Everyone should know Jay Z can be known as one of the greats. I mean, he has Beyoncé, one of the most overrated artists of all-time (and her Beyhive are too much) and from the day he came into the game, he's been having a lot of hits (even while being on his mafioso flow), and he's kinda decent on his business (I know he'll look back at TIDAL one day and see how awful it was). However, when it comes to albums, on-and-off situation with it, but still remains one of the greats. Of course, Jay has been known for good albums, especially since he broke out. But as time goes by, it's easy to see him have a few mediocre or disappointing albums not up to par. Yes, Jay has a lot of decent albums, but only 3 are mostly recommended as his best work: The Black Album, The Blueprint & today's subject, Reasonable Doubt.
But before I get this off my chest, let's rewind back: Shawn "Jay Z" Carter pretty much got his shine when he started collaborating with mentor Jaz-O from the late 80s-early 90s on songs like "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie". Unfortunately, Jaz got dropped from his label, leading Jay to be a drug-dealer to support himself. It wasn't until in 1994 when "Show & Prove", a posse cut by Big Daddy Kane, came out that he became known to a wider audience. From there, he worked with Big L (RIP) on "Da Graveyard", and Mic Geronimo on "Time to Build". He finally released his debut single "In My Lifetime" in 1995. However, when he had some conflicts with his former label Payday over royalties, he decided to form Roc-A-Fella. Finally, he signed a deal with Priority, and released two singles: "Ain't No Nigga" and the classic "Dead Presidents", finally leading up to the classic Reasonable Doubt.
Reasonable Doubt was released on Roc-A-Fella/Priority in June 1996, full of 15 tracks (14 + a bonus). The album dropped one week before Nas' It Was Written (just thought I should add that in) and was one of the few hip-hop records from New York, along with Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx that presented the "mafioso/gangster" theme. From '95-96, Jay recorded the album in D&D Studios, with its production being formed in different areas. The album managed to gather features from Mary J. Blige, Foxy Brown, The Notorious BIG, Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money and Jaz-O (known on the album as Big Jaz), and was produced by Ski, along with other producers including Clark Kent, Knobody & DJ Premier. The album follows the story of how Jay was a drug-dealer who raps, but with the fact he's already very rich (so, not much had to be done in this album).
Everyone should know that Reasonable Doubt is pretty much seen as a classic, and managed to have ranks on "top albums" lists from Rolling Stone to Hip-Hop Connection. It was obvious that it had universal acclaim and many magazines had praised it the time the album dropped, with a 4 mics rating (later changed to 5 mics) from The Source and a XXL rating from, well... XXL. During its first week, it reached #23 on the Billboard 200, spending 18 weeks on the chart and 1 year 3 weeks (55 weeks overall) on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. By the end of 1996, 420k copies were sold and it took 6 years for the album to go platinum (February 7, 2002 was the day the album sold a million).
Well, I'm pretty eager to listen to the album and share my thoughts on it. Is it something I can bump my head to? Did it deserve 5 mics? Or does The Blueprint & The Black Album shit all over this one? Well, let's find out...
1. Can't Knock The Hustle
Ok, so the album starts out with what would later be the 3rd single. I really like this song, and it actually stands out. I do remember when British singer Lemar sampled this for his single, "50/50" (oh, good times). But it doesn't come close to this song cos this is a classic. Mary J's contributions were alright, but I didn't like them as much as the hook was too basic, and maybe some of her singing around Jay's rhymes were generic (well, the "la-la"'s in the beginning sounded a little like they were from someone else tho). The beat from Knobody is smooth as hell, and the song's content is just... on point. This is something I can vibe to, and it's a really outstanding song!
2. Politics As Usual
Could've been a better starter than "Can't Knock The Hustle", but oh well! This is a very nice song. which has Jay on a smooth beat, rhyming about the "politics" of being a drug dealer. This was a really interesting track, and Jay didn't fail to impress me. Ski's beat was hot, and the rhymes Jay spat on this masterpiece remains one of the best he ever did. Everyone can bump this in the whip while he's spitting that hot fire.
3. Brooklyn's Finest (Feat. The Notorious BIG)
This song still remains one of the best tracks on the album, as Jay & Biggie go back-and-forth on a "friendly battle". While Jay did his thing, it didn't come close to Biggie (and I'm not saying that cos he's dead now, and even if he was alive, that wouldn't change my mind), with his BIG voice and his lyrical flow that really stood out. The chorus from Clark Kent (aka the producer of the track) was alright and actually got me hyped while vibing to this song, and the beat was jiggy and very decent. This still standouts today, being a very impressive track.
4. Dead Presidents II
Even to this day, God knows why the original version of "Dead Presidents" didn't get to make it on this album, but I still like it when my favourite rappers spit new verses on the same song for a remix/Part 2 etc. This part was actually very nice and Jay managed to do well on this and hearing this now, thinking about how rich he is and how he's doing business (Screw TIDAL, by the way) pretty much leads to incredible thoughts and make this song have a really comfortable listening experience. Heck, the sample from Nas' "The World Is Yours" is still amazing (although it's still Nas > Jay Z). I love this song, and is still a classic to my eyes (in fact, maybe everybody's)
5. Feelin' It
This was originally supposed to be a song for Camp Lo, but God knows what would've happened if Ski gave it to them for Uptown Saturday Night. But this is still a classic song today. A girl called Mecca contributes in the chorus, and does fine, bringing a nostalgic vibe especially the way she sings (her singing sounds more Chicago-ish and jazzy). Ski provides drums which are similar to "Dead Presidents", which makes this much better than I thought it could've been, and the way Jay spits on this track is pure fire. And speaking of this supposing to be for Camp Lo, imagine if they were on a remix with Jay, cos I'd love to see them murk this track. But anyway, this song is pure flames!
