Reasonable Doubt

Reasonable Doubt is the first studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25, 1996 on Roc-A-Fella/Priority Records in the United States and on Northwestside Records in the United Kingdom. The album features production by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and guest vocals by Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, Sauce Money, and The Notorious B.I.G… It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200, received platinum status in 2002, and sold 1.5 million copies as of 2006. Four singles were released, the most popular being “Ain’t No Nigga” and “Can’t Knock the Hustle”. Both reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom, but were less popular in the United States; the former reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the latter reached #73.

Reasonable Doubt received strong critical reviews and has been heralded as Jay-Z’s “crowning achievement”, a seminal work and an “undisputed classic”. Reasonable Doubt received a “4 Mics” rating from The Source and five stars from Allmusic, the highest ratings issued by AMG. The Source ranks it among the top 100 albums of all time, Blender ranks it as one of the 500 best albums of all time, and Rolling Stone ranks it at 248 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.