It’s a great album, but ’96 had more of those. Back then, I listened more often to “Iron Man”, “ATLiens”, “Stakes Is High”, “Dr Octagon”, “Wild Cowboys”….all better albums in my opinion. I also remember it took quite long for “Reasonable Doubt” to get picked up by the people. In hindsight people are more speaking highly of it, but I wonder if that’s because of Hov’s status instead of the quality of the album. But still, it’s a great listen.
Some hated it, to others it was classic. I’m leanin more towards the latter, although I don’t think it’s a classic. However, great beats and Sadat in prime form make it a great album to me. To each their own.
Jay z best album is blueprint. Reasonable doubt is overrated but it has some good tracks. Overall it is solid. Nowhere near an illmatic. Go YouTube Soldier For Christ (Montana of 300 response) by Metroclus.
It wasn’t the best album in the year it was released. Not a bad album but, a classic Jay Z album, but probably not anywhere near the top classic Hip Hop albums of all time
Depends on what you compare it to. It’s a classic in Jay’s disography. But not with all time albums. It wasn’t considered a classic within the first year or two of its original release.
The reviews Reasonable Doubt got when it was released were pretty spot on, very good but not classic level. We wouldn’t be talking about this album, if it wasn’t released by Jay Z
Yes, yes it is. Good Album but not great. If you think it should be among the truly Hip Hop classic albums then you probably don’t listen to much Hip Hop or hang out with Fuck Queensbridge with his ROC stans, in his moms basement.
Can it live! It was jay’s best work, so looking at his catalogue its a classic. Here was a rapper telling brooklyns tales by merging his rap influences and bring out a more refined corporate minded rapper hungry for success. overrated my ass :-0
Absolutely. I remember when it dropped and it didn’t have that big of an impact at all because it was all about Biggie and Tupac at the time. Anything else would be a lie.
LOL! It IS a great album and you also let know it’s your opinion, but Greatest Album Of All Time seems a little too far-fetched to me. I mean, is it better than “What’s Going On”? “Sign “O” The Times”? “Songs In The Key Of Life”? I stated a few obviuous ones, but there are so many other classic albums released in the past 60 years, it’s quite a statement to call “Reasonable Doubt” the greatest album of all time.
Not at all. Reasonable Doubt and Illmatic are the top 2 in Hip Hop history. Idk why is saying it aint classic because it didnt sell well right away. Am I wrong for thinking Murrays Revenge isnt a classic because it didnt go platinum. Idk thats not how I think. I bet theres some classic albumns that never even got released.
After years of visiting this site and agreeing and disagreeing just like you would do in a Barbershop, It saddens me to say and type that I will never visit this site again after reading this blasphemous and disrespectful question about an Album that is a Masterpiece.
Not overrated at all. Almost all songs are very good to amazing, some of the realest bars ever spit on an album. This is like asking if Michael Jordan was overrated. Just because you’re infatuated with the next thing, don’t try to devalue the greatness that came before.
So because he has better albums that means this one is overrated? It’s easily top 3 or 4 in his catelogue, and would easily be almost any other rapper’s greatest work. Trying to get clicks and cause an uproar, this is the society we live in.
Reasonable Doubt is currently completely overrated that is fact that cannot be disputed. Beats aren’t there and the lyrics aren’t there to be a true Hip Hop classic, there were others rappers that did the whole street hustler/drug dealer thing better before and after Reasonable Doubt. You can make the argument that its a Jay Z classic but things start to fall apart when you start saying its an undisputed best hip hop album of all time or even top 10 or 20 hip hop album of all time.
I respect your opinion Murs, but I’ve got to disagree. I’d say that all 3 of those albums are about up to par, but which one is considered best is up to the listener’s sound preference and that’s a testament to the quality of Hov’s discography. For example, I’m a fan of the Pharell-style sound on Change Clothes, but I personally would pick the sound of Dead Presidents II, Feelin’ It, or Bring it On (which, by the way, you forgot to mention) any day over it. Why? Because that boom-bap, sample-based, classic 90’s NY sound is what I personally prefer. It doesn’t matter to me that the trademark Jay-Z flow isn’t 100% developed yet because the sound of it all is as classic as it gets and the lyricism is still definitely there. You’re not wrong for thinking that The Blueprint or The Black Album are better, but we’re not wrong for thinking Reasonable Doubt is better either. This isn’t some nostalgia-based opinion either. I was born in 1996.
