Reasonable Doubt
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| Reasonable Doubt | ||
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| Studio album by Jay-Z | ||
| Released | June 25, 1996 | |
| Genre | East Coast hip hop Mafioso rap |
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| Length | 59:24 | |
| Label | Roc-A-Fella Records Priority Records |
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| Producer(s) | Ski Clark Kent Damon Dash DJ Premier DJ Irv Big Jaz Knobody Dahoud Darien Sean Cane Peter Panic |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Jay-Z chronology | ||
| Reasonable Doubt (1996) |
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997) |
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| Alternate cover | ||
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| European album cover | ||
Reasonable Doubt was rapper Jay-Z's debut hip hop album, released on June 25, 1996 (see 1996 in music). It has since sold 1.4 million copies in the US. It sold 420,000 copies in its first year and peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Charts. It was certified platinum in 2002. Though critically successful, the album, and Jay-Z, were overshadowed by the Death Row vs. Bad Boy rivalry that was then on-going, and only had a moderately successful single with "Ain't No Nigga." In spite of this lack of initial recognition, Reasonable Doubt received strong critical reviews - eventually receiving a "5 Mics" rating from The Source - and is now acknowledged as one of the most influential Mafioso rap albums of the mid-1990s.
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[edit] Overview
Compared to later records, Reasonable Doubt contains much more ambivalence about the value of Jay-Z's often violent, seedy life. On tracks like "Coming of Age", a sense of mourning, danger and insecurity permeate to a degree rarely seen on later recordings. Still, Jay-Z showed off his impressive creativity, notably the classic "22 Two's." His lyrics are on point, sharp and witty throughout the entire album. Allmusic's Steve Huey wrote that the lack of depth helps Reasonable Doubt rank as one of the finest albums of New York's hip-hop renaissance of the '90s"[1] It is often considered Jay-Z's greatest album by hip-hop fans who dislike the crossover-oriented sound of his subsequent efforts. interestingly, the short conversation played out at the start of the album (before the opening track "Can't Knock the Hustle") where Roc-A-Fella Artist "Pain In Da Ass" addresses the listener is a word-for-word parody of the conversation between Tony Montana and Omar Suarez near beginning of the movie Scarface (although the words "my boys" are substituted for "Jay-Z" towards the end of the skit). Numerous other references to the movie can be heard throughout the album, all tying in to the Mafioso rap theme. A trend started by the Wu-Tang Clan (Wu Gambinos), Nas (Nas Escobar), & The Notorious B.I.G (Frank White).
The album was released at a time when mafioso themes were becoming widespread in hip hop, beginning with Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon's commercially marginal but heavily influential and critically-acclaimed 1995 debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. New York rapper AZ's debut Doe or Die released later in 1995, would also incorporate heavy mafioso imagery. Jay's future rival Nas would also release his double-platinum mafioso-oriented sophomore album It Was Written in 1996 as well, and rap superstar The Notorious B.I.G. would incorporate some mafioso themes into his sophomore album Life After Death in 1997. This motif is generally absent from Jay-Z's later work.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 248 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
On June 25, 2006, Jay-Z performed the album in its entirety, in reverse order, for its 10th Anniversary. The concert was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Guests included Beyoncé Knowles in place of Mary J. Blige on "Can't Knock the Hustle", Foxy Brown on "Ain't No Nigga" Memphis Bleek on "Can I Live"[2], and Sauce Money on "Bring It On." Fans were disappointed that Jay-Z's former ally and mentor Jaz-O was not present to perform his verse on "Bring It On" because of his current feud with Jay-Z.
Later versions of the album include the bonus track "Can I Live II" and/or "Can't Knock the Hustle (Remix)". The LP vinyl version contains both bonus tracks and an instrumental version of "Can't Knock the Hustle (Remix)".
[edit] Music
[edit] Lyrical content
Most tracks deal with mafioso rap topics such as the life of a kingpin or street hustler. The only tracks that do not focus on those topics are "22 Two's" where Jay-Z makes a rap using the word "to" twenty two times and "Brooklyn's Finest" which is a rapid fire random free associated rap with Notorious B.I.G.. Jay-Z presents each rhyme with much swagger and so do his guests. Guest appearances are provided by Jay's mentor Big Jaz, his friends Notorious B.I.G. Memphis Bleek and Sauce Money as well as associated artists such as Foxy Brown and Mary J. Blige.
[edit] Production
The production is handled by East Coast hip hop legends including DJ Premier, DJ Clark Kent and Irv Gotti. The production is reliant on soul samples and samples of hip hop songs for the refrains.
[edit] Album singles
The singles released for Reasonable Doubt are "Ain't No Nigga"/"Dead Presidents", "Can't Knock the Hustle" and "Feelin' It". "Ain't No Nigga" is produced by Jay-Z's then mentor Big Jaz and features a guest verse from a young Foxy Brown. Its chorus interpolates lyrics from the chorus of "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" by The Temptations. It is also notable for having a similar beat to "It's My Thing" by EPMD as they both sampled "Seven Minutes of Funk" by The Whole Darn Family. "Dead Presidents" is produced by Ski and its chorus samples vocals from Nas' "The World Is Yours". Nas refused to re-sing his vocals for the song's chorus which may have helped lead to his feud with Jay-Z. The second single, "Can't Knock the Hustle", contains vocals by Mary J. Blige and is produced by Knobody, Dahoud Darien and Sean Cane. The last single, "Feelin' It", is produced by Ski and contains vocals from Mecca.
