reasonable doubt

"Jazzy" Shawn Carter came out of the Brooklyn projects on his own label Roc-A-Fella Records with an instant classic that shook the world of rap. Though only a minor hit at the time, the gritty realism of the lyrics on 'Reasonable Doubt' left big ripples in the new jack underground and beyond. This hungry MC brought in a hungry pack of producers (like Irv Gotti, Clark Kent, K-Rob, Peter Planet, DJ Premiere, Big Jazz, Ski, Knobody and The Hitmen) and rappers (Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Mecca, Memphis Bleek, Big Jaz & Sauce Money) who competed to be on the various tracks. Jay-Z says "The studio was like a psychiatrist's couch for me".






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'Can't Knock The Hustle' produced by Knobody at his mother's home in 1994, while the vocals were recorded by The Hitmen on tour at a studio in Tampa Florida named Progressive Music with Mary J Blige. It samples "Much Too Much" by Marcus Miller, "Fool's Paradise" by Meli'sa Morgan, "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim, and Brian Depalma's 'Scarface'.

'Dead Presidents' produced by Ski contains a down tempo beat composed of three samples: the drums from "Oh My God" by A Tribe Called Quest, the melody and piano loop from "A Garden of Peace" by Lonnie Liston Smith and a vocal sample from "The World Is Yours" by Nas.

'Feelin' It' features singer Mecca, who sings the song's chorus, with Jay-Z performing on all three verses. The song's piano-led beat is produced by Ski, who samples "Pastures" by jazz musician Ahmad Jamal. Alan Ferguson directed this low budget music video for the song.

'D'Evils' has Jay digging deep to contemplate the status of his soul. It was produced by DJ Premier and samples "Go Back Home" by Allen Toussaint, "I Shot Ya" (Remix) by LL Cool J (vocals by Prodigy), "Lil Ghetto Boy" by Dr. Dre, "Murder Was the Case" by Snoop Dogg.

"Dear God I wonder can you save me?"

 'Reasonable Doubt' 

full album:




1. "Can't Knock the Hustle" (featuring Mary J. Blige) Shawn Carter, Lesette Wilson, Meli'sa Morgan, Marcus Miller, Jerome Foster Knobody, Dahoud Darien, Sean Cane 5:17
2. "Politics as Usual"   Carter, David Willis, Cynthia Biggs Ski 3:41
3. "Brooklyn's Finest" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.) Carter, Christopher Wallace, Rodolfo Franklin, Leroy Bonner, Greg Webster DJ Clark Kent 4:36
4. "Dead Presidents II"   Carter, Lonnie Liston Smith, Willis Ski 4:27
5. "Feelin' It"   Carter, Willis Ski 3:48
6. "D'Evils"   Carter, Christopher Martin DJ Premier 3:31
7. "22 Two's"   Carter, Willis Ski 3:29
8. "Can I Live"   Carter, Irving Lorenzo, Jr., Burt Bacharach, Hal David Irv Gotti 4:10
9. "Ain't No Nigga" (featuring Foxy Brown) Carter, Inga Marchand, Jonathan Burks, Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter Jaz-O 4:03
10. "Friend or Foe"   Carter, Martin DJ Premier 1:49
11. "Coming of Age" (featuring Memphis Bleek) Carter, Franklin, James Mtume DJ Clark Kent 3:59
12. "Cashmere Thoughts"   Carter, Franklin, Hamilton Bohannon, Leroy Emmanuel, Melvin Ragin DJ Clark Kent 2:56
13. "Bring It On" (featuring Sauce Money & Jaz-O) Carter, Martin, Burks, Todd Gaither DJ Premier 5:01
14. "Regrets"   Carter, Patty F. Di Pasquale Peter Panic 4:34