![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/jay-z-1996-billboard-1800.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn honor of the project’s 30th anniversary, we talk about and rank each song from Reasonable Doubt’s original pressing.<\/p>\n
\t6\/25\/2026\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tPortrait of American rapper and music executive Jay Z as he sits behind a desk in his lower Manhattan office, New York, New York, April 1996. (Photo by Nitro\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNitro\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
\n\tDon\u2019t let these nerds lie to you.<\/p>\n
\n\tYes, this album was slept on by the greater public when it was first released, but for a certain demographic in the Tri-State area, it was basically gospel upon release. It peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200<\/a> about a month after it dropped, spent 18 weeks on the chart and reached platinum status in 2002, so there was certainly a slow burn there. However, fans and rappers alike didn\u2019t care about charts and sales like the do now; what they appreciated about the Brooklyn rapper and his Roc-A-Fella clique was their road to independence and their eventual chart and industry dominance.<\/p>\n \n\tWe all know how the story goes: Jay-Z<\/a> couldn\u2019t get a record deal, so he and his friends pooled the drug money they were sitting on to start their own label, and the rest is history. Where do you think the line, \u201cI came into this muthaf\u2014ka 100 grand strong\/ Nine to be exact\/ From grindin\u2019 G-packs,\u201d means? Did you think that was made up when you first heard \u201cU Don\u2019t Know\u201d? This album set the table for a rap dynasty the likes of which we haven\u2019t seen since.<\/p>\n \n\tReleased on this date in 1996, Reasonable Doubt is now 30 years old and remains one of, if not the best album in Jay\u2019s legendary catalog. Some of his most notable songs and verses are on this project, and I can\u2019t wait to see what he has in store for his Yankee Stadium dates<\/a> next month in July.<\/p>\n \n\tIn honor of its anniversary, we talk about and rank each track from the original pressing below.<\/p>\n \t\u201cCashmere Thoughts\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> DJ Clark Kent \n\tBasically,\u00a0the\u00a0Robb Report\u00a0and\u00a0Lifestyles of the Rich\u00a0and\u00a0Famous, Jay uses another Clark Kent beat to\u00a0\u201ctalk jewels and spit diamonds.\u201d\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0kickin\u2019 pimpish luxury while showing off his ability to manipulate the English language like a college professor doing a creative writing exercise.\u00a0Jigga\u00a0is\u00a0literally dropping\u00a0jewelry on this with\u00a0the proper etiquette as he drops\u00a0the subject,\u00a0verb\u00a0and\u00a0then\u00a0the predicate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201c22 Two\u2019s\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Ski Beatz \n\tHe really said, \u201cTo, too, two,\u201d 22 times.\u00a0You can sit there and count \u2018em\u00a0up, and once\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0done with that, you can check out the update in \u201c44 Four\u2019s<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0And he also gave us the comical line, \u201cAt your wake as I peek in, look in your casket\/\u00a0Feelin\u2019 sarcastic, \u2018Look at him, still\u00a0sleepin\u2019.\u2019\u201d\u00a0He just makes it sound easy. Shout out\u00a0Maria Davis<\/a>\u00a0and Mad Wednesday\u00a0for helping\u00a0make this a classic interlude.\u00a0She\u2019s\u00a0still out here doing her thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cComing of Age\u201d (feat. Memphis Bleek)<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> DJ Clark Kent \n\tAnother smoothed out beat from the late, great DJ Clark Kent, this track is more influential than some might lead you to believe. Not only was it Bleek\u2019s introduction,\u00a0Lil Wayne\u00a0& Baby did their own version\u00a0with \u201cLil One<\/a>\u201d off Weezy\u2019s sophomore album\u00a0Light\u2019s Out \u2014\u00a0or\u00a0maybe the\u00a0sequel on Vol. 2 released in \u201898 was the\u00a0inspo\u00a0\u2014 either way,\u00a0Jigga\u00a0and Making Easy Money\u00a0Pimpin\u2019 Hoes In Style show off the chemistry they\u2019ve had over the course of their Roc-A-Fella years.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cFriend or Foe\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> DJ Premier \n\tI\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know when the narrative started that Jay\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0a storyteller.\u00a0I guess it\u00a0reached a fever pitch around the time he was going back and forth with Nas,\u00a0because\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0always been the Queens MC\u2019s calling card.\u00a0It just goes to show you that\u00a0most\u00a0people\u00a0don\u2019t listen to\u00a0music;\u00a0they just skim through it.\u00a0Now\u00a0please,\u00a0give me the room key.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cAin\u2019t\u00a0No N\u2014a\u201d (feat. Foxy Brown)<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Jaz-O \n\t\u201cAin\u2019t\u00a0No\u201d was most people\u2019s introduction to Jay-Z in \u201896,\u00a0and with the help of being\u00a0attached\u00a0to The Nutty Professor soundtrack (back when movie OSTs were taken seriously),\u00a0this song really got some traction. It was the first time I had heard of\u00a0him,\u00a0and it led me to seeking out some more of his stuff \u2014 and it just so happened that my uncle\u00a0already\u00a0had\u00a0Reasonable Doubt\u00a0in his\u00a0collection. And while I\u00a0still enjoy\u00a0this song, it taught me that the single\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0always the best track on an album.