"Ain't No Nigga/Dead Presidents" performed the best of any of the singles in terms of Billboard Hot 100 rankings. It is also notable for reaching #1 on the Hot Dance Music chart. "Can't Knock the Hustle" performed better than "Feelin' It" in terms of chart positions, but they were both included on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot Rap Singles and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts.
[edit] Critical recognition
Reasonable Doubt was certified gold by RIAA on September 18, 1996 and platinum on February 7, 2002.[1] Its highest Billboard 200 ranking was #23, but it reached #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 1996.[2]
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Can't Knock The Hustle" | 5:17 | Shawn Carter Jerome "Knobody" Foster Marcus Miller |
Knobody, Dahoud Darien, Sean Cane | Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige |
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| 2 | "Politics As Usual" | 3:41 | Shawn Carter Cynthia Biggs David "Ski" Willis |
Ski | Jay-Z |
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| 3 | "Brooklyn's Finest" | 4:36 | Shawn Carter Christopher Wallace Rodolfo Franklin Leroy Bonner Gary Webster Marshall Jones Ralph Middlebrooks Walter Morrison Andrew Noland Marvin Pierce |
Clark Kent, Damon Dash | Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Pain in da Ass |
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| 4 | "Dead Presidents II" | 4:27 | Shawn Carter Nasir Jones Pete Phillips Lonnie Liston Smith David "Ski" Willis |
Ski | Jay-Z |
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| 5 | "Feelin' It" | 3:48 | Shawn Carter David "Ski" Willis |
Ski | Jay-Z, Mecca |
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| 6 | "D'evils" | 3:31 | Shawn Carter Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier | Jay-Z |
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| 7 | "22 Two's" | 3:29 | Shawn Carter David "Ski" Willis |
Ski | Jay-Z |
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| 8 | "Can I Live" | 4:10 | Shawn Carter Irving Lorenzo Burt Bacharach Hal David |
DJ Irv | Jay-Z |
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| 9 | "Ain't No Nigga" | 4:03 | Shawn Carter Inga Marchand Jonathan Burks Dennis Lampert Brian Potter |
Big Jaz | Jay-Z, Foxy Brown |
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| 10 | "Friend or Foe" | 1:49 | Shawn Carter Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier | Jay-Z |
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| 11 | "Coming of Age" | 3:49 | Shawn Carter Rodolpho Franklin James Mtume |
Clark Kent | Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek |
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| 12 | "Cashmere Thoughts" | 2:56 | Shawn Carter Rodolpho Franklin Hamilton Bohannon Leroy Emmanuel Melvin Ragin |
Clark Kent | Jay-Z |
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| 13 | "Bring It On" | 5:01 | Sean Carter Jonathan Burks Chris E. Martin Todd Gaither Carl Martin |
DJ Premier | Jay-Z, Big Jaz, Sauce Money |
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| 14 | "Regrets" | 4:34 | Shawn Carter F. Di Pasquale |
Peter Panic | Jay-Z |
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| 15 | "Can I Live II" | 3:57 | Shawn Carter Malik Cox M. Johnson |
K-Rob | Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek |
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| *16 | "Can't Knock The Hustle (Fool's Paradise Remix)" [International bonus track] | 4:45 | Shawn Carter Melissa Morgan Irving Lorenzo |
DJ Irv | Jay-Z, Meli'sa Morgan |
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[edit] Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
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"Ain't No Nigga"
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"Can't Knock The Hustle" (featuring Mary J. Blige) |
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"Feelin' It" (featuring Mecca)
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[edit] Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 23 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 3 |
[edit] Personnel
- "Ain't No Nigga (sample)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- is the ninth track from Reasonable Doubt.
- "Can't Knock The Hustle (sample)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- is the first track from Reasonable Doubt.
- "Brooklyn's Finest (sample)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- is the third track from Reasonable Doubt.
- "Dead Presidents II (sample)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- is the fourth track from Reasonable Doubt.
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
- Mary J. Blige - Vocals
- DJ Premier - Producer, Mixing
- Clark Kent - Producer, Mixing
- Joe Quinde - Engineer, Mixing
- Kenny Ortíz - Engineer, Mixing
- Carlos Bess - Mixing
- Jay-Z - Executive Producer
- Eddie S. - Engineer, Mixing
- SKI - Producer, Mixing
- DJ Irv - Producer, Mixing
- Jonathan Mannion - Photography
- Cey Adams - Artwork
- Big Jaz - Producer, Performer, Mixing
- Adrien Vargas - Art Direction, Design
- Damon Dash - Producer, Executive Producer
- Sauce Money - Performer
- Peter Panic - Producer, Mixing
- Kareem "Biggs" Burke - Executive Producer
- Dahoud - Producer
- Memphis Bleek - Rapper
- Sean Cane - Producer, Dahoud
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Rapper
[edit] Accolades
The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net[3] and other website links below.
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender Magazine | USA | 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die | 2003 | * |
| Hip-Hop Connection | UK | The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005 | 2005 | #13 |
| Rolling Stone | USA | List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | #248 |
| Rolling Stone (guest article by Chris Rock) |
USA | Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums | 2005 | #19 |
| The New Nation | UK | Top 100 Albums by Black Artists | #33 | |
| The Source | USA | 100 Best Rap Albums | 1998 | * |
| Vibe Magazine | USA | 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement | 2004 | * |
( * ) designates lists which are unordered.
[edit] References
- ^ RIAA Searchable Database at RIAA.com. Retrieved on December 15, 2006.
- ^ Jay-Z Billboard Albums at All Music Guide. Retrieved on December 15, 2006.
- ^ Reasonable Doubt at AcclaimedMusic.net. Retrieved on December 14, 2006.
