Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (June 25, 1996)

Shawn Corey Carter (that's right, I brought out the middle name) is privileged enough to have his name pop up on a regular basis when the debate rages over "Who's the best MC?". It's not like he doesn't deserve it; he's been honing his craft for a while. He also has his fingers in a bunch of different pies (and no, I'm not talking about Beyonce): CEO of Def Jam Records, the biggest hip hop label ever; part owner of the New Jersey Nets; co-owner of the 40/40 Club; his own clothing brand, Rocawear; and he also owns the patent on water (H2Hova!) or so MTV would lead me to believe.

Dude's been working for years, whether he was selling drugs or pimping out Memphis Bleek to his fan base. And he deserves all of his success. He's certainly in my top five, dead or alive. I've picked up all of his albums based solely off of his conversation-style flow, and I'm sure a lot of his fans have done the same. He's one of the few rappers that can bring out the street single that actually sounds grimy, and follow it up immediately with the club banger that doesn't make you hold your head in shame at the club. And this is a formula that he's been following, more or less, for his entire career, with little to no effort on his part.

As big of a fan as I am, though, I don't blindly follow anyone. I would be the first person to tell you if something is awful, and Jay-Z songs are no exception. He's a great rapper but he's not critic-proof. His taste in beats has always been a little suspect, and he gives a lot of chances to both guests and producers that continually let him down. His subject matter has also gotten a beating ever since Kingdom Come was released late 2006.

Anyway. The purpose of these artist discography reviews is to show, step by step, track by track, the legacy that your favorite artist has left at the local CD spot; the music that defines them and made their career, and sometimes the massive fuck-ups that threatened to derail the money train. Also, it serves to "pay homage" to Bol's own album reviews on his blog.

The first part of any Jay-Z story has to start with Reasonable Doubt.

(I should note here that I will only review proper releases, not singles unless noted; and yes, I am aware that Jay-Z was around long before Reasonable Doubt, but for my purpose here, I don't give a fuck.)

Reasonable Doubt was released by Roc-a-Fella / Priority Records in 1996, where it proceeded to gain critical acclaim but sell no copies, until it was re-released when Jay signed Roc-a-Fella up with Def Jam. It is one of the earliest known records from New York that promoted the 'mafioso/gangster' stereotype that permeated the culture until my grandmother started calling herself Lucky Fingers and effectively killed the movement. The idea behind the album was that Jay-Z was a drug dealer that now raps; he was the Young Jeezy of his time. (I would say here that the difference is that Jay-Z can actually rap, but that's such a cheap shot, I refuse to do it.) He had the luxury of already being rich (thanks, cocaine!), so in theory he didn't have to try that hard on his debut record, but the fact that he had talent makes the listening experience that much more enjoyable.

(This based on the original pressing of the album and not the Def Jam re-release, so I don't have the bonus tracks afforded by the latter.)

1. CAN'T KNOCK THE HUSTLE (FEAT. MARY J BLIGE)

A very boring way to start off what's supposed to be a five-mic classic. Lyrics are okay, but the beat is too simple. Mary J's chorus is dull as well. This just isn't a very engaging song. Remember the video where the limo blows up at the end? Yeah, me neither.

2. POLITICS AS USUAL

Ski went from producing classic Jay-Z songs to primarily being Camp Lo's go-to producer. (Am I wrong? Anyone?) This would have made a better Track One. Things are starting to look up.

3. BROOKLYN'S FINEST (FEAT. THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.)

One of the very few actual collaborations between Jay and the King of New York. The beat is much weirder than you would expect for a song of this nature, so I assume that's why Clark Kent doesn't produce many songs anymore. It's disconcerting to hear Biggie reference his wife's alleged infidelity with 2Pac; he tries to come off making a joke, but he doesn't even sound like he's amusing himself.

4. DEAD PRESIDENTS II

To this day I don't understand why "Dead Presidents", the original version, wasn't on the album, but hearing new lyrics over the classic Ski beat is a treat. The Nas sample that started a war is still pretty hot.

5. FEELIN' IT (FEAT. MECCA)

The pinnacle of the 'conversation-style flow' that Jay owns the patent for. I'm guessing Mecca was the Roc-a-Fella studio songstress, and she didn't do a completely horrible job with the hook, but it kinda makes sense that we haven't heard anything else from her.

6. D'EVILS

Jay + DJ Premier = crazy delicious.

7. 22 TWO'S

I always thought the talk show skit format of the track was awkward, but the song itself is hot. Can I rip off A Tribe Called Quest? Yes you can!

8. CAN I LIVE

Notable for being produced by "DJ Irv", a/k/a Irv Gotti, late of Murder Inc. The song itself is pretty good; Irv must have bumped his head and switched it on us, since after this he unleashed both Ja Rule and Ashanti onto the unsuspecting public.

9. AIN'T NO N---A (FEAT. FOXY BROWN)

By far the most blatantly offensive jacking of a Temptations hook I have ever heard in the past five minutes. Also the funniest song on the album, at least until you get to Foxy's verse. You can't change a player's game in the ninth inning, ya know.

10. FRIEND OR FOE

The shortest song on the album. Also the most visual, the fastest paced, the best produced, and the most likely to be used in any argument regarding why Just Blaze will never replace Primo when it comes to Jigga.

11. COMING OF AGE (FEAT. MEMPHIS BLEEK)

Those Primo trademarked scratches of Bleek vocals on Jay's third album intro? All from this one song. I read on some other blog somewhere that Bleek must have saved Jay's life at some point; that's the only fathomable reason why Jay's loyal to Bleek and to no one else on the label. Bleek is young and inexperienced (read: his verse is meh).

12. CASHMERE THOUGHTS

Hova received the distinction of having a 'Hip Hop Quotable' in The Source when the album came out. Unfortunately, the beat overpowers Jay on this one. Which is too bad, since the beat isn't very good.

13. BRING IT ON (FEAT. BIG JAZ AND SAUCE MONEY)

DJ Premier returns! Big Jaz (now known as Jaz-O) and Sauce Money (now known as out of work Sauce Money) sound much more natural with Jay than Bleek ever will. Why the fuck was Sauce never signed to the Roc? Jay's mentor/arch-nemesis Jaz will never sound this good again.

14. REGRETS

Nobody makes beats like this one anymore. (I'm not saying that they should.) First in a long line of serious, downbeat songs that Hova has used to end his albums.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Reasonable Doubt still holds up to this day, with the exception of "Can't Knock The Hustle" which I used to like back in the day, but now puts me to sleep faster than Ambien. There aren't many rap albums that celebrate the highs of the mafioso lifestyle, and at the same time reflect the thoughts of the gangster that wants to try harder to better himself. And also, the CD itself is shiny.

BUY OR BURN? Buy this one, definitely. The overall stock of your CD collection will rise when you pick this up. It will also get you laid, though probably by other hip hop backpackers who hate mainstream Jay, so watch out for that.

BEST TRACKS: "Friend or Foe"; "Dead Presidents II"; "Ain't No N---a"

Shit, that took a long time to write. Look out for album number two, coming soon.

-Max