Blast from the Past: Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt

There are few rappers that have ever captured my attention to the extent that Jay-Z has. Granted, I didn't come around till he was rhymin' over samples from Annie, but when I finally did get around to listening to him I ate up everything he had done before it as well. That obviously means Jay's seminal work Reasonable Doubt, a record that has been hailed in all circles of the music world as one of the finest records in hip-hop's history. Beyond that, this is the record that launched Roc-A-Fella Records, changed the landscape of the rap world, and thrust Jay-Z from a part-time rapper, full-time drug dealer to a player in the rap world.

With the exception of a handful of tracks, Reasonable Doubt is dedicated to the street world that Jay knew. He grew up in the Marcy Homes, lived as the son of a single mother, and hustled on the street to make some money. He was the essence of gangsta rap before it ever had a label. But unlike many that have come since Jay-Z didn't just glorify his criminal past, he spit on it with some gritty realism that has rarely been matched since. He extolled the negative feelings he had toward his life of crime, laid out his financial goals and what he hoped to earn from hustling, and yeah he bragged about his skills but always kept it in check with every other side of the dealing life. It's his ability to show off his torn conscious that really set him apart from everyone else and he was damn good at it.

No matter what he was rhyming about he was always buoyed by his ability to turn a rhyme or a phrase like no one could. His style and flow have been ripped off and stomped on so many times by now that it's a bit ridiculous. Whether he's putting the brake on a turn of a phrase or speeding things up to where you can barely process everything he's saying he can spit it any way he pleases and does.

Reasonable Doubt is one of the most real, truthful, and sick rap albums of all-time. If you doubt that you don't know shit about the genre and should probably get back to listening to your Nelly records. It launched something so much larger then just a great rapper, it launched a mogul, a style, a whole new idea on the whole rap game. It is legendary and there really is no doubt of that.
Jay-Z - "Can't Knock the Hustle"
Jay-Z (feat. Notorious B.I.G.) - "Brooklyn's Finest"
Jay-Z - "Dead Presidents II"
Jay-Z - "Ain't No Nigga"
Jay-Z - "Coming Of Age"