True but, I think core fans didn't like it at first because nas changed up his image and style(dre doing a beat, female singing on the hook with lauryn hill, and nas being a flashy slick rick type don. Once you listen to it, it is a nice album.
Old heads, is it true Reasonable Doubt...
- Thread starter Enchanted
- Start date
Big Mel
@bigboss
well duh. that's exactly why it caught hell. and it isn't that damn good either. it's a solid 3.5...4 if you're a stan. but all this classic talk surrounding that album is utter bullshyt. it's almost absurd.
Elle Driver
Veteran
Wasn't poppin in 96? I keep seein nikkas sayin that no one was checkin for Hov and nikkas thought it was trash until Jay himself started sayin that it was classic later on. I was born in 95 so it doesn't sound right to me that the GOAT was considered wack
So is that true or is the booth just bullshyttin?
Exactly, you were born in 95, you didn't experience the golden era so for you to think he's the GOAT is quite normal. At the same time, for people who grew up in the nineties (I'm 9 years older than you
) it paled in comparison to all of the other releases within that year. He debuted the same year when the actual GOAT died, and he only became massively successful after BIG died too and it left an avenue open for him. To be honest, it wasn't a classic album at least to me because he couldn't carry it on his own. nikka had BIG featured on it and shyt still wasn't crackin nothin so what do dat tell you. 
"My first album had no famous guest appearances, the outcome, I'm crowned the best lyricist".
Pinyapplesuckas
He's A Good Man
It Was Written was a hit album though..didnt it sell like 2 milli? and is a dope album, though at the time was disliked by Illmatic Stans.
Big Mel
@bigboss
Man stop. People were saying Jay was on BIGs ass when big was alive and well. Again, I was there.
Big Mel
@bigboss
Huge single with it girl Lauren and built on the hype if Illmatic. The biggie blueprint made it readily digestible to casual rap fans.
This isn't rocket science.
UNLIKE JAY THOUGH, NAS NEVER WENT ON A CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE THE ALBUM'S STANDINGS. THE IWW ALBUM DID THAT ON ITS OWN. QUALITY EVENTUALLY SHONE THROUGH!!!!!
Big Mel
@bigboss
ive already told you, i didnt need anyone to tell me anything. the album was the record du jour amongst those in the know.
GnauzBookOfRhymes
Superstar
this is probably the best explanation ive heard about how reasonable doubt was received in that day. perfectly stated.
infamousred
All Star
they talk about "internet revisionist history" w/ reasonable doubt, and then these toys have the nerve to sit there and call iww a classic. for sure, it's a classic case of irony.
Who said IWW was a classic? Even though some cats think it's nas best album, I think it was one of the many dope albums of 96 along with RD.
It was an indie underground album, like R.A.P. music might've been the 2nd best album of 2012 but it wasn't poppin and imagine that this was 96 so there was no cheap promo or distribution through internet. But Dame, Biggs and other people like Irv Gotti etc helped grind that album all over the world, which is how he has such great relationship with UK Dj's and shyt.
RD still went gold in 96, got great reviews even without help from the major label dikkridin. It also managed to score a couple of hot street singles that sold well.
It was buzzing in selected circles, my big bros being on of them. People bought it in Brooklyn, NY, NJ, DC, VA and The Chi (from what I know).
Illmatic wasn't poppin either for that matter, RD even went gold faster if you are to believe RIAA.
And was in comparison, heavily promoted, big cac money behind it AND the 5 mic stamp.
RD still went gold in 96, got great reviews even without help from the major label dikkridin. It also managed to score a couple of hot street singles that sold well.
It was buzzing in selected circles, my big bros being on of them. People bought it in Brooklyn, NY, NJ, DC, VA and The Chi (from what I know).
Illmatic wasn't poppin either for that matter, RD even went gold faster if you are to believe RIAA.
And was in comparison, heavily promoted, big cac money behind it AND the 5 mic stamp.
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intilectual recipricol
Killin fake hip hop
nikkaz was not checkin for RD when it came out. But the lyricism in it was unmatched... when I finally got put on 
its a much better production than that other bullshyt album people hype up that took 7 years to go plat... RD sold with less of a push from media and labels
its a much better production than that other bullshyt album people hype up that took 7 years to go plat... RD sold with less of a push from media and labels
It was considered a great album when it dropped, its just that Jay wasn't very popular at the time and there were other artist like Pac, Nas, Wu, and the Fugees, etc. that were really popular during that time so the album wasn't given the same type of love, but the people who did have it and the people that heard it all knew it was dope.
It got 4 mics in the Source (same as IWW)
http://ifihavent.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/classic-reviews-reasonable-doubt-in-the-source-1996/
And the Source also listed it as one of the best albums of 1996 in their '96 Year In Review issue (Jan. '97)
I havent read this whole thread but this pretty much sums it up. This wasn't an anticipated album because not everybody knew who he was. It was "yo that Jay-z nikka album is dope" after the fact. I slept on that shyt for months. I was in the army at the time and my ATL dudes put me up on it. I knew Jay-z as a speed rapper and I didnt trust him to cop an LP. I saw the video for Dead Presidents and Aint No nikka and I thought he slowed his flow down to try to be like Nas for the singles but I figured the rest of the album was gonna be on that "jiggetta biggetta biggetta" stuff I knew him for. Went by the barracks 1 day and my homie was playing it and I thought
, this dude is serious now. Bought Vol 1 when it dropped and hated it and was like I knew I couldnt trust that nikka!
Big Mel
@bigboss
Except that 3/4 of vol. 1 is pure piff.