Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt (2LP) [ROC-A-FELLA]

Why you'll love it

Reasonable Doubt is Jay-Z's debut, put out on his own Roc-A-Fella label in 1996, and this 2LP set gives it room to breathe. DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent produced it, with guests including Mary J. Blige and the Notorious B.I.G.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 14 tracks, from "Can't Knock the Hustle" to "Regrets"

About the album

Jay-Z was already in his mid twenties when he made it, and it shows: Reasonable Doubt sounds like the work of someone who has seen a few things and is in no great hurry to tell you all of them. The rhymes are dense and cool, the beats lean on jazz and soul samples, and the hustler's stories are told with a businessman's eye for detail.

"Can't Knock the Hustle" with Mary J. Blige opens the album, "Brooklyn's Finest" puts him toe to toe with the Notorious B.I.G., and "Dead Presidents II" is one of the great opening statements of '90s rap. It debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200, went platinum, and has climbed critics' lists ever since.

Plenty of rappers have built an empire; very few started it with a record this good. Ours keeps selling out, and we've stopped pretending to be surprised.

Tracklist

Listen

On Roc-A-Fella, a reissue of the 1996 album.