Jay-Z was a nobody in 1996

Jerz-2

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The REAL story here is how that show was only $40. :pachaha:
 

Juliano Soprano

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There’s people on this site from different areas, I’m from the south…I knew who Jay was in 97 but me and my friends didn’t really pay attention to him. Wasn’t until streets is watching came out, my boy had the video and that blew my mind, I had to go back and listen to reasonable doubt after that.
 

Yecht

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I bought Reasonable Doubt in 1996. I can tell you for a fact that was an instant classic album. He toed the line so brilliantly between hardcore, underground & mainstream. The album is bar for bar one of the most lyrical albums ever made. His ability to rap street/drug raps so vividly was unparalleled. He could drop an underground record like Bring It On & at the same time drop a smooth track with Mary J but then another hardcore joint like D’evils & then back to another commercial joint like Ain’t No N***a. Dead Presidents II is a certified legendary banger. Then to top it off with Brooklyn’s Finest W/B.I.G. Jay-Z was right there with B.I.G. in ‘96. Such a classic album. After all these years & hearing heads call everything under the sun a classic year after year… 99% of those records compared to Reasonable Doubt? To that I say GTFOH!!!!!!!!!!

This is 1000% cap lmao. I bought Reasonable Doubt the day it dropped too and always thought it was a dope album. But it was not a big deal at all and nobody thought Jay was about to be the biggest rapper in the world after hearing it. His star took off around the time of Streets is Watching.
 

Yayo Toure

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for somebody who was independant...that "Feelin It" video came on all the time back then. I didn't listen to Reasonable Doubt in 1996 and I didn't think he was gonna be a superstar...but by his 3rd album it was pretty apparent he was gonna be a problem.

when he made the song with baby face and wore that lime green suit and had the fish eye lens all up on his exaggerated features, it was apparent this Jay-Z guy would do anything to be on top.
 

vino

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If you let the coli tell it. Also, nobody listened to Reasonable Doubt, even though it went Gold 2 months after release :jbhmm:

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Jay wasn’t popping like that reasonable doubt wasn’t hitting like that. It was later received well. He started to take off and has done very well now. Stop re-writing history because you’re a fan of the artist.
 
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