Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter is the fourth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on December 28, 1999, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from American hip hop duo UGK and American record producer Dr. Dre, alongside fellow rappers Amil, Beanie Sigel, Juvenile, and Memphis Bleek; as well as additional guest contribution from American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. Production on the album was handled by Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, K-Rob, DJ Clue, Rockwilder, DJ Premier, and Irv Gotti, among others.

Upon its release, the album was well received by critics and according to USA Today critic Steve Jones stated that the record marked a return to the street-oriented sound of Jay-Z's debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt (1996).

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

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| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = A−

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

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| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = 7/10

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

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| rev9 = USA Today

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| rev10 = The Village Voice

| rev10score = A

Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter was released on December 28, 1999, and has sold 462,000 copies in its first week, while debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. The sales week was thirty-percent more than the first-week sales of Jay-Z's previous album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998). As of February 14, 2001, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2009, the album reached sales of 3,093,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In a contemporary review, Rolling Stone critic Kris Ex wrote that Jay-Z "has become a better architect of songs" while hailing Vol. 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". Richard Harrington from The Washington Post found the record to be "full of reputation-building swagger, cataloguing of lyrical skills and autobiographical perspective". Reviewing the album in Entertainment Weekly, Anthony DeCurtis said it reconnects with Jay-Z's urban demographic, "with flair", Soren Baker was less impressed in the Los Angeles Times, writing that the record lacks the "biting humor and spectacular wordplay" of his previous albums. In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Jon Caramanica later wrote, "Life & Times of S. Carter took [Vol. 2s] 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". 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.

  • 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

Charts

Weekly charts

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!Chart (2000)

!Peak<br />position

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Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

!Chart (2000)

!Position

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! scope="row"|Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

|align="center"|141

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! scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|align="center"|23

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!scope="row"|US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

|align="center"|5

|}

Certifications

See also

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

References