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cBring It On\u201d (feat. Jaz-O \u00a0&\u00a0Sauce Money)<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> DJ Premier \n\tJay\u2019s verse on here will forever be my favorite. I\u2019ve had it memorized for 20+ years now. \u201cI am two-point-two pound, you barely 125 grams\/ Wouldn\u2019t expect you to understand this, money,\u201d and I didn\u2019t at the time because I was still wet behind the ears. He, Sauce and his mentor Jaz all go off over Preemo production, making this one of the best posse cuts of the era. We don\u2019t get tracks like this anymore, because everyone wants to do things over the Internet instead of hitting a studio and going bar-for-bar like the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothin\u2019 days. (This song also included a sample of another rapper Jay used to beef with.)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cPolitics As Usual\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Ski Beatz \n\tMost of Jay\u2019s best songs are his B-sides like this one. I wish he would work with Ski again, because this production is luxurious\u00a0and Hov\u00a0almost always\u00a0loses his mind over his\u00a0beats.\u00a0This song is\u00a0like\u00a0a glass\u00a0of chilled Cristal paired with\u00a0a chicken spot sandwich topped with the most expensive caviar.\u00a0Take the second verse for example;\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0namedropping\u00a0Tito Caicedo, the jeweler responsible for popularizing the Jesus piece with Biggie, and talking about how he might clean up in Vegas if Tyson loses.\u00a0Mind you, this is his first album \u2014\u00a0and the way\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0rapping with so much\u00a0detail,\u00a0it makes it seem like the guy knows what\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0talking about.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cCan\u2019t Knock the Hustle\u201d (feat. Mary J. Blige)<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Knobody, Sean Cane & Dahoud \n\tThis is an underrated entry in his catalog. There so many\u00a0great things\u00a0about this record,\u00a0like that Pain In\u00a0Da\u00a0Ass\u00a0Scarface\u00a0intro\u00a0that we\u00a0said word-for-word in\u00a0hotbox sessions\u00a0on the block, Mary\u2019s classic chorus, and the s\u2013t Jay is\u00a0tallking. I was just a kid when I first listened to\u00a0this,\u00a0and I remember my older uncle and his friends saying the jewels he was dropping was gospel.\u00a0I guess you\u00a0had to live or be exposed to a different type of lifestyle to get what he was saying on the first go-round.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0probably why\u00a0the masses\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0catch\u00a0on\u00a0until Vol. 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cFeelin\u2019 It\u201d (feat. Mecca)<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Ski Beatz \n\tAnother Ski banger, this was my favorite track as a kid.\u00a0I had this on repeat while \u201cAin\u2019t\u00a0No N\u2014a\u201d was all over the radio and the music video was all over TV.\u00a0I was in love with everything about this song: the beat, the Mecca chorus, Jay\u2019s verses.\u00a0I really thought I was living lavish on a tropical island in a villa drinking bubbly with a baddie. This is the type of song that comes on and\u00a0immediately\u00a0transports you somewhere else.\u00a0I would also be remised if I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0acknowledge one of his most quoted bars are the ones highlighted above.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cD\u2019Evils\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> DJ Premier \n\tFeaturing the voice of another rapper that he eventually ended up beefing with on the chorus (Prodigy) that Premier sampled from another rapper who Jay beefed with (LL), the verses aren\u2019t the the only things that have layers on this track. When someone questions why Jigga is considered the GOAT, play them \u201cD\u2019Evils\u201d and if they still don\u2019t get it, stop talking rap with them. How can you hear him say what he says on the second verse and not understand why this guy is one of the best to ever do it? <\/p>\n \n\tI mean, he said: \u201cThinkin\u2019 back when we first learned to use rubbers\/ He never learned, so in turn I\u2019m kidnappin\u2019 his baby\u2019s mother\/ My hand around her collar, feedin\u2019 her cheese\/ She said the taste of dollars was shitty, so I fed her 50s\/ About his whereabouts I wasn\u2019t convinced\/ I kept feedin\u2019 her money \u2019til her s\u2014t started to make sense\/ Who could ever foresee? We used to stay up all night at slumber parties\/ Now I\u2019m tryna rock his b\u2014h to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t[insert disappointed 50 Cent GIF]<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cBrooklyn\u2019s Finest\u201d (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> DJ Clark Kent \n\tFirst and foremost, I wanna say RIP DJ Clark Kent. He was a legend in two games: rap and sneakers. I mention him because he produced this beat, and he introduced Jay and Big. Two of the best going toe-to-toe in the same studio session? We don\u2019t get that anymore. Everybody would rather email each other\u2019s verses rather than pull up to the studio and feed off the energy in the room.<\/p>\n \n\tImagine watching this in person. Clark did. In fact, this session was the first time either of them met because he accidentally played the beat for Biggie, which then caused a chain reaction to them meeting.