Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York and his mother raised him alone in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The boy attended the same school as AZ and after the school closed, he was enrolled in a school where, among others, rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes would emerge, and finally he was also in an institution in Trenton, New Jersey. The young man ended up in the vortex of crime by selling drugs and risking both being killed several times and ending up in prison.
Passionate about music, he soon became known in the neighborhood, choosing to use the moniker "Jay-Z" in homage to his mentor "Jaz-O", alongside whom he recorded his first tracks between the late eighties and early nineties — the first ever being "H.P. Gets Busy", a 1986 single credited to the group High Potent, composed of The Jaz aka Jaz-O, Jay-Z, Easy L.B. and Joy — recording several tracks with Jaz-O until the latter was dropped by his record label.
Jay-Z was off the circuit for a few years, only to appear on two tracks on the group Original Flavor's 1993 album "Beyond Flavor", which caught the attention of Big Daddy Kane, with whom he toured in 1994. That same year, he appeared on "Shown & Prove", a posse track on Kane's album that also featured Big Scoob, Sauce Money, Shyheim, and Ol' Dirty Bastard.
This wasn't enough to secure Carter a record deal, so the young rapper began selling tapes from his car with the help of his friend Damon Dash. Demonstrating remarkable marketing skills, he secured a singles deal with Payday Records with a possible extension to an album deal: the label re-released his first solo single, "In My Lifetime", in 1995, which Jay-Z had recorded the previous year for the independent Roc-A-Fella Records.
Payday also released a B-side of the single, "I Can't Get wid Dat", however, surprisingly Jay-Z chose to forgo the record deal he had been seeking for years and left Payday to form his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records, together with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke: the label was funded with the money that Payday had left the rapper to create the music videos for the singles released, because the rapper believed he could do a better job of marketing his records on his own than Payday could. In 1995, Jay-Z also appeared on Big L's (on "Da Graveyard") and Mic Geronimo's (on "Time to Build") albums, starting to carve out his own path in the underground circuit.
His first studio album was released in 1996. The production was done by DJ Premier, Ski Beatz, Knobody, Sean Cane, Dahoud, DJ Clrk Kent, Dame Dash, Irv Gotti, Big Jaz and Peter Panic. Guests included Mary J. Blige, The Notorious BIG, Foxy Brown, Mecca, Memphis Bleek, Big Jaz and Sauce Money.
1. "Can't Knock the Hustle" (ft. Mary J. Blige)
Introductory skit of Pain in da Ass, uncredited, reciting a scene from the movie "Scarface" that gives us the theme of the album: Jay-Z plays the role of a mafia boss on this album. Nice work by Knobody creating a silky groove, a quiet and bouncy rhythm based on a sample of Marcus Miller's "Much Too Much": soft bass, perfect midtempo dry drum, nice samples. The track is co-produced by Dahoud Darien and Sean C, guys who like Knobody are part of Puff Daddy's production team The Hitmen.
The track is recorded at Knobody's house in 1994. Mary J. Blige, contacted by Dame Dash, is incredible and inspired by the hook in this fluid crossover hit for urban radio that will set the tone for Jay-Z's career. The same girl, who sings parts of Meli'sa Morgan's "Fool's Paradise" for the hook, should rightfully appear in the single's video, but is prevented from doing so by her label. The lyrics are delivered with some of the artist's smoothest flows, and Mary J. Blige sings sublimely for the chorus.
The Brooklyn emcee confuses listeners from the start with this track in which he asks [his friends] not to be criticized for his "hustle", meaning his new job as a rapper in the music industry, whereas the normal listener tends to think of the "hustle" as being related to the efforts in the streets, which were in fact Jay-Z's "normal job". Amazing cut to open the record.
2. "Politics as Usual"
Strong bassline, dusty midtempo drum, samples from the Stylistics' "Hurry Up This Way Again", supporting strings, great slick beat credited to Ski Beatz. Slick mood, Jay-Z delivers three verses with a silky, dope flow. Camp Lo wants this beat too, but it ends up on Hova's first LP.
3. "Brooklyn's Finest" (ft. The Notorious B.I.G.)
Pain in da Ass intro that pays homage to "Carlito's Way" (1993). Jay-Z and Biggie try to outdo each other throughout the song by exchanging a few improvised bars in continuous back n forth due to a disastrous production. Clark Kent's rhythm is not on par with the rest of the album: sparse irregular drum, frenetic piano, grumpy bass, samples from Ohio Players' "Ecstasy": the musical carpet is loud, confused and bouncy, it sounds bad.
