By the Way radio stations participated in broadcasting the band's new daily material, along with MTV, VH1, and digital music retailers like iTunes, as well as Cell phone companies. AOL featured the Chili Peppers as their "Artist of the Month" in June, streaming interviews and live performances of the band free of charge; they also sold an MP3 of "By the Way", the record's first single, for ninety-nine cents and raffled off tickets that gave fans a chance to see the band in Japan in November. "By the Way" was released on CD and LP on July 9, 2002, under the Warner Bros.
The Hard Way (213 album) points out of 10, in part due to lackluster lyrics: "Snoop and Nate seem to have a problem going longer than a few bars without dropping some lines about 'dirty ass hoes.'" Rondell Conway of "Vibe" rated the album with 2.5 out of five due to 213 offering what he called "obsolete subject matter" despite "nostalgically offer[ing] its signature G-funk sound." "The Hard Way" debuted at number four on the US "Billboard" 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at top on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. "So Fly" was released on July 6, 2004