Regardless, both versions are phenomenal. The first one had a raw edge to it whereas the sequel establishes Jay-Z as this incredibly smart and witty, work-hard-play-hard kind of businessman and worked better within the context of the album in my personal opinion. And Jay-Z delivers some incredible verses, still to this day, people argue over which version of Dead Presidents is superior. Producer Ski Beatz’s sample of “A Garden of Peace” by Lonnie Liston Smith is spine-tinglingly beautiful. “Dead Presidents 2” has one of the greatest rap instrumentals ever made, period. The production on this album is quite significant too. And the track is packed with Godfather-esque, Mafioso-themed lyrics that the album has in droves. Right off the bat, Jay-Z’s bravado is unmatched, his flows are slick and refined and Jay already sounded like a veteran of the genre as opposed to a newcomer. The intro “Can’t Knock the Hustle” is a fantastic track where Jay-Z copes with the crime-ridden life he lived by simply stating that it was a necessary hustle you can’t ridicule. Reasonable Doubt explores every little nooks and crannies of the nature of the streets. This all-thrills-no-frills record details the ins and outs of the life Jay-Z used to lead, the listeners get an eagle-eye perspective of the everyday-activities of a dealer in the cold and brutal streets of Brooklyn, New York. It’s blunt, to-the-point and simple, but extremely hard-hitting. Reasonable Doubt is the prime example of a Hip-Hop album whose qualities just boil down to the replay value, the production and the good rapping of each and every track. But before the multimillion-dollar business deals and his own Champagne brands, at the very beginning of Jay-Z’s glorious rags-to-riches story is his debut album “Reasonable Doubt” which was released on June 25, 1996, on Roc-A-Fella Records. In his nearly three-decade long career, Jay-Z has done and seen everything, in his own words, he has gone from “Grams to Grammys”.
#JAY Z REASONABLE DOUBT BONUS TRACKS SERIES#
Since then, Jay-Z has gone on to release a series of some of the most influential, iconic and critically acclaimed albums and become one of the absolute greatest and most essential rappers ever in history.
His career began all the way back in the 90s when he used to sell CDs out of his car.
Jay-Z, Shawn Corey Carter, is a legendary rapper hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Bold and unforgettable, Reasonable Doubt works both as an epic debut that started the career of one of the greatest rappers ever and a classic Hip-Hop album that will be studied and appreciated for decades by every new generation.