It's a shame because this is a historic cut, a rare studio collaboration between Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls, two of the best ever, in addition to being among the best Brooklyn natives and both having grown up in Bed-Stuy. They meet thanks to the beatmaker. When it comes to asking for permission for the guest contribution, Puff Daddy is stubborn and decides not to grant it, because his artist has been a guest everywhere. The Roc-A-Fella guys insist and in the end Puff is forced reluctantly to grant permission to let The Notorious B.I.G. guest on this unknown rapper's album and also appear in the respective music video for the single.
4. "Dead Presidents II"
Direct sequel to the first chapter. "Dead Presidents" is the first single released from this LP, the original version is used for the music video but fails to enter the album, in which it's replaced by this sequel. The rhythm is the same, the lyrics change a bit. Inspired by "The World Is Yours" by Nas, DJ Ski begins to dig through the samples and fishes out "A Garden of Peace" by Lonnie Liston Smith.
Deep and silky bass line, dry drum hard metallic slow fantastic, its merciless harshness gives a wonderful contrast with the sweetness of Lonnie Liston Smith's piano and the kindness of the magical samples, wrapped in the velvety delivery of Jay-Z, here simply transcendental, blessed by one of the best flows of the nineties with which he performs three verses in the materialistic search for money, leaving the bridge and final hook to Esco.
It's one of the best hip hop tracks ever, a piece of absolute brilliance, very pure, classic.
5. "Feelin' It"
Another masterpiece by Ski, it always seemed like a sequel to the previous track. Graceful and solitary piano keys taken from Ahmad Jamal's "Pastures", relaxed hook sung by Mecca, wonderful flow by Jay-Z. Dry, metallic, downtempo drum, faint bass in the background, lounge jazz mood, Ski Beatz shines with this beat too and the emcee creates another magnificent cut. The track is chosen as the fourth and final single of the album, with "Friend or Foe" as a b-side, entering the Hot 100. Originally, the piece was intended for the Ski Beatz album with a contribution from Geechie Suede of Camp Lo, then the producer plays it for Jay-Z, who gets it, keeps the structure of the track unchanged and replaces Ski and Suede's verses with his own.
6. "D'evils"
DJ Premier enters the field by placing one of his best beats ever, which is also one of the best of the year, undoubtedly. Magic piano taken from Allen Toussaint's "Go Back Home", dirty drum pressing midtempo perfect, solid bass line, galactic scratches that come from Snoop Dogg and Prodigy. They are wanted and chosen by Jay himself. They are significant, in a period of full East-West war, started by these guys, with Snoop who is the protagonist of what is considered to be the initial fuse in "New York, New York" by Tha Dogg Pound and Prodigy who responds together with his friends from CNN in "L.A., L.A.". A few years later, Jay-Z himself will have his say in "Money, Cash, Hoes", saying he's unhappy with the responses of New York artists to the dissing from the other coast. Furthermore, the beat uses a sample of a gospel song to create a piece that draws a parallel between materialistic temptations and those of the devil, as the title suggests.
Premier with one of his best beats ever, the scratched samples for the hook sound really good, while Jay-Z delivers his lyrics with an unstoppable and untouchable rapping style, it's one of the best in history. That descending piano scale into hell is sad and Jay-Z addresses it appropriately by creating a dark, tight and melancholic track, thematically mafia and criminal, in which he pours thoughts on how the desire for power and money leads to violence. It's a deep and powerful cut, one of the best on the album, blessed with a very fresh production by Premier.
7. "22 Two'S"
Uncredited spoken word intro by Maria Davis. Jay-Z intro paying homage to ATCQ hit "Can I Kick It?". Light glossy violins, sparse drums, solid bass, interesting rhythm by DJ Ski, perhaps his worst here and still a nice rhythm. Regular velvety delivery by Carter, who freestyles for a few minutes, stains a perfect album with homophobic lines in a fun track that also features some of his best bars. The piece was created as a filler to round out the album and ultimately goes a bit unnoticed in the tracklist.
