While last year's major hip-hop tours were limited to the sanitized fun of Smokin' Grooves and Puff Daddy and the Family, 1999 is shaping up to be a little rougher. Jay-Z [ tickets ], DMX [ tickets ], Method Man and Redman have announced an ambitious itinerary of arena dates dubbed the "Hard Knock Life Tour." The quadruple bill features some of hip-hop's most popular and hardest hitting acts, all of which have had major commercial impact in recent months.

Jay-Z has been on an uphill path for over two years now, culminating with the number one success of his recent release Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life. That album, fueled by monster singles like Money Ain't A Thang, Can I Get A... and the Annie-influenced title track helped Jay-Z top the Billboard Album chart for 5 straight weeks.

Adding to the package is DMX, who with his latest release, Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood, became one of a limited handful of artists to have two number one albums in the same year. Rounding out the bill are Method Man and Redman, who haven't shattered any records, but are clearly enjoying their strongest popularity to date.

The question now is whether or not the economics of album sales can translate into the higher-priced realm of concert tickets. The success of this tour would certainly help to guarantee that more rap packages hit the road in the near future. Jay-Z and company will no doubt be watched by industry insiders as a barometer of things to come.

Here's the latest itinerary for the Hard Knock Life Tour: