Customer Reviews
REASONABLE DOUBT- CLASSIC - By: chris, 11 Feb 2006 
if you though that jay z just made popcorn rap, & never really thought he was worth your time, or just thought he was an overrated commercialized rapper, listen to it, because it proves how talented he actually is, this album is a classicin every sense of the word, it has something most rap albums nowadays lack, subject matter, lyrics, beats, meaning & originality, this album is basically chronicling the ups & downs, regrets & joys of being a hustler, the beats to start off with are great, this album was mostly produced by dj premiere, & he did a fantastic job, the production is clean, crisp, & fit jay zs flow & lyrics, my next point, the lyrics, the lyrics are some of the best rap lyrics ever, jay z has a great mutli-syllable rhyming scheme, it is amazing how he can change his flow to suit every beat, he has fantastic wordplay, very clever punchlines, & a great vocabulary, his subject matter is basically, as i stated earlier, the struggles of hustling, the ups & downs, joys & sorrows, & regrets(there is a song which has this title), overall, this is one of the best rap albums ever, & any rap fan should have it, it ranks up there with the likes of ready to die, illmatic, & lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
jay-z's finest hour - By: matt jansen, 19 Mar 2005 ironically like nas, jay-z produced his best on debut. His rapping is better then on any of his later albums, 22-twos shows lyrical genius. Sadly i dont know who is responsible for most of the production (premier does a good job on d'evils), but it isin some ways the beats that make the album. BIG putsin a great performance on brooklins finest, can i live & bring it on are other killer tracks.
The jigga man at his best - By: , 31 Jul 2004 There is no denying that this album is fantastic from the first track to the last. There is not 1 bad track on it. Even if you don't like what Jay-z has turned into at the moment 'pop', if you like hip hop the chances are you will like this album. Since i bought this CD it's spent most of its timein my stereo & is up there with even nas' debut 'illmatic'.
The beats on this album are the best i had heard for a while, especially with all this commercial rubbish coming out at the moment. His ryhmes also match the great beats. My favourtie tracks on this cd are 'Brooklyns finest', which features the late Biggie Smalls & 'D'Evils'.
If you are planning on buying a Jay-Z album & are unsure which one to buy, purchase this one straight away, you will not regret it! Even if you dont like Jay-Z, this album is totally different to all of his later music & should not dissapoint any hip hop fan!
They say he turned pop, but before that happened... - By: , 08 Apr 2004 Reasonable Doubt is the only Jay-Z album i own so i cannot say judge on whether he turned pop, but this album certainly is NOT pop. It is one of the smoothest & well put together albumsin rap history. Jigga sounds great with the late Biggie Smalls on Brooklyn's Finest & combines well with Mary J. on Can't Knock The Hustle. Whether he turned pop on our a$$es or not, there's no argueing this album is great.
Reasonable Doubt - Class beyond doubt - By: , 01 Jun 2003 Being a Jigga fan since '96, this is,in my opinion, the classic Jay-Z album. From all of his releases, I feel that this highlights Jay-Z's finest years, & broke barriers, at least for Mr Carter. His finest works are on here, with the likes of Mary J. Blige & The Notorious B.I.G, & although some rapper's first album's are very gritty & raw, this is smooth, crisp & well produced - an asset to Jay-Z & Roc-a-fella records.
The very gangsta look portrayedin the pinstripe suits & silk scarves Jay-Z wears are backed up by such hard tracks as "Brooklyn's Finest" (with Biggie contributing beautifully to this) & the original "Friend or Foe", yet combined with the more smooth, even emotional "Can I Live" & "D'evils". Other more up-beat tracks include his first single, "Ain't No Ni**a", featuring none other than Foxxy Brown, & 22 Two's, an spot of Jigga genius combined with a little hint of the old-school, with A Tribe Called Quest line. Finally, the starting track, "Can't Knock The Hustle" cannot be passed over - with Mary's voicein the chorus & backing through the song, & with Jay-Z's sharp lyrics, this album is a winner. Jay-Z has "the Godfather flow", & is the "Michael Corleone of the microphone"!
