Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt

June 25th, 1996, a legend begins by the name of Jay-Z. The New York rapper debuted his first album entitled, "Reasonable Doubt," and was produced by Roc-A-Fella Records. Little do many people know, but Roc-A-Fella records was started by Jay-Z because when he tried to sign with other recording label companies, they either refused or did not even give him a chance. Because of this, Jay-Z created his very own recording label company. He released his debut album in 1996, a time where Biggie was still alive and well. In case you did not know, The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z were close friends and Biggie had actually appeared on one some of the tracks in Jay-Z's 96' release. In my opinion, "Reasonable Doubt," is Jay-Z's best album. All the albums that will follow his 96' release are very different. So you may ask, why the heck am I reviewing an album from 1996? Well, in case you do not know, Jay-Z is coming out with an album on November 6, 2007, so I figured that leading up to his November 6th release, I would write reviews on his previous albums. In my opinion, if you are a big Jay-Z fan, but you don't really know his early releases, I suggest that you go out, either buy or give the G.O.A.T.'s first album a listen. This way, you will probably get a better sense of Jay-Z's style of music!

The Track Listing:
"Can't Knock The Hustle" (8.7 out of 10)
"Politics As Usual" (8.8 out of 10)
"Brooklyn's Finest (Feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)" (9.4 out of 10)
"Dead Presidents II" (8.5 out of 10)
"Feelin' It (Feat. Mecca)" (8.6 out of 10)
"D'evils" (8.5 out of 10)
"22 Two's" (8.7 out of 10)
"Can I Live" (8.8 out of 10)
"Ain't No N**** (Feat. Foxy Brown)" (8.9 out of 10)
"Friend or Foe" (8.8 out of 10)
"Coming of Age (Feat. Memphis Bleek)" (8.9 out of 10)
"Cashmere Thoughts" (9 out of 10)
"Bring It On (Feat. Big Jaz & Sauce Money)" (8.9 out of 10)
"Regrets" (9.1 out of 10)
"Can I Live II (International Bonus Track) (Feat. Memphis Bleek)" (8.8 out of 10)
"Can't Knock the Hustle (International Bonus Track) (Fool's Paradise Remix)"

Jay-Z's 2007 release hits stores on November 6th, 2007!

Print this post