The love affair continued into the mid-2000s. Of course, that’s not what would happen, but that kind of intent with a project must, at some level, breed an indomitable attachment to it-one that only making something that may or may not be your only creation can. “It was my intention to make it my last,” Jay later wrote in his autobiography Decoded, meaning the album was designed to be his one and only opus, upon which the then-26-year-old would transition to the throne of label management and tastemaker. The answer was that he didn’t have any, at least not on the mic.
It started around the album’s release, when reporters or talk show hosts or DJs would ask him what his plans were for the next project. The man’s still in love with his debut and can’t bear to quit flirting.
1 of hustling (the new testament, not the original commandments) is don’t tip your hand, but Jay-Z seems unable to help himself when it comes to Reasonable Doubt. Today, we’re looking at one of the most heralded debuts in hip-hop history, Reasonable Doubt.
#JAY Z REASONABLE DOUBT COVER ART SERIES#
The 1996 Rap Yearbook, a recurring series from The Ringer, will explore the landmark releases and moments from a quarter-century ago that redefined how we think of the genre. Like, ‘All right, cool.No year in hip-hop history sticks out quite like 1996: It marked the height of the East Coast–West Coast feud, the debut of several artists who would rule the next few decades, and the last moment before battle lines between “mainstream” and “underground” were fully drawn. “I remember being in a session and Jay pulled me to the side and was like, ‘Dude, you know I’m about to make you famous, right?’ I just looked at him and laughed. “I tell this story all the time,” Ski says. You’re wishing and hoping, but you’re never thinking it’s going to be classic.”īut Jay Z already knew where he was going. You cannot even imagine that album would do what it did and be what it is. “That’s like, the dirtiest, grimiest studio. He still expresses surprise that the album attracted the acclaimed status it has today. “Me and Jay, we had a nice flow,” he acknowledges, before injecting a self-deprecating caveat: “I was around him all the time, so that had a lot to do with it too.” Still, Ski ended up with more credits on Reasonable Doubt than Premier. It always sounds like, What the fuck was he thinking about? Premo is the god of beats.” Ski singles out Premier in particular for praise, lauding his work as “uncut, creative, herky-jerky, off-kilter hip-hop. He remains modest about the album now, suggesting that his favorite songs on the record are produced by others. Everything is real simple and basic, ’cause his lyrics needed to be heard.” “So I wanted to give him more mature, more melodic musical type of atmospheres. “ was wise beyond his years at the time,” he said. Ski perfected this while working on Reasonable Doubt. When you work for an artist for any amount of time, you start to get into their psyche and understand what type of music fits them best.”
“He would come to my crib when I was living in Harlem we’d just vibe out. Jay at the time was in Brooklyn,” Ski continues. “From what we was doing to how he was thinking was something totally different. “When Jay rapped, I was like, This guy is on a whole ’nother level,” the producer recalls. “It was sampled, so I didn’t have to be too elaborate with them-get something, chop it up, make it feel dope.”Īs an MC in Original Flavor, Ski shared a manager with Jay Z. “I don’t think any of those beats took that long to create,” the producer said.
#JAY Z REASONABLE DOUBT COVER ART FULL#
Jay and his producers wring the maximum amount of feeling from a minimal template: The percussion in “Dead Presidents II” sounds shockingly full of character, like it was played on a broken, rusted garbage can the keys evoke a depressed carnival player fooling around after hours.Īccording to Ski, simplicity of sound was matched by simplicity of method. R&B bands have been attempting to replicate this mixture of lackadaisical and authoritative ever since rap perfected it in the ’90s. These rhythm sections are as fine as any you’ll find, casual yet razor sharp. Reasonable Doubt avoids this pitfall by exploring a very small subset of sounds, especially on the first, and strongest, half of the album: drums, bass, and keyboard.
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