Entertainment Weekly (8/2/96, p.58) - "...It's not what he says, but how he says it--with an irresistible confidence, a voice that exudes tough-guy authenticity, and unadorned but suitably militant beats..." - Rating: B+ Vibe (6/02, p.109) - Ranked #7 in Vibe's "Top 10 rap albums" - "...Cinematic yet introspective...capturing the zeitgeist of the post-Native Tongue, pre-bling-bling era..." The Source (8/96, p.95) - 4 Mics - Slammin' - "...[Jay-Z] moves from hip-hop sidekick to Mafia-style front man, blowing up the spot with vivid tales about the economic reality fueling what's left of contemporary ghetto politics....His lyrics create cuttingly clever rhymes that ride bomb tracks..." Rap Pages (9/96, p.32) - "...Jay-Z has definitely come with something dope in his debut album....[His] hypnotic flow becomes the focal point of the album....REASONABLE DOUBT represents a culmination of style and innovation..." Pitchfork (Website) - "There is nothing like the debut of Jay Z, a stroke of genius chronicling the life of a 26-year-old drug kingpin from the Marcy Houses with a love for craft unrivaled elsewhere in his work."

Rovi