In the first installment of VH1’s new monthly series Album-Versaries, Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash reminisces about Jay-Z’s early career on the 15th anniversary of his debut, Reasonable Doubt.
Dash, who has publicly feuded with Jay-Z in recent years, explained that he was one of the few people who supported the young Brooklyn rapper at the time. “I said he will be the greatest rapper of all-time at a time when everyone told me he was the worst rapper,” Dame explained. “You understand? I had been shopping him, and everyone told me ‘He raps too fast.’
“And because we believed in him so much, we couldn’t even tell him that it wasn’t going to the best album that was ever made and it’s funny because it became that,” Dame continued, explaining his relationship with Jay at the time. “So years later we would reflect and be like ‘you were so ignorant’ and everyone said you were an asshole because you were so arrogant.’ But I was right. I said it, you will be the greatest rapper of all time.”
Watch the rest of the interview below, and head over to VH1 to read more about the album’s creation.
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RD is Classic!!!!!! The rhymes metaphors double entendres, concepts and the best flows not to mention more than a few timeless tracks. play the whole shit thru. Now can you think of any Em album that’s like that?
SSLP, MMLP, TES
Nobody rides around bumpin a Eminem album all the way through wit the windows down
At least Jay wasn”t a huge swagger jacker back than. Did not copy others and say dumb stuff like “My flow is foolish”.
@Ill, why wouldn’t you “bump” any album you like all windows down ? affraid about other people’s opinion ?
Exactly. The lyrics were and still are out of this world.
Thats a great point your made about em albums..but Nas still the greatest
Nas is the best lyricist ever but not the greatest he is def one of the greats!
nas is one of the greastest lyricist , but dame dash was saying that jay is the best ever because on ‘Reasonable doubt’ he was rapping about real experience, in other words he’s saying jay wasn’t rapping about someone elses life or what he seen in movies , jay-z really lived the THUGLIFE…
Jay is the better rapper.
best album that was ever made? not really. great album though.
Jay’s always been 1 of my favorites but to me, his best albulm was the Black albulm..maybe not living thru reasonable doubt (or classic) albulms in general is different but dats just my opinion
Only reason why the album sold was because Big was in it and Pac dissed Joe Camel. Entire career based on hype and beef.
If Biggie and Pac had ignored Jay Z he would have been a nobody.
You can speculate all day, that doesn’t change the fact that Hov is one of the greatest. We can sit here and talk about “What if Big and Pac were alive”, but at the end of the day it’s all pointless. Hov is one of the GOATS, period
in the words of Keith Murray:
If “ifs” were spliffs, we’d be all fucked up!
Hmmm, only artist with 11 number 1 albums, guess big and pac wrote his rhymes for him too..oh i thought when niggaz dissed u ur career was supposed to spiral downhill like mobb deep or ja-rule or canibus…ya’ll niggaz wish ya’ll could rhyme like hov, can I live??? SAF!
No Dame Dummy, Illmatic is the greatest album of all time, the kind of album Jay-Z wishes Reasonable Doubt was.
obviously… you cant rate something you don’t understand…
is funny i was talking about reasonable doubt the other day it was and still is my favorite cd jay-z put out…
These stupid ass niggas still talking about about j.and he don’t give a fuck about nobody. Nigga fuck me like J did the whole roc.why even mention that shit. that nigga kept garbage ass, mem bleek why because he don’t believe in him and bleek don’t believe in himself!!!!!!
Illmatic is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better!
illmatic was good ass hell, but jay had two songs on reasonabe doubt that coul’ve got left off, cashmere thoughts and ain’t no nigga(which got him mainstream credibility, lol) But other than that his rhymes were long, intelligent,and just downright a beast!! When the last tyme u listen to reasonbale doubt. Illmatic had ten songs on the album. Jay had like 13 banging banging cuts.
I never listened to this album. I did listen to Illmatic. All i gota say is, at the end of the day, there will NEVER be one nigga to be the GREATEST. Too many niggas done’ brought somethin groundbreakin to the game, so many perfect, genius, extraordinary albums from all coasts for there to be ONE nigga declared the GREATEST. Jay z the greatest today, not forever
u a fool, how u gonna say someone is great and not even listen to their greatest album. SAF!
you cant compare Reasonable Doubt to Illmatic except when you are talking about great albums but as far as the content and age difference and the direction they were goin into they are completely two different albums but both are examples of great music!
One of the best albums ever released.
Everybody knows that thier is no more rap beef between Nas and Jay right? So I dnt think you have to always diss one to make a point to support the other Im a huge fan of both of them so I only compare Blueprint and Stillmatic cause those came out when they both were going at it
I’m sorry … I’m confused … was Dash speaking in English?