6. D'Evils
DJ Premier finally jumps on the production and it bangs out hard. Jay talks about how the desire for money can lead to a lot of betrayal and violence. This is a very good song, and the content on the song was really interesting while Premo add a sombre vibe to it. I really liked the story Jay told on the song and is very appealing to the listener. Not one of the best, but it's still an impressive song.
7. 22 Two's
Meh.
8. Can I Live
Before the Murder Inc. business with Ja Rule & Ashanti, Irv Gotti was known as "DJ Irv" and produced this one hell of a song. Seriously, this was a really awesome song. I really liked it and Jay actually does a fantastic job as he raps on this soulful ass track with his incredible flow and sick bars. Such a standout!
9. Ain't No Nigga (Feat. Foxy Brown)
I always thought the beat was funky, but a little lackluster. But Jay & Foxy are the ones that save this from being a boring song. Jaz-O produced this, and the beat was alright. Foxy managed to murk this track, and with her long verse, it shows how underrated she has been now (I don't necessarily like her like that anymore though). I mean, that's a really sick verse, especially one of the best I've heard on this album. This is such a fantastic song.
10. Friend or Foe
Out of all the three songs produced by Premo, this one just takes the cake. Too bad it's short though.
11. Coming of Age (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
This ain't bad. This is something I can vibe to. Jay does a good job, while a younger Memphis comes out with a very decent verse. Look at his verse, and compare it to his later verses. This was only the beginning of the ROC takeover (Beanie Sigel and Amil would come later on in Jay's discography), and it was a good starter. A really nice song.
12. Cashmere Thoughts
Am I the only one that felt like this was an interlude, when it actually isn't? The beat is fire tho!
13. Bring It On (Feat. Big Jaz & Sauce Money)
The final Premo beat on the album DOESN'T FREAKIN DISAPPOINT AT ALL! This was a really good, and apparently, Nas & AZ were supposed to be on this song, but probably because of their feud they had cos of "Dead Presidents", yeah, that didn't happen. And you know what, I like it like that. Forget about "Friend or Foe" taking the cake, this is just a fantastic song; and while everybody does their thing, I always felt Sauce & Jaz actually sounded very comfortable on this song. And damn, Jaz would never sound better than this (so unfortunate they still got bad blood). This is such a great song.
14. Regrets
So the album ends with a decent song with a beat that sounds like someone of YouTube would make today. (I'm serious, I've heard beats from people called DJ SonicFreak and StylezT that would have these type of beats). But, the difference is that, Jay makes it like his song, and does a good job on it. Not that good, but I like the emotional and personal content on here. A good conclusion...
The following is a bonus track:
15. Can I Live II (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
The thing about albums released in the 90s is that bonus tracks are rare to find, unless you're talking about modern day albums where so many deluxe editions are released (deluxes have reduced now, to be honest). Now that I've made my point, I skipped this song, forgetting this was on there at the first place, because I was on YouTube, being interested in an Adult Swim Bump I heard on a Vine. This continues where we left on with the first one. But however, I don't really like it as much as the first one, especially with the beat being mediocre. Jay & Memphis did well though.
Looking at it now, I can see why Reasonable Doubt is a classic. 19 years later, this one hell of an album still holds up today, with Jay's Mafioso gangster flow, and the smooth laidback beats provided by Knobody, Ski, Clark Kent and Premo. Jay's raps are on point and make you wonder when he would go back to that type of flow and delivery. I mean, that was fire! The concept is really interesting as while glorifying the Mafioso lifestyle, he's still trying to find ways to better himself and I like that.
To me, Reasonable Doubt feels like a movie. I mean, it follows Jay and his drug-dealing days, with him rapping about the stuff he had done. As the album (movie) goes on, guest appearances (more characters) begin to come out and do a great job at their verse (role). That's how good of an album this is. And speaking of the guests, they were sick. The Notorious BIG goes back-and-forth with Jigga on "Brooklyn's Finest" and manages to be the winner of the competitive-but-friendly battle. Foxy Brown murks "Ain't No Nigga", Memphis does his thing on "Coming of Age", and Jaz-O renegades the whole album with "Bring It On".
As for the production, it just hits the nail on the wall. It is just so freaking fantastic. Ski is such a beast on the boards as he produces "Dead Presidents", "Politics As Usual" and "Feelin' It". Premo's beats are good for banging out in the whip, especially "D'Evils" and "Bring It On". Knobody's contribution on "Can't Knock The Hustle" made that masterpiece so smooth, and Clark Kent is a monster as "Brooklyn's Finest" and "Coming of Age" are songs that you can pretty much vibe to. I mean, come on, what else is there to say about the production?! It's just amazing.
But enough with my overexaggerated reaction, this is just so good. Everything about it is so amazing and it's a masterpiece. Take away the weakest songs, and this would even break apart easily. The album flows well. It doesn't get the same recognition that an album like Illmatic would, but the legacy & influence still lives on. So I recommend a purchase (for all the American readers who want a stream, Jay may have removed it from Spotify in your area, damn, he wants TIDAL to succeed so bad). This album is just amazing. And as I said in the beginning, he has a on-and-off situation when it comes to albums. One time, he'll drop something on par with this album, next minute, he's dropping a shitty album. So you never know, one day he'll drop something 10x better than this. But it's still remains his best work with The Blueprint and The Black Album. Such a freaking masterpiece!#
The Furious 5ive
Dead Presidents II
Politics As Usual
Brooklyn's Finest
Can't Knock The Hustle
Can I Live
Honourable Mentions
Bring It On
Ain't No Nigga
Feelin' It
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