Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25,1996,by his own record label Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Priority Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier,Ski,Knobody and Clark Kent,and also includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek,Mary J. Blige,Jaz-O,and the Notorious B.I.G.,among others. The album features mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.
Jason Terrance Phillips,known professionally as Jadakiss,is an American rapper from Yonkers,New York. He began his career in the 1990s as one third of the rap trio The Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch. The group released their debut album,Money,Power &Respect (1998) for Bad Boy Records,while its follow up,We Are the Streets (2000) was released for Ruff Ryders Entertainment,an imprint of Interscope Records. Both albums peaked within the top five of the Billboard 200 and received critical praise;their two subsequent albums,Filthy America... It's Beautiful (2013) and Living Off Xperience (2020) were released through Jay-Z's Roc Nation saw continued positive reception.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter,Damon Dash,and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album,Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release,in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West,Cam'ron,Beanie Sigel,Memphis Bleek,Juelz Santana,Freeway,Jadakiss,Teairra Marí,State Property,and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
American rapper Jay-Z has released thirteen solo studio albums,four collaboration albums,one live album,one compilation album,one soundtrack album,two extended plays,one hundred and fifteen singles,nine promotional singles and eighty-two music videos. As of December 2014,Jay-Z has sold 29,179,000 studio albums in United States.
Malik Deshawn Cox,known by his stage name Memphis Bleek,is an American rapper. He first became known for his affiliation with fellow New York City-based rapper Jay-Z,with Cox often described as his hype man and protégé. Cox signed with his Roc-A-Fella Records label imprint in the late 1990s,through which he has released four major label studio albums:Coming of Age (1999),The Understanding (2000),M.A.D.E. (2003),and 534 (2005). He has since founded his own labels:Get Low Records in 1998,and Warehouse Music Group in 2016—through which he signed rapper Casanova.
Jay-Z:Unplugged is rapper Jay-Z's 2001 live album that contains some of his past songs with live instruments performed by the hip-hop band the Roots. The album,which sold more than 600,000 copies,was recorded during the taping of an MTV Unplugged 2.0 episode on November 18,2001.
Pedro Louis Zayas,better known by his stage names Peedi Crakk or Peedi Peedi,is an American rapper from Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. He is best known for his guest appearances on Freeway's 2003 single "Flipside" and Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 2:The Gift &The Curse (2002). He was a member of the Roc-A-Fella Records group State Property,and was signed to G-Unit Philly. He is of Puerto Rican descent.
Free at Last is the second studio album by rapper Freeway. It was released on November 20,2007 by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings in the United States. The album enlists guest performances from Jay-Z,50 Cent,Marsha Ambrosious,Rick Ross,Busta Rhymes,and Jadakiss.
"Money,Cash,Hoes" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z as the third single from his third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998). It was released on December 18,1998. While the album version features a guest verse from rapper DMX,the remix features fellow rappers and Roc-A-Fella Records artists Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel with production by Swizz Beatz. Its beat features a sample of "Theme of Thief" from the 1989 Sega game Golden Axe. Producer Swizz Beatz stated that the glissando sounds were made by him sliding his hand across a keyboard,originally as a joke. The remix version is featured on the soundtrack to the movie The Corruptor. The music video for the remix version of the track is intertwined with clips from The Corruptor as well. In the end of the track,Pain in Da Ass talks,recreating dialogue from the film Goodfellas.
"Dead Presidents" is a 1996 song by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the first promotional single for Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt,though it did not directly appear on the album:a different version of the song with the same backing track and chorus but with different lyrics called "Dead Presidents II" appeared on Reasonable Doubt. "Dead Presidents II" was voted number 16 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs and number 42 in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Jay-Z Songs.
"I Just Wanna Love U" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z,released as the first single from his 2000 album The Dynasty:Roc La Familia. It was produced by the Neptunes and features a chorus performed by Neptunes member Pharrell and Pennsylvania rapper Omillio Sparks,both of whom remain uncredited. The video for the song,directed by David Meyers,features cameos from rappers Lil' Kim,Lil' Cease,Damon Dash,Beanie Sigel,Memphis Bleek,Jermaine Dupri and actor John Witherspoon.