Reasonable Doubt is a great album, a classic Jay Z album but not a Hip Hop classic. It might not even be a top five album for the year it was released in, let alone the entire history of Hip Hop. I swear some of ya’ll dudes below are a bunch of born in 90s babies that haven’t heard all the shit released back in the day. Fugees, Ghostface, 2pac, Mobb Deep, The Roots, Redman, ATCQ, De La Soul, Lost Boyz, Westside Connection etc all released albums just as good and probably alot better than Reasonable Doubt. I can be a big Jay Z stan but I have to agree that Jay Z that we know and love wasn’t developed until later albums.
Co-sign. And like mentioned here before, ’96 was ridiculous with the amount of great albums released. Among those you summed up, I’d say that Ghost’s, De La’s & Redman’s albums already are better than “Reasonable Doubt”. It’s a great album, but idk it’s a classic, but probably one of the best albums Jay released and it would end up in my ’96 top 10, but surely not on top.
“I kept feeding her money till her shit started to make sence/cents”
“You leave me no choice, I leave you no voice/believe you, me, son I hate to do it just as bad as you hate to see it done”
The whole “cashmere thoughts” first verse.
22 twos!!!
It’s a classic it just came out around the same time some of the Illest albums in hip hop history….”night want you to be miserable with’m”
The only bad album that was trash was nastradomus and if u want to put the I am album in there then go ahead but all the rest of bad album are at least a 4.
No I don’t think so, and I’m not even a Jay-fan. Never really liked his style of rapping actually. Reasonable Doubt is the only album i actually. You got the classics tracks like Dead Presidents, D’evils, and Can I live, you got several good tracks like Politics As Usual, Feelin It, 22 Two’s, Bring It On. Then you got the rest of the album which is still solid/ok. Not a single skippable track really so how can it be overrated?
I think you could probably look back 20 years and criticize any rap album unfavorably if you really wanted to. The point is this exercise is stupid. RD is a classic… don’t care who has what to say about it.. No ONE was rapping with that flow back then.
Is Reasonable Doubt overrated? A beatdown is reserved for whoever asks that dumbass question. Illmatic is the one that’s overrated because the rest of broke ass Nas’ albums are pure garbage. King HOV’s discography is the best in the game. Ask Russell Simmons why Nas only made one notable album his entire career.
Man, you really are the equivalent of stupid. “Reasonable Doubt” is great and better than that year’s “It was Written”, but nowhere as good as “Iron Man” or “Muddy Waters” to give you 2 examples. It’s not under- nor overrated, it just stands as it is: a great album by a dope rapper. But ’96 had many of those. Clean out your ears, quit your bias and stop chewing on Jay’s nuts.
Jay Z jacked Queensbridge…check AZ doe or die…mo money mo murda…u could be the next John D Rockafeller…next year JZ on some RocaFella shit…pay homage…QB fathered ya style. PRESIDENTZ 2 REPRESENT ME…who did Jay sample? Take It In Blood is better than any track on RD…
I really think this is the best album of 1996. I also won’t hesitate to put RD in my all-time top 10 rap albums. It just never gets old. It could come out today instead of 444 and people would love it. To each his own. Only track I don’t like is Ain’t No … and Can I Live is better then other people’s whole albums alone. This debut album surpasses The Blueprint and The Black Album in every way. And I do not hear none of that digidiefx sh on this. A true classic
I agree. Except Blueprint 2 was given too much credit. His game was off after Stillmatic, he was desperate sounding, watered down a Pac track with Bey (Probably my worst Kanye produced track to date), got murdered on Poppin Tags, still throwing shots, referenced Austin Powers….I can go on. Even Dame admitted it. It’s got to be a tie in nonsense with in my lifetime Vol 1 as well as the best of both worlds albums.
Absolutely overrated. The first half of the album features some classic joints but after that it’s nothing special. And that track with Foxy is legitimately horrible.
No it isn’t overrated, too many Hip Hop hipsters that like to undermine classic albums just to look cool. Reasonable Doubt takes a huge shit on most of the garbage that’s released today. Hip Hop is so bad these days it’s made me look back on albums I didn’t like from 2002 more favorably.
So, what I got out of this is that there are people that think that RD is best Hip Hop album of all time? I swear Jay Z stans should do the world a favor and kill themselves.
I think Hiphop DX should ask” When should Jay-Z take his FOOT! of these young boys NECKS)? haha.Jay-z stems from the 80’s How can this happen from and old ass? Ya’ll muthFukas!
