Reasonable Doubt
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Reasonable Doubt was rapper Jay-Z's debut hip hop album, released on June 25, 1996 (see 1996 in music). Though critically successful, the album, and Jay-Z, were overshadowed by the Death Row vs. Bad Boy rivalry that was then on-going. In spite of this lack of initial recognition, Reasonable Doubt received strong critical reviews and is now acknowledged as one of the most influential Mafioso rap albums of the mid-1990s. 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 it is this "depth that helps Reasonable Doubt rank as one of the finest albums of Renaissance New York's hip-hop renaissance of the '90s"[1]. It is often compared to Nas's debut Illmatic, but has not been able to quite match its level of critical acclaim. Reasonable Doubt is often considered Jay-Z's best album by hip-hop fans who dislike the crossover-oriented sound of his subsequent efforts (though his sixth album The Blueprint, gained equal critical praise upon its release).
Contents |
Track listing
- "Can't Knock the Hustle" (Carter/Foster/Miller) (Produced by Knowbody/Samples Marcus Miller - "Much Too Much") - 5:17
- "Politics As Usual" (Biggs/Carter/Willis) (Produced by Ski/Samples The Stylistics - "Hurry Up This Way Again") - 3:41
- "Brooklyn's Finest" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.) (Bonner/Carter/Franklin/Wallace/Webster) (Produced by Clark Kent for Superman Productions/Samples The Ohio Players - "Ecstasy") - 4:36
- "Dead Presidents II" (Carter/Jones/Phillips/Smith/Willis) (Produced by Ski/Samples Nas - "The World Is Yours (Remix)" and Lonnie Liston Smith - "Dreams of Tomorrow") - 4:27
- "Feelin' It" (featuring Mecca) (Carter/Willis) (Produced by Ski) - 3:48
- "D'evils" (Carter/Martin) (Produced by DJ Premier) - 3:31
- "22 Two's" (Carter/Willis) (Produced by Ski) - 3:29
- "Can I Live" (Bacharach/Carter/Davis/Lorenzo) (Produced by DJ Irv/Samples Isaac Hayes - "The Look of Love") - 4:10
- "Ain't No Nigga" (featuring Foxy Brown) (Burks/Carter/Lampert/Marchand/Potter) (Produced by Big Jaz) - 4:03
- "Friend or Foe" (Carter/Martin) (Produced by DJ Premier) - 1:49
- "Coming of Age" (featuring Memphis Bleek) (Carter/Franklin/Mtume) (Produced by Clark Kent for Superman Productions/Samples Eddie Henderson - "Inside You") - 3:59
- "Cashmere Thoughts" (Bohannon/Carter/Emanuel/Franklin/Ratin) (Produced by Clark Kent for Superman Productions/Samples Bohannon - "Save Their Souls") - 2:56
- "Bring It On" (featuring Big Jaz and Sauce Money) (Produced by DJ Premier) - 5:01
- "Regrets" (Carter/Di Pasquale) (Produced by Peter Panic for Superman Productions) - 4:34
- "Can I Live II" (featuring Memphis Bleek) (Carter/Cox/Johnson) (Produced by K-Rob/Samples 24 Carat Black - "Mother's Day") - 3:57
Personnel
- 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 - Performer
- Sean Cane - Producer, Dahoud
Chart positions
Billboard Music Charts - album
1996 The Billboard 200 No. 23 1996 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 3 1997 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 70
Billboard Music Charts - singles
1996 Ain't No Nigga/Dead Presidents The Billboard Hot 100 No. 50 1996 Can't Knock the Hustle Hot Rap Singles No. 7 1996 Ain't No Nigga/Dead Presidents Hot Rap Singles No. 4 1996 Can't Knock the Hustle Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 35 1996 Ain't No Nigga/Dead Presidents Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 17 1996 Can't Knock the Hustle Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 4 1996 Ain't No Nigga/Dead Presidents Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 1 1996 Can't Knock the Hustle The Billboard Hot 100 No. 73 1997 Can't Knock the Hustle Hot Rap Singles No. 23 1997 Can't Knock the Hustle Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 69 1997 Can't Knock the Hustle Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 29 1997 Feelin' It Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 11 1997 Feelin' It Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 46 1997 Feelin' It Hot Rap Singles No. 13 1997 Feelin' It The Billboard Hot 100 No. 79