
| Recorded | 1995–1996 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:59 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Lil' Kim chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hard Core | ||||
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Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapperLil' Kim, released on November 12, 1996, byUndeas Recordings,Big Beat Records, andAtlantic Records. After achieving success with the hip hop groupJunior M.A.F.I.A. and their albumConspiracy (1995), Kim began working on her solo album withthe Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer (besides this, he performed on four songs). She collaborated with a number of producers, such asSean "Puff Daddy" Combs,Stevie J,David "Ski" Willis andJermaine Dupri, among others. Other rappers, includingJay-Z,Lil' Cease andPuff Daddy were featured on the album.
The album was notable for its overt raunchy sexual tone and Kim's lyrical delivery, which was praised by music critics and is considered a classic album.[3]Hard Core debuted at number 11 on the USBillboard 200 and at number three on theBillboard'sTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 78,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number 26 of theCanadian Albums Chart. The album was certified double platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
After making her debut recording appearance onJunior M.A.F.I.A.'sConspiracy album, Lil' Kim appeared on records by artists such asMona Lisa,the Isley Brothers, andTotal. With recording her debut album,Hard Core was mainly recorded atThe Hit Factory inManhattan, New York City.[4] Working with a number of producers, includingSean "Puff Daddy" Combs andJermaine 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 theprovince of male rappers.[5] The album was originally titled "Queen Bee".[6]
Guest artists includedJay-Z,the Notorious B.I.G., and other members of Junior M.A.F.I.A.[7] The promotional campaign for the album, including the album cover, featured provocative advertisements of Kim dressed in a skimpy bikini and surrounded by furs.[8]
During the recording sessions, Kim and B.I.G made a demo for the track "Street Dreams", never released officially. "Big Momma Thang" was originally intended to be a diss towardsFaith Evans and2Pac but was re-recorded after Biggie disapproved of it. The verse containing remarks against Faith was replaced by Jay-Z's vocals while the third verse, which had a diss on 2Pac, was re-recorded by Kim.
The first singles fromHard Core, the gold-certified "No Time" peaked in the top 20 of theBillboard Hot 100, top 10 of theHot R&B Singles chart, and topped theRap Songs chart, making Lil' Kim the first female rap artist to have two consecutive number-one singles on that chart. Both singles peaked in the top 50 of theUK Singles Chart. A third single, "Not Tonight" (Remix), became a huge top 10 success in 1997, peaking at number six on the Hot 100, number three on the Hot R&B Singles chart, and topping the Rap Songs chart. The single also reached the top 20 on the UK chart and number 10 in Germany. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA.[9] It was nominated in 1998 for aGrammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. “Big Momma Thang” was released to commercial radio in the fall of 1996.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[11] |
| Muzik | 5/10[12] |
| RapReviews | 7/10[13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
| The Source |  [15] |
| Spin | 7/10[16] |
Hard Core received critical acclaim.The Source called the album "a solid debut because phat beats and rhymes are really all it takes, and they're both present",[15] whileRolling Stone magazine includedHard Core in its list of "Essential Recordings of the 90's".[17] In 2003,PopMatters wrote, "Track for track,Hard Core's thuggette-auctioneering flow melds the perfect hybrid ofyoni power Mafioso andPark Avenue duchess."[18]Rolling Stone concluded in reviewing the album in the magazine's 2004 version ofThe Rolling Stone Album Guide:[19]
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.'sReady to Die andJay-Z'sReasonable Doubt, Kim'sHard 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 fomR. Kelly,Babyface, and nearly every "R&B dick" in the field. A landmark of bold, hilarious filth.
LL Cool J's website rockthebells.com wrote that "Kim's high glamour, sex appeal and commercial success made her a new standard for female rappers."[20] In July 2022,Rolling Stone rankedHard Core as the 78th best debut album of all time.[21]
Hard Core debuted and peaked at number 11 on the USBillboard 200 and at number three on theBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[22] selling 78,000 copies in its first week.[23] Despite not spending another week inside the top 30,[23] the album was certified double platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 14, 2001,[24] and had sold 1.5 million copies in the United States by June 2000.[25] In Canada, the album peaked at number 62.[26] As of November 2016,Hard Core had sold over five million copies worldwide.[27]
In August 2018, the album entered the top 10 Hip Hop/Rap Albums chart on iTunes, reaching number six despite the album being released nearly 22 years prior and eventually reached number one for a short time. It also peaked at number 22 on the overall albums chart on iTunes.[28]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro in A-Minor" | 2:14 | ||
| 2. | "Big Momma Thang" (featuringJay-Z) |
| Stretch Armstrong | 4:17 |
| 3. | "No Time" (featuringPuff Daddy) |
| 5:00 | |
| 4. | "Spend a Little Doe" |
| Ski | 5:35 |
| 5. | "Take It!" | 0:46 | ||
| 6. | "Crush on You" (performed byLil' Cease) | Andraeo "Fanatic" Heard | 4:35 | |
| 7. | "Drugs" |
| Hamilton | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Scheamin'" | 0:49 | ||
| 9. | "Queen Bitch" |
|
| 3:17 |
| 10. | "Dreams" |
| Prestige | 4:39 |
| 11. | "M.A.F.I.A. Land" |
| Brent "Faraoh" Toussaint | 4:37 |
| 12. | "We Don't Need It" (featuringJunior M.A.F.I.A.) |
| Minnesota | 4:10 |
| 13. | "Not Tonight" (featuringJermaine Dupri) |
| Dupri | 4:31 |
| 14. | "Player Haters" | 0:43 | ||
| 15. | "Fuck You" (featuring Trife and Larceny) |
|
| 2:53 |
| Total length: | 52:43 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Not Tonight" (Remix) (featuringDa Brat,Left Eye,Missy Elliott andAngie Martinez) |
|
| 4:13 |
| Total length: | 56:59 | |||
Notes[29]
Sample credits[29]
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofHard Core.[29]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[24] | 2× Platinum | 1,500,000[36] |
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.
...with more than 5 million copies sold worldwide, making it the most successful release from a female rapper at the time.
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