Reasonable Doubt was not an instant classic, but became a Classic after its release. In the grand scheme it took the masses to catch up to its greatness! Therefore it is not overrated. This website on the other hand is considered quite overrated!!!
The only good jay zzzzzzz album
so whats your answer when someone asks u what jays best work is???
It’s a great album, but ’96 had more of those. Back then, I listened more often to “Iron Man”, “ATLiens”, “Stakes Is High”, “Dr Octagon”, “Wild Cowboys”….all better albums in my opinion. I also remember it took quite long for “Reasonable Doubt” to get picked up by the people. In hindsight people are more speaking highly of it, but I wonder if that’s because of Hov’s status instead of the quality of the album. But still, it’s a great listen.
Wild Cowboys was wack.
Some hated it, to others it was classic. I’m leanin more towards the latter, although I don’t think it’s a classic. However, great beats and Sadat in prime form make it a great album to me. To each their own.
All Eyez On Me & Muddy Waters
It Was Written, The Score, The Resurrection, Bow Down…. ’96 was ridiculous
And even more: Enigma, Firing Squad Nocturnal, Da Storm, Illadelph Halflife, Wrath Of The Math… All good to great albums
“Beats, Rhymes & Life”, “The Coming”, “Gravity”…IMO, ’96 was the last year of the golden age. So many dope albums.
the only classic album that jay z have is reasonable doubt
No, the answer is no.
what happened to the other ‘breakdown’ dude???
He was told he needed to be a washed up rapper with a little notoriety to get the clicks for them from the “true” hip hop heads.
Someone sounds bitter
no it is not overrated but it is not perfect too it is only good jay z album the rest of his album are solid or bad like his last album (solid)
Not a classic. More like a very good album. 4/5. I think the Source gave it a 4/5 in its first review.
Blueprint is his best. But he’s mostly only good on features like Luda
Why is murs grading Jay? I mean give me one murs quoteable
No, it is not.
Jay z best album is blueprint. Reasonable doubt is overrated but it has some good tracks. Overall it is solid. Nowhere near an illmatic. Go YouTube Soldier For Christ (Montana of 300 response) by Metroclus.
Nope.
1. Reasonable Doubt
2. Black Album
3. Blueprint
Nah reasonable doubt is definitely not overrated. However Jay’s “In My Lifetime…Volume 1” is his best album.
It wasn’t the best album in the year it was released. Not a bad album but, a classic Jay Z album, but probably not anywhere near the top classic Hip Hop albums of all time
Meus is overrated. An underground backpack rapper. Why would you even consider this nobody’s opinion? He’s a thousandaire. Jay is an icon. LOL.
Stubid question. Everyone knows Reasonable Doubt is an undisputed classic.
More like “stubid” comment. Take an English class, Corky!
Depends on what you compare it to. It’s a classic in Jay’s disography. But not with all time albums. It wasn’t considered a classic within the first year or two of its original release.
The reviews Reasonable Doubt got when it was released were pretty spot on, very good but not classic level. We wouldn’t be talking about this album, if it wasn’t released by Jay Z
Great album no doubt. Especially on a lyrical level
Great point!
Finally finally unbiased reviews on Hiphop .
Yes, yes it is. Good Album but not great. If you think it should be among the truly Hip Hop classic albums then you probably don’t listen to much Hip Hop or hang out with Fuck Queensbridge with his ROC stans, in his moms basement.
Can it live! It was jay’s best work, so looking at his catalogue its a classic. Here was a rapper telling brooklyns tales by merging his rap influences and bring out a more refined corporate minded rapper hungry for success. overrated my ass :-0
Absolutely. I remember when it dropped and it didn’t have that big of an impact at all because it was all about Biggie and Tupac at the time. Anything else would be a lie.
Yes…Yes… And MFN YES!!!
Fuck no. Greatest album of all time. Thats my opinion obviously, but this album is just so fresh and authentic. Flawless
LOL! It IS a great album and you also let know it’s your opinion, but Greatest Album Of All Time seems a little too far-fetched to me. I mean, is it better than “What’s Going On”? “Sign “O” The Times”? “Songs In The Key Of Life”? I stated a few obviuous ones, but there are so many other classic albums released in the past 60 years, it’s quite a statement to call “Reasonable Doubt” the greatest album of all time.
Not at all. Reasonable Doubt and Illmatic are the top 2 in Hip Hop history. Idk why is saying it aint classic because it didnt sell well right away. Am I wrong for thinking Murrays Revenge isnt a classic because it didnt go platinum. Idk thats not how I think. I bet theres some classic albumns that never even got released.
there are classic albums that were never made
This website went downhill in a hurry. Siding w nicki now this wtf
After years of visiting this site and agreeing and disagreeing just like you would do in a Barbershop, It saddens me to say and type that I will never visit this site again after reading this blasphemous and disrespectful question about an Album that is a Masterpiece.
Not overrated at all. Almost all songs are very good to amazing, some of the realest bars ever spit on an album. This is like asking if Michael Jordan was overrated. Just because you’re infatuated with the next thing, don’t try to devalue the greatness that came before.
So because he has better albums that means this one is overrated? It’s easily top 3 or 4 in his catelogue, and would easily be almost any other rapper’s greatest work. Trying to get clicks and cause an uproar, this is the society we live in.
That album was straight classic! It took a while to go platinum cause of the comp at the time. This is his best album.
Desperate for a reaction with this ridiculous headline….#trolling
C’mon Hip Hop DX!! We were doing cool till this…
Reasonable Doubt is currently completely overrated that is fact that cannot be disputed. Beats aren’t there and the lyrics aren’t there to be a true Hip Hop classic, there were others rappers that did the whole street hustler/drug dealer thing better before and after Reasonable Doubt. You can make the argument that its a Jay Z classic but things start to fall apart when you start saying its an undisputed best hip hop album of all time or even top 10 or 20 hip hop album of all time.
No way they paying you for this horrible video. You comparing the album to other albums, just let RD be what it is…a great album.
I respect your opinion Murs, but I’ve got to disagree. I’d say that all 3 of those albums are about up to par, but which one is considered best is up to the listener’s sound preference and that’s a testament to the quality of Hov’s discography. For example, I’m a fan of the Pharell-style sound on Change Clothes, but I personally would pick the sound of Dead Presidents II, Feelin’ It, or Bring it On (which, by the way, you forgot to mention) any day over it. Why? Because that boom-bap, sample-based, classic 90’s NY sound is what I personally prefer. It doesn’t matter to me that the trademark Jay-Z flow isn’t 100% developed yet because the sound of it all is as classic as it gets and the lyricism is still definitely there. You’re not wrong for thinking that The Blueprint or The Black Album are better, but we’re not wrong for thinking Reasonable Doubt is better either. This isn’t some nostalgia-based opinion either. I was born in 1996.
Reasonable Doubt is a great album, a classic Jay Z album but not a Hip Hop classic. It might not even be a top five album for the year it was released in, let alone the entire history of Hip Hop. I swear some of ya’ll dudes below are a bunch of born in 90s babies that haven’t heard all the shit released back in the day. Fugees, Ghostface, 2pac, Mobb Deep, The Roots, Redman, ATCQ, De La Soul, Lost Boyz, Westside Connection etc all released albums just as good and probably alot better than Reasonable Doubt. I can be a big Jay Z stan but I have to agree that Jay Z that we know and love wasn’t developed until later albums.
Co-sign. And like mentioned here before, ’96 was ridiculous with the amount of great albums released. Among those you summed up, I’d say that Ghost’s, De La’s & Redman’s albums already are better than “Reasonable Doubt”. It’s a great album, but idk it’s a classic, but probably one of the best albums Jay released and it would end up in my ’96 top 10, but surely not on top.
Good callin out Jay Z…RD only has 5 or 6 good songs and 1 classic in DP. Plenty better albums than this 1. And this IS his best album…3.5 / 5
“I kept feeding her money till her shit started to make sence/cents”
“You leave me no choice, I leave you no voice/believe you, me, son I hate to do it just as bad as you hate to see it done”
The whole “cashmere thoughts” first verse.
22 twos!!!
It’s a classic it just came out around the same time some of the Illest albums in hip hop history….”night want you to be miserable with’m”
Whoever posed this question is overrated
Are you dumb?
Great video. I clicked on the link thinking “no way!” but ended up agreeing with you. You had some solid arguments there.
Interesting discussion.
GREAT VIDEO MAN! Solid and brilliantly constructed argument. 100% agree. Murs is on fire, Keep ’em comin!!
100% overrated, if it wasn’t a Jay Z album I doubt we would even be talking about it.
If Illmatic wasn’t a Nas album, we wouldn’t be talking about it.
The only bad album that was trash was nastradomus and if u want to put the I am album in there then go ahead but all the rest of bad album are at least a 4.