8. "Can I Live"
Irv Gotti behind the keyboards on the eighth choice of the album. Smoothness intro, sample from Isaac Hayes' "The Look of Love". Driving bass, dry drum light downtempo, exquisite trumpet, cinematic violins, the entire beat takes on a cinematic aura as it progresses, while Jay continues to deliver bars with a resounding magnetic flow resulting in a hook as simple as it's deep, powerful and effective.
Irv Gotti finds one of the best beats ever, it competes for the best of the album, one of the best tracks of the entire genre and of Jay-Z's discography, an underrated classic. The piece is originally thought to be intended for a collaboration between Jay-Z and Nas, but the album is in its final phase, the collaboration does not happen and Hova himself completes the song with a memorable second verse. One of the most beautiful cuts of the entire album.
Personal favorite.
9. "Ain't No Nigga" (ft. Foxy Brown)
Big Jaz produces one of the few rhythms that "clashes" with the rest of the album, bouncy, with awkward funk sounds, it doesn't work despite being performed by Jay-Z together with Foxy Brown. Clearly commercial in nature, made together with the emerging Foxy Brown in a vicious appearance, the song is chosen as a single, remains in the charts for 20 weeks peaking at position 50, also enters the soundtrack of the blockbuster film "The Nutty Professor" (1996). Furthermore, the song attracts the attention of Def Jam and convinces the executives to invest heavily in Jay-Z's label in the future. Unfortunately, DJ Premier can't arrive in time to record and we are left with this forgettable work of Big Jaz behind the keyboards. With Primo it would have been yet another classic of this otherwise impeccable album.
10. "Friend or Foe"
Preemo drops a sample from Brother to Brother's "Hey, What's That You Say": thumping bass, dry, stripped-down midtempo drums, cartoonishly shrill trumpets on loop, Premier's funky, dirty beat to set the stage for a cheerfully carefree track delivered by Jay-Z with a solo verse, keeping with the drug lord theme.
11. "Coming of Age" (ft. Memphis Bleek)
Looping dissonant piano keys, looping bright piano keys, raw bassline, sparse midtempo drums, nice fast hi-hats, samples from Eddie Henderson's "Inside You". This DJ Clark Kent beat shouldn't work. It does. It just bounces around aimlessly and happily. It's amazing. Hova delivers beautifully, then saves the second verse for his friend Memphis Bleek, who makes his industry debut on this record: The guest delivers with a breathless, urgent style that contrasts with the lead rapper's loose, laid-back delivery, offering an interesting contrast both musically and lyrically, his verse being a different take on the same story Jay told in the intro stanza.
The two come together in the final verse, going back and forth to close out the tune. This is considered the weak point of the record, but it's pretty solid. It was originally supposed to feature the young Wu-Tang Clan affiliated Shyheim, who collaborated with Jay-Z on a Big Daddy Kane track from his 1994 album "Daddy's Home", produced by DJ Premier and featuring ODB and Sauce Money. Eventually, DJ Clark Kent and Jay meet Memphis Bleek on the projects and offer to join the track if he can learn his entire verse in a day, which the boy does and begins a long friendship, but that's another story.
12. "Cashmere Thoughts"
There's a sample from Hamilton Bohannon's "Save Their Souls" for this track, generally and unfairly considered one of the low points of this iconic album. DJ Clark Kent carves out a bouncy production, funky bass line, dry uptempo drums, plucked guitar, atypical samples. Hova engages in an initial extra-verse with a flow that doesn't seem to come close to that present in the other tracks.
There's an interlude that precedes a second, shorter final verse. Writing it like this, it seems like the boy isn't saying anything and maybe he is, in reality he's just having fun with the beatmaker, delivering a few pimp bars strong enough for The Source to decide to award them with the Quotable. The track was originally intended for a three-headed collaborative album between Jay-Z, Jaz-O and Sauce Money, but in the end the album never came to fruition. The following choice also features these three performers.
13. "Bring It On" (ft. Big Jaz & Sauce Money)
Skit to introduce the track. When you're getting used to the drone of the voices, after half a minute, the magic happens. DJ Premier in production. As of this writing, the original sample for the cut has never been discovered. You're greeted by violins that descend straight from heaven, and they start circling in circles wrapping the track in a soft blanket, fantastic ethereal lounge jazz mood.
