Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt turns 30 years old this year, and during the first show of his three-day Yankee Stadium residency Friday night (July 10), he wrote a love letter to the debut album that foreshadowed the Brooklyn rapper’s rise to power.
Originally made to impress his hustler friends, the project laid the foundation for a label that would eventually become the blueprint as far as rapper-owned record companies go. It was a slow burn, though. Although it sold only 43,000 copies in its first week, Reasonable Doubt was an instant underground classic for some. When he rapped “I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and ya all lamed out/ Didn’t really appreciate it ’til the second one came out” on “Hard Knock Life” a couple albums later, he made sure to remind the people that slept how they were late to the party.
That’s what’s so special about Jay-Z’s project at Yankee Stadium. It’s for the day ones. It’s for the people that immediately understood what he was trying to do and were savvy enough to pick up the jewels he was dropping. Tracks like “Dead Presidents II,” “D’Evils,” “Can I Live” and “Regrets” are some of the best records in his catalog, not only because they display lyrical wizardry and are just great sounding in general, but because they were able to capture the essence of what it was like to really be living the life of a drug dealer who was knee-deep in the game. That’s why Reasonable Doubt remains at the top of Jay’s catalog.
At his Friday’s Yankee Stadium concert, fans were treated to an incredible night filled with surprise guests (including Beyoncé and Blue Ivy) and the special privilege to see a true master of ceremonies at work.
Check out the best moments from night one of Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium residency below.
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