Unreasonable doubt

 

We are about to walk on holy Hip Hop ground here: we are going to mention one of the most important artists to ever contribute to the genre — if not the most important. And his story is about as mythical as his clout on the industry is palpable: Sean Carter was born in an impoverished African-American family in a Brooklyn housing project. So far, so bad. After his father left the family and despite a remarkably strong-willed mother, he gradually took to the streets and ended up selling crack at a time when the drug was taking over. It’s a miracle he didn’t get caught — or killed: the story goes that he was flown in to London with mentor Jaz-O to work on tracks as his entire drug network was getting arrested back at home…

The point is, young Jay-Z survived the streets. Not only survive them, he actually outlived them: gradually making his mark as a young up-and-comer, he collaborated with various Hip Hop pioneers including Bid Daddy Kane and Ol’ Dirty Bastard on his way to trying to get signed. That first contract came and went, though: Payday records offered the rapper a deal that was none too satisfactory, something that infuriated him. As young as he was, Carter understood that he could do better. And better he did, but cutting ties with that company altogether and… starting his own: Roc-A-Fella Records. That is how the legend continues…

The very recording of Reasonable Doubt was a little hectic, as Roc-A-Fella was still a fledgling company and Jay-Z’s star power was still largely to come. Nevertheless, he not only succeeded in putting together incredibly tight tracks, but said tracks featured some of the best (other) RnB and Hip Hop artists out there, including Notorious B.I.G. himself, Mary J. Blige and Foxy Brown. Production on the album involved quite a bit of back-and-forths, between producers for one as some tracks triggered behind-the-scenes beat battles, as well as on the album with “Brooklyn’s Finest” showcasing the perfect encounter between young Jay-Z and (already) Notorious B.I.G.. Classic…

… Or was it? When first released, the album didn’t actually fare too well: its highest position on the Billboard 200 charts was #23 and first week sales only amounted to 43 000 copies. These days, Taylor Swifts sells more — in vinyl. As it happens, Reasonable Doubt came to be the lowest performing record in Jay-Z’s entire career (so far). Yet, many music critics consider it his best work or close to it, an entire generation of Hip Hop artists were directly and indirectly influenced by it… and, more than anything else, it did launch the stratospheric career of the inimitable wordsmith that is Sean Carter. Respect!