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Editorial Reviews

Reasonable Doubt stands out among Jay-Z's many albums and not entirely because it's his debut album. Unlike most of his subsequent albums, it's seamless. Every song belongs here, from timeless hits like "Can't Knock the Hustle" to personal moments like "Regrets." Each song is like a separate chapter, revealing another aspect of Jay-Z's story, which, in 1996, was still untold. Nobody knew who he was when Reasonable Doubt dropped, keep in mind. Jay-Z seemingly came from nowhere. All listeners knew was what's on this autobiographical debut -- tales of "extensive hoes with expensive clothes," warnings of "all d'evils that the game'll do," goals of "trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot," and, above all, one reoccuring maxim: "in order to survive, [you] gotta learn to live with regrets." Beyond Jay-Z's rhetorical wealth of insight and wisdom, Reasonable Doubt also boasts an amazing roster of producers. Granted, most Jay-Z albums do, but this lineup -- Ski, Clark Kent, and DJ Premier -- is different. They represent the pre-gangsta era, a foregone era when samples fueled the beats and turntablism supplied the hooks. This classic production style, which is essentially refined hip-hop in its canonical sense, sets Reasonable Doubt apart from Jay-Z's later work. The lyrics do the same because they're so candidly confessional, but it's the producers more so than Jay-Z himself that make this album so untouchable. Similar to how every Nas album is continually measured against Illmatic and, in turn, often criticized for being different, every successive Jay-Z album was, likewise, held up to Reasonable Doubt. Few compared. And not necessarily because they're inferior, but rather because Reasonable Doubt is such an anomaly. For most listeners who heard this album in 1996, and perhaps for many who subsequently discovered it after being drawn in by more popular albums like Hard Knock Life, Reasonable Doubt will forever be Jay-Z's one definitive effort. Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

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