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You can never knock JAY-Z's hustle. After he spent a decade on the rise rapping alongside rap legends like Big Daddy Kane and Big L, the Brooklyn native delivered his debut album on this day 28 years ago.
On June 25, 1996, JAY-Z dropped his first studio album Reasonable Doubt via Roc-a-Fella Records/Priority Records. The 16-track project was led by his single "Dead Presidents," which samples A Tribe Called Quest's "Oh My God (Remix)" and Nas' line from "The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)." A different version of the record containing new lyrics appeared on the final LP, but the Nas sample remained.
Nas allegedly had an opportunity to re-record the sample for "Dead Presidents," but he declined. JAY-Z also invited the Queensbridge rapper to throw down a guest verse for "Bring It On," however, Nas never showed up to the studio. Fans think these moves helped spark the infamous beef between Hov and Nasty Nas.
Reasonable Doubt was also led by the Foxy Brown-assisted single "Ain't No N*gga." The song got a lot of commercial attention, especially after the clean version was used in the 1996 film The Nutty Professor.
Hov's debut album also features Mary J. Blige on the intro "Can't Knock The Hustle," The Notorious B.I.G. on "Brooklyn's Finest," and Big Jaz & Sauce Money on the final version of "Bring It On." Memphis Bleek appears twice on "Coming Of Age" and "Can I Live II." JAY-Z also relied on production from DJ Premier, Ski Beatz, Clark Kent, Big Jaz and DJ Irv aka Irv Gotti.
JAY-Z's debut album helped establish the foundation of the artist and entrepreneur's iconic discography. Reasonable Doubt went on to sell 43,000 copies in its first week. It went gold within three months of its release and reached platinum status in 2002. It's also been considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time by various outlets over the years.
Revisit Reasonable Doubt below.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE