The mixtape was first announced on July 26, 2013, and originally had a release date of October 31, 2013, but was pushed back due to Kim's pregnancy.

[6] A new cover was revealed on September 9, 2014, alluding to her debut album Hard Core from 1996.

The cover also pays homage to LL Cool J's 1989 album Walking with a Panther.

[1] Kim felt that the lyrical content also had a common feel with that of her debut,[1] describing it as "heavy" and "sexual".

[6] On September 20, 2014, Kim performed at The Source's first annual SOURCE360 concert at Barclays Center[9] Hard Core received favorable reviews from critics.