XXL celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with this second:
Sept. 6, 2000: In February of 1999, Jay-Z headlined the Arduous Knock Life Tour, that includes DMX, Methodology Man, Redman, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel and different rap superstars. The all-star trek was the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of that 12 months. On today, in 2000, the music documentary Backstage, which chronicled the historic tour, opened in theaters.
Produced by Roc-A-Fella Data founder Damon Sprint and directed by Chris Fiore, the documentary movie Backstage supplied an unfettered take a look at the behind-the-scenes antics through the 1999 Arduous Knock Life Tour. “You hear the music, however [you see] the issues we do behind [the] stage—the emotions, the feelings, and all that,” Jay-Z advised MTV Information in regards to the flick.
The Hard Knock Life Tour kicked off in Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 27, 1999, and launched into a 54-city journey. The trek was initially met with resistance from critics who feared violence would end result from competing rap acts on the identical stage. None of that occurred. The multi-group hip-hop tour wrapped up efficiently on Could 2, 1999, in Louisville, Ky., with out an incident of violence.
The jaunt generated over $18 million in income. Throughout a post-tour press convention, Damon Sprint dismissed the naysayers who had predicted the tour could be a breeding floor for violence. “Individuals had been saying somebody’s going to die on that tour,” he recalled on the convention. “[But] there was no violence and no fights.” The music govt proclaimed it was essentially the most profitable hip-hop tour ever. “We set a precedent not only for rap excursions, however for all music excursions,” he said.
Backstage grossed over $1.3 million worldwide on the field workplace, in response to IMDB.com. In the meantime, the accompanying soundtrack, co-executive produced by DJ Clue, was launched and hit No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart the week of Sept. 16, 2000. Moreover, the soundtrack reached gold standing on Dec. 4, 2000, in response to the Recording Business Affiliation of America (RIAA).