Intro by Sauce Money, who delivers the first verse with a beautiful flow, smoothness, velvety, silky, cashmere dope rapping. Sample by Fat Joe taken from D&D All-Stars' "1, 2 Pass It". Jay-Z shows off some commendable rapping on the second verse, leaving room for his mentor Jaz-O for the closing stanza, the boy comes in with a breathless style and proves he's worthy of the album.
14. "Regrets"
Peter Panic behind the keyboards for what is the final track of the album. Soft velvety bass, dry midtempo drum, bells in loop, samples from "It's So Easy Loving You" by Hubert Laws and Earl Klugh. The producer offers a luxurious and relaxed mood, Jay-Z drops three verses and a long hook, with an elegant and flowing style, in a reflective and a bit melancholic narrative song, dark and powerful. It's also one of the strongest and deepest tracks in Jay-Z's discography.
As a bonus track there would be a sequel to "Can I Live" with Memphis Bleek guest and a bad rhythm by K-Rob, I don't even want to consider this piece.
Final Thoughts
Jay-Z gets a distribution deal with Priority and releases his first studio album in the summer of 1996. After trying to break into the music industry, pursuing a career as a rapper alongside the street work that has kept him alive for the past decade, Shawn Carter wants to make just one record, for his friends. He then set out on a career as a record executive at his own label Roc-A-Fella Records, which he created by partnering with Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs, after searching high and low for a label willing to finance and release his project but couldn't find one. Carter is still a street crook in projects, his album becomes a rare and atypical case in hip-hop, for example the artists, guests, producers and collaborators are paid with bags full of cash.
The album's production never gets enough props. Clark Kent, Ski Beatz and Premier create one of the most flowing musical paintings in the history of the genre, lounge jazz, dark, elegant, the rhythms sound clear and polished, lush and fantastic, consistent for most of the time, and with a cinematic mood that fits perfectly with the concept established by Jay-Z, faithfully supporting the complex criminal lifestyle chosen by his character for this album.
Thematically, the entire album has a New York style, compelling, fully mafia and about materialism and the good life, as faithfully reported by the perfect cover: mafia boss hat that hides the eyes, white suit and elegant cigar. The delivery is studied for years, at the beginning of his career it's messy and does not sound good, here it improves so much to become probably the most copied delivery ever in hip hop after Rakim and Kool G Rap. Often praised for its intricate lyricism, the album covers a wide range of topics and its lyrics are interesting, very dark, complex, introspective, creative and detailed. The author delivers the verses with an irresistible confidence and ease, in some cases even with a cockiness that borders on arrogance, playful and witty, his flow is undeniably flawless, versatile, smooth, often clean, refined, crystalline and his natural charisma on the mic helps him deliver brilliantly and without apparent effort. All these elements contribute to making it difficult to believe that this was his debut as it seems to be made by an emcee veteran of ten years in the game.
The character that Jay-Z decides to create for the album has a lot of weight: the rapper decides to dedicate a lot of space to the hardest/negative side of street life, he's never too enthusiastic about it and does not try to glorify it when it finds itself shining brightest in the sunny light of the game, despite there being many funny moments, showing a unique depth and that dark side of the streets that actually places the album as one of the apex at the end of the New York golden age, pairing a slowed down, fresh flow and a well-prepared delivery to the best beatmakers in the rap game.
The album comes out just when the golden age is ending and upon release "Reasonable Doubt" is welcomed positively by critics and achieves good results in sales: it stops at #23 on the Billboard 200 and is third among hip-hop albums, becoming one of the best-selling rap albums of the season and obtaining the gold record certification from the RIAA. The album is thus rediscovered and re-evaluated after Jay-Z's three subsequent platinum albums with Def Jam, at the end of 2001 and the following year it's certified platinum.
It exploits the subgenre of mafia rap to perfection, so well that it induces the same critics who ignored it in 1996, to affirm that, not only this is one of the best debuts ever in the history of the genre and that it's one of the most important products of mafia rap, but that it has also had a great influence on the whole hip-hop genre. It has an almost lounge atmosphere and is smoothness as silk, the album still stands as an incredible work, extraordinarily coherent, digestible for the mainstream audience and respected by underground hip-hop, created to be listened to by everyone but understood by a circle of select few. Pure, raw, untouchable, it's a magical album, his complete works that legitimise him in the pantheon of the best rappers in history and retroactively make him a legend, suddenly transforming from a forgotten record into a revolutionary hip-hop classic, one of the best records in history, an absolute must-have.
Rating: 9.5/10.
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