Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
Studio album by Jay-Z
Released	December 28, 1999
Recorded	1999
Studio	Baseline Studios (New York City) The Hit Factory (New York City) D&D Studios (New York City) Sony Music Studios (New York City) Manhattan Center Studio (New York City) Quad Studios (New York City)
Genre	Hip-hop
Length	71:05
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Producer	Darrell "Digga" Branch Clue DJ Premier DURO Irv Gotti K Rob Lil Rob Chauncey Mahan P. Skam Rockwilder Russell "Russ" Howard Sean "SAF" Francis Sam Sneed Swizz Beatz Timbaland Lance Rivera
Jay-Z chronology
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999) The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)
Singles from Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
"Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" Released: December 14, 1999 "Things That U Do" Released: January 11, 2000 "Anything" Released: February 15, 2000 "Big Pimpin'" Released: April 11, 2000

Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter is the fourthstudio album by American rapperJay-Z. It was released on December 28, 1999, byRoc-A-Fella Records andDef Jam Recordings. According toUSA Today critic Steve Jones, the record marked a return to the street-oriented sound of Jay-Z's 1996 debut album,Reasonable Doubt.^[1]Vol. 3... featured production fromSwizz Beatz,Timbaland,K-Rob,DJ Clue,Rockwilder,DJ Premier, andIrv Gotti, among others.

The album was well received by critics and debuted at number one on theBillboard 200, selling 462,000 copies in its first week. It has since sold over three million copies and been certifiedtriple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
NME	7/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
The Source	[9]
USA Today	[1]
The Village Voice	A[10]

Vol. 3... was released on December 28, 1999, and sold 462,000 copies in its first week, while debuting at number one on theBillboard 200.^[11] The sales week was thirty-percent more than the first-week sales of Jay-Z's previous album,Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998).^[12] On February 14, 2001, it was certifiedtriple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[13] In 2009, the album reached sales of 3,093,000 copies, according toNielsen SoundScan.^[14]

In a contemporary review,Rolling Stone critic Kris Ex wrote that Jay-Z "has become a better architect of songs" while hailingVol. 3... as "his strongest album to date, with music that's filled with catchy hooks, rump-shaking beats and lyrics fueled by Jay's hustler's vigilance".^[8] Richard Harrington fromThe Washington Post found the record to be "full of reputation-building swagger, cataloguing of lyrical skills and autobiographical perspective".^[15] Reviewing the album inEntertainment Weekly,Anthony DeCurtis said it reconnects with Jay-Z's urban demographic, "with flair",^[5] while Steve Jones ofUSA Today was particularly impressed by his lyrics andflow, finding both to be "razor-sharp as ever".^[1] InThe Village Voice,Robert Christgau argued that Jay-Z has too much at stake commercially to depart from "playing the now-a-rapper-now-a-thug 'reality' game with his customers, thugs and fantasists both", but he impresses with "a rugged, expansive vigor, nailing both come-fly-with-me cosmopolitanism and the hunger for excitement that's turned gangster hangouts into musical hotbeds from Buenos Aires to Kansas City".^[10] FellowVoice criticMiles Marshall Lewis called Jay-Z "the best MC in hip hop" andVol. 3… "the quintessential 2000-model hip hop album".^[16]Soren Baker was less impressed in theLos Angeles Times, writing that the record lacks the "biting humor and spectacular wordplay" of his previous albums.^[6]

InThe Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Jon Caramanica later wrote, "Life & Times of S. Carter took [Vol. 2's] combination of style and substance to its apotheosis. In addition to maintaining a strong lyrical presence, Jay also showcased his talents as a master of flow, changing cadences and rhyme patterns with impressive regularity and flexibility ... Nearly every track on this album was sonically unique, and Jay rode each one with aplomb and skill".^[17]AllMusic's John Bush wrote in a retrospective review that a couple of overwrought productions ("Dope Man" and "Things That U Do") keep it from being among Jay-Z's best albums.^[2]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} indicates a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} indicates an additional producer

Credits are adapted fromAllMusic.^[18]

• Amil – performer
• Darrell Branch – producer
• Mariah Carey – performer
• Drawing Board – art direction
• Fingaz – keyboards
• Kyledidthis – design
• Jay-Z – performer
• Jonathan Mannion – photography
• Memphis Bleek – performer
• Tatsuya Sato – assistant engineer
• Beanie Sigel – performer
• UGK – performer
• Dr. Dre – performer, mixing

• List of number-one albums of 2000 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 2000 (U.S.)

• Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter atDiscogs (list of releases)

• 1999 albums
• Jay-Z albums
• Albums produced by DJ Clue?
• Albums produced by DJ Premier
• Albums produced by Irv Gotti
• Albums produced by Rockwilder
• Albums produced by Swizz Beatz
• Albums produced by Timbaland
• Def Jam Recordings albums
• Roc-A-Fella Records albums
• Sequel albums

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