"Show Me What You Got" is the lead single by rap artist Jay-Z from his album Kingdom Come.
All Money Is Legal,also known as A.M.I.L.:,is the only studio album by American rapper Amil. It was released on August 29,2000,through Roc-A-Fella,Columbia,and Sony Music. Jay-Z,Damon Dash,and Amil served as executive producer with a team of producers that included Just Blaze. Before the album's release,Amil was best known for her feature on Jay-Z's 1998 single "Can I Get A...". She was one of several up-and-coming artists signed to Roc-A-Fella,alongside Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel,who released an album in 2000. Although it was her only album on Roc-A-Fella,Amil had been closely associated with the label and its co-founder Jay-Z,earning the moniker "First Lady of Roc-A-Fella".
"4 da Fam" is a song by American rapper Amil,featuring verses from American rappers Jay-Z,Memphis Bleek,and Beanie Sigel. Ty Fyffe produced the song. It was released on Roc-A-Fella as the second single from her debut album All Money Is Legal. In the song's lyrics,Amil boasts about being the best female rapper,and Jay-Z discusses his fears of becoming a father,which his verse suggests he believed was about to occur at the time.
"Ain't No Nigga" is the second single from the American rapper Jay-Z's first album,Reasonable Doubt,and is featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film The Nutty Professor. It was released on March 19,1996. The track features Foxy Brown,and uncredited vocals by Jaz-O.
"(Always Be My) Sunshine" is a hip hop song by American rapper Jay-Z with guest vocals from fellow femcee Foxy Brown and R&B singer-songwriter Babyface who performs the song's chorus. It serves as the first single from his second album In My Lifetime,Vol. 1 (1997). The track features production by Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool. Vanderpool samples MC Lyte's "Cha Cha Cha",Alexander O'Neal's "Sunshine",Kraftwerk's "The Man-Machine" and The Fearless Four's "Rockin' It" for the track's beat. In addition,George Fonenette plays keyboards on this song. The song's lyrics helped indicate Jay-Z's change from his Mafioso rap style to a more commercial "shiny suit" style. Steve Juon of RapReviews.com supports the song claiming that it is a less gangsta version of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Me &My Bitch",a well-received track. Jay-Z cites this song as "what killed the album."
The Heart of the City Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American singer Mary J. Blige and American rapper Jay-Z. The North America tour supports Blige's eighth studio album,Growing Pains (2007) and Jay-Z's tenth studio album American Gangster (2007). According to Pollstar.com the Heart of the City Tour grossed over $34.2 million,making it the most successful male-female hip-hop/R&B tour in history. The-Dream was the opening act for the tour,supporting his 2007 debut album Love/Hate.
Jerome Foster,better known as Knobody,is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul,R&B,hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z,Ne-Yo,Akon,The Game,Big Pun,Mýa and R.E.M. Knobody worked as an A&R at SRC Records/Universal. Due to the enormous success Akon experienced following the release of his debut album,Knobody was recognized as a World Top 10 A&R. He is not to be confused with Bay Area rapper/producer and Hieroglyphics crew affiliate who also goes by the name Knobody.
Jonathan Allen Burks Sr.,better known by his stage name Jaz-O,is an American rapper and record producer. Active in the late 1980s through the 1990s,he became known in retrospect as the mentor of fellow Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z. Burks,nicknamed "the Originator",debuted the artist on his 1986 single "H. P. Gets Busy". Burks signed with EMI to release three studio albums:Word to the Jaz (1989),To Your Soul (1990) and Kingz Kounty (2002). His debut extended play (EP),The Warmup (2021) was the first release from the Roc Nation subsidiary,Equity Distribution. He has also been credited with production work for other artists including Puff Daddy,Rakim,Usual Suspects,GZA,Kool G Rap,Queen Latifah,M.O.P.,and Group Home,among others.
