25 Jun Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt LP 15th Anniversary, explored with Ski Beatz

It was 15 years ago that Shawn Corey Carter first publicly introduced the world to his alter-ego whose name would forever shake and inspire the genre of Hip Hop. Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt was the debut album from the enigmatic Brooklyn emcee, released on June 25 in 1996 on Roc-A-Fella records. For a first outing, Reasonable Doubt garnered much anticipation from fans and musicians alike, notably down to the ascension of Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella entourage from small time recording outlet to a potential powerhouse within the culture, a story which continues to be documented at every given moment. Jay-Z’s story begins in Brooklyn’s Marcy projects where, as an 11 year old boy growing up without a father, rapping would not only provide an adequate hobby but also the way of life for the future legend. Shawn was christened ‘Jay-Z’ due in part to his fast, jazzy way of rhyming as well as paying homage to his mentor, friend and rapper Jaz-O. The elder emcee’s1989 song ‘Hawaiian Sophie’ would provide Jay-Z with his first break within rap and further features on his mentor’s records would later follow. It was at this time however, that Jay-Z would begin in the selling of narcotics, even whilst pursuing a career within Hip Hop. After making appearances on fellow Brooklyn act Original Flavor on their 1994 album Beyond, (most notably ‘Can I Get Open’), Carter would grab the attention of the legendary Big Daddy Kane, with whom he toured with throughout the early '90s. Even after touring with Kane, featuring on Jaz-O and Original Flavor’s records, it was his guerrilla-like hustle alongside his long term friend and eventual business partner, Damon Dash that would really see Jay-Z’s career begin to take shape. Selling tapes from his car, performing at numerous hot spots in New York and battling well known rappers across the country, the height of the rapper’s hustle would come when he formed his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke. Reasonable Doubt was comprised of an all star cast of rappers, singers and producers. DJ Premier, Mary J Blige, the Notorious B.I.G and more all were on hand to help in telling the enigmatic story of arguably the greatest rapper to ever pick up a microphone. SoulCulture recently sat down with Ski Beatz, one of the influential producers on Reasonable Doubt and former member of Original Flavor, to discuss the creation of the album, the deeper meaning behind tracks as well as some of the key moments during that historic period.