<\/p>\n \n\tSampling the Ohio Players\u2019 \u201cEcstasy,\u201d the record begins with yet another classic Pain In Da Ass intro, where he evokes the spirit of Al Pacino in one of the more memorable scenes in Carlito\u2019s Way, and Jigga lets the beat build before he and Big lose their minds in one of the most legendary back-and-forths in rap history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cRegrets\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Peter Panic \n\tProbably one of the most underrated tracks in Jay\u2019s catalog, \u201cRegrets\u201d is glimpse into the moral battles\u00a0drug dealers wrestle with on a daily basis.\u00a04:44\u00a0is most\u00a0definitely\u00a0a landmark project, and his best late-career album, but\u00a0we\u00a0gotta\u00a0remember that he bared his soul more than a couple times during the first half of his career on songs like this one. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know\u00a0what the hell\u00a0I was doing as a\u00a0young teenager playing this joint as if I could relate to any of it.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0telling you,\u00a0though;\u00a0I felt this s\u2013t to my core.\u00a0He takes the\u00a0listener\u00a0into the underworld and\u00a0shows\u00a0us how high the stakes really are. This will always be a top 10 Jay-Z song for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cDead Presidents II\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Ski Beatz \n\tOne of the more important songs in Jay\u2019s catalog, it became a centerpiece in the Nas beef because the chorus samples his voice. There\u2019s also the fact that this is a sequel to the street single that uses the same beat and has arguably his best verse at the beginning, and its own music video<\/a>. And still, it\u2019s one his best records and one of the best beats he\u2019s ever rapped on. Lines like, \u201cWord life, I dabbled in crazy weight\/ Without rap, I was crazy straight\/ Partna, I\u2019m still spendin\u2019 money from \u201888,\u201d are still randomly said by real rap fans everywhere. We also gotta shout out Ski Beatz once again for the atmospheric production as he was able to capture an affluence most mafiaso rappers could only dream about.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\u201cCan I Live\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProducer(s):<\/strong> Irv Gotti \n\tThis is Reasonable Doubt\u2019s thesis. Jay spells it out for everyone in the intro about how rappers that came up like him put their trials and tribulations on display for our entertainment and asks what fans and executives bring to the table. He then catches flight and floats over Irv Gotti\u2019s sample of Isaac Hayes\u2019 \u201cThe Look of Love\u201d with that epic horn section. This is elevated street talk that only the initiated were able to understand when it first dropped. There\u2019s no wonder why it took everybody else a couple of albums to catch up to some of the shit he was kickin\u2019 on not only this song, but throughout this album. And \u201cCan I live?\u201d is still a question someone asks when being pestered or questioned with nonsense, effectively cementing itself within the urban pop culture lexicon after this record came out.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThe Daily\t\t<\/p>\n A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry<\/p>\n \t\tBy providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>. \t![\"Billboard](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-billboard-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cThe proper etiquette when I drop the subject, verb\/ Then the predicate with this rich n\u2014a rhetoric\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cAt your wake as I peek in, look in your casket\/\u00a0Feelin\u2019 sarcastic, \u2018Look at\u00a0him, still\u00a0sleepin\u2019.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cHahaha, I like your style (Nah, I like your style)\/ Let\u2019s drive around awhile (Cool, n\u2014a)\/ Here\u2019s a thou\u2019\/ (A G? I ride with you for free)\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cYou draw? Better be Picasso\u2014you know, the best\/\u00a0\u2018Cause\u00a0if this is not so? Ah, God bless\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cPromise to stay monogamous, I try\/ But, love, you know these hoes be makin\u2019 me weak\/ Y\u2019all know how it goes, B\u201d
Best Foxy line:<\/strong> \u201cI got you frontin\u2019 in Armani sweaters\/ Before this rap s\u2014t, when you was in leathers and bulls\u2014t Berettas\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cCan\u2019t do for dolo\/ Had to turn away when Tony killed Manolo\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> The price of leather\u2019s got me\/ Deeper than ever and just think, winter\u2019s here\/ I\u2019m tryin\u2019 to feel made, n\u2014a\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cAt my arraignment\/ Screaming\/ \u2018All us Blacks got is sports and entertainment\/ Until we even\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cIf every n\u2014a in your clique is rich, your clique is rugged\/ Nobody will fall \u2019cause everyone will be each other\u2019s crutches\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201d I never prayed to God, I prayed to Gotti\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cTime to separate the pros from the cons\/ The platinum from the bronze\/ That butter-soft s\u2014t from that leather on the Fonz\u201d
Best Biggie line:<\/strong> \u201cIf Faith have twins, she\u2019d probably have two Pacs\/ Get it? 2Pacs?<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cI know I push you to your limit\/ But it\u2019s this game, love, I\u2019m caught up all in it\/ They make it so you can\u2019t prevent it\/ Never give it, you gotta take it\/ Can\u2019t fake it, I keep it authentic\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cPartna, I\u2019m still\u00a0spendin\u2019 money from \u201888\u201d<\/p>\n
Best line:<\/strong> \u201cNo\u00a0more Big\u00a0Willie, my game has grown\/\u00a0Prefer you call me William\u201d<\/p>\n
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