Maps of Music

In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

Where the lyrics of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 take you, and where it was really made.

This album was Jay-Z's first release after The Notorious B.I.G. died suddenly in March 1997, and the death shaped parts of the record.

Key places

D&D Studios, recording location (1997)

Recording site D&D Studios — D&D Studios is listed among the New York City studios where the album was recorded. The point uses the building coordinates of this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Daddy's House, recording location (1997)

Recording site Daddy's House Recording Studio — Daddy's House is listed among the New York City studios where the album was recorded. The point uses the building coordinates of this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Soundtrack Studios, recording location (1997)

Recording site Soundtrack Studios — Soundtrack Studios is listed among the New York City studios where the album was recorded. The point uses the building coordinates of this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Future Recording Studios, Virginia Beach (1997)

Recording site Future Recording Studios — Future Recording Studios in Virginia Beach is listed as a recording location for the album. The point uses the city center, so the exact building is not fixed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• In My Lifetime, Vol. 1: second studio album by American rapper Jay-Z
• Released November 4, 1997 by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings
• Debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart
• RIAA Platinum certification; over 138,000 copies sold in the first week
• First Jay-Z release after the sudden death of The Notorious B.I.G. in March 1997

Background

• The Notorious B.I.G., a fellow Brooklyn rapper and collaborator, died in March 1997
• Jay-Z said the death shaped parts of the album, including the song The City is Mine
• Jay-Z described the album as less fun to record than his debut Reasonable Doubt (1996)
• Shift from the mafioso rap themes of Reasonable Doubt toward the late-90s jiggy era
• Jay-Z said the album is more detailed, in-depth and personal than Reasonable Doubt

Recording

• Guest contributors: Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Babyface, Blackstreet, Teddy Riley, Too $hort, Sauce Money, Puff Daddy
• DJ Premier and Ski, producers from Reasonable Doubt, handled a limited number of beats
• Most production by Puff Daddy's team The Hitmen from the Bad Boy label
• Result: a generally glossier sound than the predecessor
• Recording studios listed: D&D Studios, Daddy's House and Soundtrack Studios in New York City
• Future Recording Studios in Virginia Beach also listed

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City.
• Raised in Marcy Houses in Bedford–Stuyvesant; mother Gloria Carter raised him and his three older siblings after his father left when he was 11.
• Dropped out of Trenton Central High School during his sophomore year.
• Adopted the stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O.

Career

• Began recording in the late 1980s, contributing verses to Jaz-O's records.
• Co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records; debut album Reasonable Doubt (1996) was critically acclaimed.
• Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) became his most commercially successful album, certified 6× Platinum in the US.
• The Blueprint (2001) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Led Def Jam Recordings as president and CEO from 2004 to 2007.
• Founded Roc Nation in 2008 and later 4:44 (2017) and Everything Is Love with Beyoncé (2018).
• Has 25 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• USA Today's Steve Jones called the album a rock-solid set with both street and pop appeal
• Chicago Tribune critic Soren Baker praised Jay-Z's lyrics for finesse and insight
• Baker wrote that the use of pop producers Teddy Riley and Sean Combs would alienate some listeners
• Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention in his 2000 Consumer Guide book
• Christgau named (Always Be My) Sunshine and Real Niggaz as highlights
• Spin's Chris Norris was critical of the rhymes and of the production

Reappraisal

• AllMusic editor John Bush wrote in a retrospective review that the productions are a bit flashier and more commercial than on the debut
• Bush wrote that Jay-Z remained a tough street rapper and improved his flow

Records

• Debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA
• Sold over 138,000 copies in its first week of release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Jay-Z told MTV News that the album felt slow to him, and that two hooks on City Is Mine came from songs the Notorious B.I.G. had recorded earlier
• Intro / A Million And One Questions... samples One in a Million, performed by Aaliyah and written by Missy Elliott and Timbaland
• Jay-Z described Reasonable Doubt as an introduction, and this album as more detailed and personal
• Robert Christgau called Jay-Z arrogant yet diffident, ruthless yet cute, a scary original
• Chris Norris wrote that the Combs blueprint came off as either mundane or embarrassing without one guiding vision

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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