Classic albums come in many different styles, but one way in which they appear very often is in the form of a debut. Every artist, director, actor, writer, producer, starts somewhere, and if they are lucky enough, their debut is the benchmark that they are judged against the rest of their career.
Jay-Z’s ferocious, gritty debut, “Reasonable Doubt”, is one such album. Released in June of 1996, “Reasonable Doubt” is one of best hip-hop albums of all time and is considered by many to be Jay-Z’s crowing achievement.
These days, Jay-Z is one of the most successful rappers in the industry and also a powerful businessman, but back when “Reasonable Doubt” dropped, he was just another street hustler.
Thankfully for Hova, he was good at hustling, and even better at rapping about it. It’s clear from his earliest rhymes why Jay-Z is now at the top of the hip-hop industry. He is cocky bordering on arrogant, but at the same time playful and witty. He exudes an effortless, unaffected cool throughout every track.
And although he's rapping about rising to the top instead of being there, his material obsessions are already clear: To him, hustling is about living the high life and getting everything you can, not violence or tortured glamour or some cheap thrills.
This point of view is exhibited perfectly on the track, “Can’t Knock the Hustle”, which features Mary J. Blige. Through clever lyrics that reference past mafia figures and crime films, Jay-Z touches on the less glamorous side of street life, like violence and drug dealing. The track opens with a line from “Scarface”, and he epitomizes the style of Mafioso rap when he rhymes: “I got the Godfather flow, the don Juan Demarco.”
"Dead Presidents II” slows the tempo of the album down with a mellow beat that meshes perfectly with Jay-Z's simplistic delivery style. Its realistic and clever lyrics about the drug-dealing underworld have made it a hip-hop classic and the title has become a popular slang for money, especially on the street. Hova raps one of his best lines on the track when he spits: “Can't stop I, from drinkin Mai-Tai's, with Ta Ta/Down in Nevada, ha ha, Poppa, word life/I dabbled in crazy weight without rap, I was crazy straight.”
"Feelin' It," is also an extremely memorable track, with the producer Ski bringing on some raw piano style that gives it a late night jazz vibe. One line in the track evokes Hova’s early interest in the finer things in life when he raps: "If y'all ain't talkin' about large money, what's the point?"
My personal favorite track is "Brooklyn's Finest", which features fellow Brooklyn native, Notorious B.I.G. While I might be a bit biased because I’m from the borough the track is about, it’s undeniable that it’s one of the best ever.
When the gunshots fire off at the opening of the track, you know some gritty, violent lyrics are on the way. While Jay-Z has some great lines, the best parts of the track come from Biggie himself. He makes his presence felt on the track when he raps: “Who shot ya? Mob ties like Sinatra/Peruvians tried to do me in, I ain't paid them yet/Tryin to push 700's, they ain't made them yet/Rolex and bracelets is frostbit.”
It’s ironic that this album is often compared to “Illmatic” by Nas, considering the feud that occurred between the two for so many years, but it’s definitely warranted.
The comparisons are endless: Jay- Z and Nas were both hungry young MC’s with substantial underground buzz when they dropped their debut albums. Each album became an instant classic, detailing the rapper’s experiences on the streets with disarming honesty, and energetic rhymes.
Although “Reasonable Doubt” shares some characteristics with “Illmatic”, it stands up completely on its own as a classic. It’s Jigga Man’s seminal work, and even though his “Blueprint” album is just as heralded, “Reasonable Doubt” is what made Jay-Z who he is today.
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