Details
Track Listing
1. Can't Knock the Hustle - (remix)
2. Politics as Usual
3. Brooklyn's Finest - (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.)
4. Dead Presidents II
5. Feelin' It - (featuring Mecca)
6. D'Evils
7. 22 Two's
8. Can I Live
9. Ain't No Nigga - (featuring Foxy Brown)
10. Friend or Foe
11. Coming of Age - (featuring Memphis Bleek)
12. Cashmere Thoughts
13. Bring It On - (featuring Big Jaz/Sauce Money)
14. Regrets
15. Can I Live II - (bonus track, featuring Memphis Bleek)
Album Notes
This version of REASONABLE DOUBT contains one bonus track not on the original release.
Personnel includes: Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Foxy Brown, Memphis Bleek, Big Jaz, Sauce Money (rap vocals); Mary J. Blige, Mecca (vocals).
Producers include: Knowbody, Ski, Clark Kent, DJ Premier, DJ Irv .
Engineers: Joe Quinde, Eddie S.
Recorded at D&D Studios, New York, New York.
In the past few years, the hip-hop community has embraced a lot of rappers who falsify their identity with hard-rock gangster images, and created superstars out of average MCs. But where others proclaim, Brooklyn, New York native Jay-Z lyrically illustrates that he knows first hand what he is talking about. Jay-Z mixes original concepts with an imperative rhyming style, showing his versatility on cuts like "22 Two's" and "Friend Or Foe," while still managing to school youngsters on tracks like "Can I Live" and "Regrets," teaching them to learn from his mistakes.
Not only is REASONABLE DOUBT heads above other rap albums lyrically, it's a musical gem as well, with production that ranges from the R&B flavor of DJ Clark Kent to the rugged beats of the flawless DJ Premier. As rap's premier underground MCs begin to emerge above ground, Jay-Z's debut album sounds like the next classic.
Industry Reviews
...It's not what he says, but how he says it--with an irresistible confidence, a voice that exudes tough-guy authenticity, and unadorned but suitably militant beats... - Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly (08/02/1996)
...Jay-Z has definitely come with something dope in his debut album....[His] hypnotic flow becomes the focal point of the album....REASONABLE DOUBT represents a culmination of style and innovation...
Rap Pages (09/01/1996)
4 Mics - Slammin' - ...[Jay-Z] moves from hip-hop sidekick to Mafia-style front man, blowing up the spot with vivid tales about the economic reality fueling what's left of contemporary ghetto politics....His lyrics create cuttingly clever rhymes that ride bomb tracks...
The Source (08/01/1996)
Ranked #7 in Vibe's Top 10 rap albums - ...Cinematic yet introspective...capturing the zeitgeist of the post-Native Tongue, pre-bling-bling era...
Vibe (06/01/2002)
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