Reasonable Doubt is the debut album from Jay-Z, released June 25, 1996 on Roc-A-Fella Records. The album features production by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and guest appearances by Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money and The Notorious B.I.G. It peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200, received platinum status in 2002, and sold 1.5 million copies as of 2006. Four singles were released, the most popular being “Ain’t No Nigga” and “Can’t Knock the Hustle”. Both reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom, but were less popular in the United States; the former reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the latter reached #73.
Reasonable Doubt received strong critical reviews and has been heralded as Jay-Z’s “crowning achievement”, a seminal work and an “undisputed classic”. It received a “4 Mics” rating from The Source and five stars from Allmusic, the highest ratings issued by AMG. The Source ranks it among the top 100 albums of all time, Blender ranks it as one of the 500 best albums of all time, and Rolling Stone ranks it at 248 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Reasonable Doubt was recorded in the Bronx’s D&D Studios and mixed at Platinum Island, but its beats were formed elsewhere. Knobody produced “Can’t Knock the Hustle” at his mother’s home in 1994 and Ski produced “Feelin’ It” and “Politics as Usual” while recording with Camp Lo. The recording sessions were generally dominated by competition; Ski and Clark Kent created similar beats for “Politics as Usual”, but Ski submitted his to Jay-Z first causing his to appear on the album. “Brooklyn’s Finest” was a competitive, though friendly battle between Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. in which Jay-Z tried proving that he is of Biggie’s caliber, while Biggie tried brushing his rhymes off as insignificant. Although the rappers had already met on the set for the “Dead Presidents” music video, they discovered that neither write down their rhymes while recording. The recording of “Brooklyn’s Finest” spanned two months and moved from D&D Studios to Giant Studios where the Clark Kent-sung chorus was recorded. The studio sessions affected Jay-Z mentally, as he told Rolling Stone, “The studio was like a psychiatrist’s couch for me.”
Four singles were released in promotion of Reasonable Doubt. “Dead Presidents,” released on February 20, 1996, features lyrics about illegally acquiring money and a somber Ski-produced beat that samples Lonnie Liston Smith’s “A Garden of Peace”. Its chorus, sampled from Nas‘ “The World Is Yours”, illustrates the song’s lyrical thesis and was cited throughout the Nas vs. Jay-Z feud. “Dead Presidents” is the only single that did not chart, but it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. “Dead Presidents II” appears on Reasonable Doubt, while the original appears on a single and on a music video directed by Abdul Malik Abbott. “Dead Presidents II” has the same beat and chorus as the original, but its lyrics are different.
The second single, “Ain’t No Nigga”, released on March 26, 1996, features female rapper Foxy Brown. The song details a love relationship between Jay-Z and the materialistic Foxy Brown. The chorus interpolates “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got)” by The Four Tops. The funky Big Jaz-produced beat sounds like EPMD’s “It’s My Thing” because both tracks sample “Seven Minutes of Funk” by The Whole Darn Family. “Ain’t No Nigga” was the most commercially successful single, reaching #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales. Abdul Malik Abbot directed the song’s music video.
“Can’t Knock the Hustle”, the third single released on August 27, 1996, features soulful singing by Mary J. Blige. The song features Jay-Z bragging about the lifestyle he created by becoming a successful hustler. Produced by Knobody, the beat samples “Much Too Much” by Marcus Miller and “Fool’s Paradise” by Meli’sa Morgan. It reached #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the second most successful single on the album, but it also reached #30 on the UK Singles Chart making it the most successful single in the United Kingdom. A high budget music video directed by Hype Williams was made for “Can’t Knock the Hustle.”
The fourth and final single, released on April 15, 1997, is the jazzy “Feelin’ It”. Guest singer Mecca sings the song’s chorus and Jay-Z provides three verses about his lifestyle as a hustler. The song’s piano-led beat is produced by Ski, who samples “Pastures” by jazz musician Ahmad Jamal. “Feelin’ It” is the third most commercially successful single, reaching #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. A low budget music video directed by Alan Ferguson was created for the song.
- The above information was taken from Wikipedia
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
“Can’t Knock the Hustle”, the third single released on August 27, 1996, features soulful singing by Mary J. Blige. The song features Jay-Z bragging about the lifestyle he created by becoming a successful hustler.
This is incomplete / incorrect. The song is actually about Jay explaining why he’s rapping. Basically, he was saying, yeah, I’ve been successful but my new hustle is rap — don’t knock it.
im one of the best niggas that done it
six digits and runnin,
y’all niggas don’t want it
i got the godfather flow, the don juan demarco
swear to god, don’t get it fucked up