Reasonable Doubt

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Best-known--and reviled, by many hardcore headz--as the man who set a rap to a tune from Annie, that notorious tale of life in the 'hood ("Hard Knock Life"), Jay-Z clearly decided some time ago that amassing the Benjamins came before keeping it real, in the greater scheme of things. Still, even his harshest critics might be somewhat placated by the re-issue of this, his first album, which sees a tougher, more worldly MC than on anything that followed it. The late Notorious B.I.G. guests on "Brooklyn's Finest"--a torrent of lazy, boastful braggadocio--while Foxy Brown, feisty as ever, lends her distinctive presence to "Ain't No Nigga". And while his sleepy, monotonal vocal style will never place him within the first rank of MCs, his eye for detail is often surprisingly acute, lending many of these vignettes a chilling verisimilitude. --Andrew McGuire

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Description
In the past few years, the hip-hop community has embraced alot 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 gemas well, with production that ranges from the R&B flavour 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.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2006-02-11 rating:
REASONABLE DOUBT- CLASSIC
if you though that jay z just made popcorn rap, and never really thought he was worth your time, or just thought he was an overrated commercialized rapper, listen to it, because it proves how talented he actually is, this album is a classic in every sense of the word, it has something most rap albums nowadays lack, subject matter, lyrics, beats, meaning and originality, this album is basically chronicling the ups and downs, regrets and joys of being a hustler, the beats to start off with are great, this album was mostly produced by dj premiere, and he did a fantastic job, the production is clean, crisp, and fit jay zs flow and lyrics, my next point, the lyrics, the lyrics are some of the best rap lyrics ever, jay z has a great mutli-syllable rhyming scheme, it is amazing how he can change his flow to suit every beat, he has fantastic wordplay, very clever punchlines, and a great vocabulary, his subject matter is basically, as i stated earlier, the struggles of hustling, the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and regrets(there is a song which has this title), overall, this is one of the best rap albums ever, and any rap fan should have it, it ranks up there with the likes of ready to die, illmatic, and lifestylez ov da poor and dangerous

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review by: date: 2005-03-19 rating:
jay-z's finest hour
ironically like nas, jay-z produced his best on debut. His rapping is better then on any of his later albums, 22-twos shows lyrical genius. Sadly i dont know who is responsible for most of the production (premier does a good job on d'evils), but it is in some ways the beats that make the album. BIG puts in a great performance on brooklins finest, can i live and bring it on are other killer tracks.

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review by: wu_tang_style date: 2004-07-31 rating:
The jigga man at his best
There is no denying that this album is fantastic from the first track to the last. There is not 1 bad track on it. Even if you don't like what Jay-z has turned into at the moment 'pop', if you like hip hop the chances are you will like this album. Since i bought this CD it's spent most of its time in my stereo and is up there with even nas' debut 'illmatic'.

The beats on this album are the best i had heard for a while, especially with all this commercial rubbish coming out at the moment. His ryhmes also match the great beats. My favourtie tracks on this cd are 'Brooklyns finest', which features the late Biggie Smalls and 'D'Evils'.

If you are planning on buying a Jay-Z album and are unsure which one to buy, purchase this one straight away, you will not regret it! Even if you dont like Jay-Z, this album is totally different to all of his later music and should not dissapoint any hip hop fan!

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review by: rooney18 date: 2004-04-08 rating:
They say he turned pop, but before that happened...
Reasonable Doubt is the only Jay-Z album i own so i cannot say judge on whether he turned pop, but this album certainly is NOT pop. It is one of the smoothest and well put together albums in rap history. Jigga sounds great with the late Biggie Smalls on Brooklyn's Finest and combines well with Mary J. on Can't Knock The Hustle. Whether he turned pop on our a$$es or not, there's no argueing this album is great.


review by: sache24 date: 2003-06-01 rating:
Reasonable Doubt - Class beyond doubt
Being a Jigga fan since '96, this is, in my opinion, the classic Jay-Z album. From all of his releases, I feel that this highlights Jay-Z's finest years, and broke barriers, at least for Mr Carter. His finest works are on here, with the likes of Mary J. Blige and The Notorious B.I.G, and although some rapper's first album's are very gritty and raw, this is smooth, crisp and well produced - an asset to Jay-Z and Roc-a-fella records.
The very gangsta look portrayed in the pinstripe suits and silk scarves Jay-Z wears are backed up by such hard tracks as "Brooklyn's Finest" (with Biggie contributing beautifully to this) and the original "Friend or Foe", yet combined with the more smooth, even emotional "Can I Live" and "D'evils". Other more up-beat tracks include his first single, "Ain't No Ni**a", featuring none other than Foxxy Brown, and 22 Two's, an spot of Jigga genius combined with a little hint of the old-school, with A Tribe Called Quest line. Finally, the starting track, "Can't Knock The Hustle" cannot be passed over - with Mary's voice in the chorus and backing through the song, and with Jay-Z's sharp lyrics, this album is a winner. Jay-Z has "the Godfather flow", and is the "Michael Corleone of the microphone"!

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