#67 Jay-Z, 'Reasonable Doubt' (1996)

Previously #250

The record that started an empire. In 1989, 20-year-old Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z was mentored by rapper, Jaz-O (that’s where his moniker came from). He performed on a few of his singles before Jaz-O was dropped from his label. Desperate to be a rapper, Jay-Z did anything he could to support himself while pursuing the dream. In this case, he had started dealing drugs to make ends meet. He was brought to the attention of Big Daddy Kane, who had taken him on tour but he still struggled to get a record deal. He started selling tapes out of the boot of his car. With this he had started making a name for himself and was signed to Payday Records. After two singles, Jay-Z bucked the trend, and kicked his much sought-after deal to the curb. He felt they weren’t doing a good enough job and that he could do a better job on his own and so he started a little label of his own, which he called Roc-A-Fella Records. Turns out he was right.

‘Reasonable Doubt,’ his debut record, was released in mid-1996 to critical acclaim. It helped popularise the subgenre of Mafioso Rap from the subgenre of Gangsta Rap. It was a landmark record in mid-‘90s Hip Hop. Featuring dialogue from Al Pacino films, ‘Scarface’ and ‘Carlito’s Way, it was one of many Hip Hop records inspired by the films. Opening with single, ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle,’ the song features Mary J. Blige. In an unknown-at-the-time passing of the torch, Notorious B.I.G. features on ‘Brooklyn’s Finest.’ Biggie would be dead less than a year after its release. Other highlights on the album include ‘Feelin’ It,’ ‘D’evils,’ ‘Can I Live It,’ ‘Ain’t No Nigga’ and ‘Dead Presidents II.’ This release made great strides in advancing Hip Hop and set Jay-Z up for a literal billion-dollar empire. Pretty great result for an ex-drug dealer hustler.

#rs500albums