Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter is the 1999 release by East Coast hip hop artist Jay-Z. It is, for the most part, his return to a more street-oriented sound. However, it did manage to produce some very successful radio-friendly singles. Vol. 3 topped the billboard charts with nearly half a million sold in its first few days of release. To date, the album has sold over 3 million copies, the most successful single from the album and arguably Jay-Z's career is the now-infamous Big Pimpin'. This album is also noted for insulting the rapper 50 Cent (before his rise to fame) on the song "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)". It was a response to "How To Rob", a song from 50 Cent's unreleased first LP "Power of the Dollar" where he comically explains robbing numerous mainstream rappers, including Jay-Z. In the song, Jay-Z raps "I'm about a dollar/What the fuck is 50 cents."
