# In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
*In My Lifetime, Vol. 1* is the second studio album by the American rapper Jay-Z, released on November 4, 1997 through [Roc-A-Fella Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/roc-a-fella-records) and Def Jam. It followed his debut *[Reasonable Doubt](https://www.edgepedia.org/reasonable-doubt-album)* (1996) and was recorded in the months after the March 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z's friend and rival for the title of New York's best rapper.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 4, 1997; Def Jam / Roc-A-Fella[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432) |
| Length | 58:00 across 14 songs[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1/6774784760) |
| Styles | East Coast rap, hardcore rap, pop-rap, gangsta rap[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432) |
| Production | About half the beats from Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Hitmen, with DJ Premier and Ski Beatz from *Reasonable Doubt* also contributing[3](https://stereogum.com/1970289/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary) |
| Biggest hit | "The City Is Mine," which peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100[3](https://stereogum.com/1970289/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary) |
| Certification | Platinum in the United States (1,000,000 units), certified February 5, 1999[4](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/21075) |
| Sales | 1,413,000 copies listed in an XXL accounting of Def Jam releases[5](https://xxlmag.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/defjam-moment.pdf) |
## Background
Jay-Z recorded the album after establishing Roc-A-Fella Records independently for *Reasonable Doubt*, then leveraging that album, along with his ghostwriting for Foxy Brown's *Ill Na Na*, into a distribution arrangement with Def Jam. *In My Lifetime, Vol. 1* was the first album of that partnership.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jay-z-in-my-lifetime-vol-1/)
[The Notorious B.I.G.](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-notorious-b-i-g) heard an early version of "Streets Is Watching" at Daddy's House, the Bad Boy studio in [Midtown Manhattan](https://www.edgepedia.org/midtown-manhattan), in late 1996, months before he was shot and killed in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. According to Jay-Z's account in his memoir *Decoded*, Biggie played the track repeatedly and asked, "Is the whole album gonna sound like this?"[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jay-z-in-my-lifetime-vol-1/) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1/6774784760) After the death, Puff Daddy asked Jay-Z to write verses for the tribute single "I'll Be Missing You"; Jay-Z declined and instead wrote "The City Is Mine," a song addressed to the fallen rapper.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jay-z-in-my-lifetime-vol-1/)
## Sound and production
The album splits its sound between street rap in the *Reasonable Doubt* mold and the glossy Bad Boy pop style then dominating hip-hop. Puff Daddy's Bad Boy stable produced almost half the tracks, and Jay-Z recruited [Teddy Riley](https://www.edgepedia.org/teddy-riley), the new jack swing producer, for "The City Is Mine," which features the R&B group [Blackstreet](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackstreet), a sample of [Glenn Frey](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenn-frey)'s "You Belong to the City," and saxophone from a pre-Neptunes Chad Hugo.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432) • [3](https://stereogum.com/1970289/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary) • [7](https://musicbrainz.org/release/82f90d0a-5df9-45dd-831d-19e66a3ce570)
**Street material.** The harder tracks include the [DJ Premier](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-premier)-produced opener "Intro / A Million and One Questions / Rhyme No More," the Ski Beatz-produced "Streets Is Watching" (built on a [Labi Siffre](https://www.edgepedia.org/labi-siffre) sample), "Imaginary Player," and "Where I'm From," an unflinching portrait of the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn. The album closes with "You Must Love Me," a confessional track about guilt.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432) • [7](https://musicbrainz.org/release/82f90d0a-5df9-45dd-831d-19e66a3ce570) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1/6774784760)
**Pop overtures.** "(Always Be My) Sunshine," featuring Babyface and Foxy Brown with a [Hype Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/hype-williams) video, and the Puff Daddy and [Lil' Kim](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-kim) collaboration "I Know What Girls Like" were the commercial pushes. Jay-Z later said "Sunshine" "killed the album," judging that it did not fit the persona he had built.[3](https://stereogum.com/1970289/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary) • [8](https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/jay-z/lists/best-albums-ranking/)
Recording took place at several New York studios, including D&D Studios and Daddy's House, and at Future Recording Studios in Virginia Beach, where "The City Is Mine" was made.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432) • [7](https://musicbrainz.org/release/82f90d0a-5df9-45dd-831d-19e66a3ce570)
## Reception and legacy
Contemporary and retrospective critics have generally treated the album as a transitional work: commercially successful, certified platinum within about a year and a half, but a step down from *Reasonable Doubt* artistically. AllMusic's review credits Jay-Z with improving on an already strong flow while noting that the productions are flashier and more commercial than on the debut.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432) • [4](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/21075) • [9](https://www.rap-reviews.com/post/jay-z-reasonable-doubt-review-the-most-honest-album-he-ever-made)
The album's standing has risen in some respects over time. Apple Music's editorial notes that its mix of bleak street lyrics and pop production anticipated the approach of a generation of post-2010s rappers, and that [Lil Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-wayne) has a verse from "Lucky Me" tattooed on his leg.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1/6774784760) Jay-Z himself has been critical of the record in retrospect, and it remains one of only two of his solo albums, with *Reasonable Doubt*, that did not reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.[8](https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/jay-z/lists/best-albums-ranking/) • [10](https://device.report/m/a418fa1883e208820d71287f67ce531ea0e357ec894c52e522211b448ad9f359.pdf)
The album also began a numbered series: *Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life* followed in 1998 and became his commercial breakthrough, and *[Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/vol-3-life-and-times-of-s-carter)* appeared in 1999.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432)
## References
1. [In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-mw0000026432)
2. [In My Lifetime, Vol.1, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-my-lifetime-vol-1/6774784760)
3. [In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 Turns 20, Stereogum (Tom Breihan, 2017)](https://stereogum.com/1970289/in-my-lifetime-vol-1-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary)
4. [In My Lifetime, Volume I, Sales & Charts, Best Selling Albums](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/21075)
5. [Def Jam sales document, XXL](https://xxlmag.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/defjam-moment.pdf)
6. [Jay-Z: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 Album Review, Pitchfork (Paul A. Thompson, 2019)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jay-z-in-my-lifetime-vol-1/)
7. [Release "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" by Jay-Z, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/82f90d0a-5df9-45dd-831d-19e66a3ce570)
8. [Jay Z Ranks His Own Albums From Best To Worst, Capital XTRA](https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/jay-z/lists/best-albums-ranking/)
9. [Jay-Z "Reasonable Doubt" Review, Rap Reviews Daily](https://www.rap-reviews.com/post/jay-z-reasonable-doubt-review-the-most-honest-album-he-ever-made)
10. [Billboard charts document](https://device.report/m/a418fa1883e208820d71287f67ce531ea0e357ec894c52e522211b448ad9f359.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Hip hop albums › East Coast hip hop albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license