No I don’t think so, and I’m not even a Jay-fan. Never really liked his style of rapping actually. Reasonable Doubt is the only album i actually. You got the classics tracks like Dead Presidents, D’evils, and Can I live, you got several good tracks like Politics As Usual, Feelin It, 22 Two’s, Bring It On. Then you got the rest of the album which is still solid/ok. Not a single skippable track really so how can it be overrated?
I think you could probably look back 20 years and criticize any rap album unfavorably if you really wanted to. The point is this exercise is stupid. RD is a classic… don’t care who has what to say about it.. No ONE was rapping with that flow back then.
Same goes for Ghost. And Outkast. Rappers were pretty original back then. Had their own lane.
The Fu-Schnickens? Jaz O?
Not a classic, didn’t even have the reviews at the time to even be considered a classic. Never understood why Jay Z stans push so hard for this Album.
Is Reasonable Doubt overrated? A beatdown is reserved for whoever asks that dumbass question. Illmatic is the one that’s overrated because the rest of broke ass Nas’ albums are pure garbage. King HOV’s discography is the best in the game. Ask Russell Simmons why Nas only made one notable album his entire career.
Man, you really are the equivalent of stupid. “Reasonable Doubt” is great and better than that year’s “It was Written”, but nowhere as good as “Iron Man” or “Muddy Waters” to give you 2 examples. It’s not under- nor overrated, it just stands as it is: a great album by a dope rapper. But ’96 had many of those. Clean out your ears, quit your bias and stop chewing on Jay’s nuts.
Jay Z jacked Queensbridge…check AZ doe or die…mo money mo murda…u could be the next John D Rockafeller…next year JZ on some RocaFella shit…pay homage…QB fathered ya style. PRESIDENTZ 2 REPRESENT ME…who did Jay sample? Take It In Blood is better than any track on RD…
DX is always looking for ways to shit on JAY Z and his legacy.
How? When since 4:44 was being advertised, it seems every 1 out of 4 articles is talking about him and promoting him?
Ghostface has the best discography in the game, most consistent.
I support that. His wizardry or whatever his “808 and heartbreak” album though wasn’t my cup of tea. Without it, I’d say he’s had a solid run overall.
808 and heartbreak was a Kayne West album
I think Jigga’s BP1 is teh best fuccn rap album ever.. Its flawless. RD is dope too tho……
I really think this is the best album of 1996. I also won’t hesitate to put RD in my all-time top 10 rap albums. It just never gets old. It could come out today instead of 444 and people would love it. To each his own. Only track I don’t like is Ain’t No … and Can I Live is better then other people’s whole albums alone. This debut album surpasses The Blueprint and The Black Album in every way. And I do not hear none of that digidiefx sh on this. A true classic
Better than The Score? Ironman? All Eyez On Me? Nah, it wasn’t the best of ’96, but I don’t think it’s overrated either. You’re YOUNG aren’t you?
of course. it sounds like a fake KOOL G RAP Album
I agree. Except Blueprint 2 was given too much credit. His game was off after Stillmatic, he was desperate sounding, watered down a Pac track with Bey (Probably my worst Kanye produced track to date), got murdered on Poppin Tags, still throwing shots, referenced Austin Powers….I can go on. Even Dame admitted it. It’s got to be a tie in nonsense with in my lifetime Vol 1 as well as the best of both worlds albums.
Absolutely overrated. The first half of the album features some classic joints but after that it’s nothing special. And that track with Foxy is legitimately horrible.
No it isn’t overrated, too many Hip Hop hipsters that like to undermine classic albums just to look cool. Reasonable Doubt takes a huge shit on most of the garbage that’s released today. Hip Hop is so bad these days it’s made me look back on albums I didn’t like from 2002 more favorably.
Yes.
Yup, 100% overrated.
So, what I got out of this is that there are people that think that RD is best Hip Hop album of all time? I swear Jay Z stans should do the world a favor and kill themselves.
I think Hiphop DX should ask” When should Jay-Z take his FOOT! of these young boys NECKS)? haha.Jay-z stems from the 80’s How can this happen from and old ass? Ya’ll muthFukas!
That Reasonable Doubt isn’t overrated. A lot of his other albums are though
Reasonable Doubt was not an instant classic, but became a Classic after its release. In the grand scheme it took the masses to catch up to its greatness! Therefore it is not overrated. This website on the other hand is considered quite overrated!!!