Friday, March 9, 2012

Reasonable Doubt (Roc-A-Fella, 1996) by Jay-Z

This is my favorite Jay-Z album.  It is also his wordiest album, but that is not a bad thing.  Because he was not catering to the mainstream at the time, it gave him more creative freedom.  "D'Evils" and "Can I Live" might not get played on the radio, but they hold up way better than anything that is.  And "Brooklyn's Finest", Jay's collaboration with The Notorious B.I.G., is the best duet in the history of hip-hop.  Even though everyone was making hustler-themed albums in the mid-90s, Reasonable Doubt is one of the only ones that has remained relevant over the years.  Jay-Z even performed the album in its entirety at Radio City Music Hall on its 10th anniversary.

No comments:

Post a Comment