Reasonable Doubt
by Jay-Z

Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z
Year: 1996
Release date: 1996-06-25
Overall rank: 784th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 528 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1996 (12th)
Award Top albums of the 1990s (137th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (784th)

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Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt, Official Hhv 2LP Vinyl Import LiMITED Re-Issue, Sealed!
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Jay-Z 1996 Reasonable Doubt CD (OG First Press, Freeze Records)
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Jay-Z "Reasonable Doubt" Cassette Tape (Italy "Fan Club" Reissue) SEALED MINT
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Jay-Z bestography

Reasonable Doubt is ranked 2nd best out of 16 albums by Jay-Z on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Jay-Z is The Blueprint which is ranked number 527 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 3,305.

Jay-Z album bestography « Higher ranked (527th)
The Blueprint
This album (784th)
Reasonable Doubt
Lower ranked (945th) »
The Black Album

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Reasonable Doubt track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Reasonable Doubt rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 784th | 1990s rank: 137th | 1996 rank: 12th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026fabm0Platinum year 199664/100 -
2026jonny5244Upcoming Album Club Picks 210/100 -
2026 SomethingSpecialTop 12 Music Albums of 19969/122
2026stangetzawayTop 100 Music Albums of the 1990s16/10017
2026saltysurpriseTop 59 Music Albums of 199611/594
2026 LebowskiRamsTop 100 Music Albums of the 1990s77/1005
2026juanr1096Top 65 Music Albums of 199612/654
2026 LebowskiRamsTop 15 Music Albums of 19969/152
2026jonny5244Top 47 Music Albums of 19969/474
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of 19966/1005
2026 SomethingSpecialTop 100 Music Albums of the 1990s53/10010
2026Rm12398Top 30 Music Albums of 199622/302
2026LittleM1971Top 90 Music Albums of 199684/900
2026 C_Krug2009Top 100 Greatest Music Albums35/10064
2026adbrack1988Top 16 Music Albums of 199613/161
2026 covecoveTop 100 Music Albums of 199616/1004
2026lanadeleswiftTop 45 Music Albums of 199617/453
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s63/1008
2026 imacgillTop 100 Music Albums of 199631/1004
2026 paladisiac1990s 65rating (65), #001-100*46/62 -
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 361
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 2,194
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Reasonable Doubt collection

Reasonable Doubt ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 528 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 528 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 
03/12/2026 08:10 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  9,29070/100
 
85/100
 
03/02/2026 14:07 Perring  Ratings distribution  33479/100
 
50/100
 
01/17/2026 11:00 Milhaud  Ratings distribution  1,90570/100
 
60/100
 
01/15/2026 00:19 This_is_handsome  Ratings distribution  76979/100
 
85/100
 
01/14/2026 13:24 eclab  Ratings distribution  1,55784/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 5% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.1/100, a mean average of 74.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 22.1.

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Reasonable Doubt comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 28 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
75/100
From 01/02/2025 12:39 | #306767
Album Rating: 76.50
(1,071/14)

Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Reasonable Doubt

25.06.1996

1.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Can't Knock The Hustle (Feat. Mary J.Blige) 84
2.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Politics As Usual 80
3.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Brooklyn's Finest (Feat. The Notorious B.I.G.) 79
4.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Dead Presidents II 84
5.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Feelin' It 86
6.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - D'evils 78
7.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - 22 Two's 71
8.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Can I Live 84
9.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Ain't No Nigga (Feat. Foxy Brown) 64
10.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Friend Or Foe 68
11.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Coming Of Age (Feat. Memphis Bleek) 70
12.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Cashmere Thoughts 70
13.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Bring It On (Feat. Big Jaz, Sauce Money) 73
14.Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Regrets 80

Ranked in order:

* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Feelin' It 86
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Can I Live 84
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Can't Knock The Hustle (Feat. Mary J.Blige) 84
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Dead Presidents II 84
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Politics As Usual 80
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Regrets 80
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Brooklyn's Finest (Feat. The Notorious B.I.G.) 79
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - D'evils 78
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Bring It On (Feat. Big Jaz, Sauce Money) 73
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - 22 Two's 71
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Cashmere Thoughts 70
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Coming Of Age (Feat. Memphis Bleek) 70
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Friend Or Foe 68
* Jay-Z (RD - US - Jun 96) - Ain't No Nigga (Feat. Foxy Brown) 64
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/07/2024 20:44 | #303899
Smooth production and a good flow from Jay-Z. He clearly is not yet at his peak, although it is still a strong debut. The first half is much stronger than the second half. 9.5/10!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/11/2022 19:15 | #279163
Hov's best album and a magnificent lyrical display. Incredible production!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 12/12/2020 14:33 | #262595
Production, lyrics, delivery, everything works. A classic for a reason.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 11/08/2020 15:01 | #260370
A few memorable moments, but not much that sticks with me.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 07/15/2020 19:16 | #255634
Good rap album a little bit over average but jay-z is smooth on this record. Favorite song: Dead Presidents II
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 06/27/2020 02:53 | #254589
Nearly the entire first half of Reasonable Doubt is stellar. Effortlessly engaged from the beginning with a particularly good opening track. There's a bit to sift through as the album enters its 3rd quarter, but overall so much incredible word play and tremendous drum sound. A great record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 12/27/2019 09:58 | #245969
Jay-Z just really seems to be more in his element in the '90s. "Jay-Z, Big Smalls nigga, shit ya draws" is the type of hip hop obnoxiousness I can stomach because of the perfect amount of humor. The flow really is off the charts on this one. Where had it gone after the turn of the milennium? Maybe still there though, the beats just don't fit anymore, he need that boom bap.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 11/09/2019 02:49 | #244572
This really sounds more pure... if you will. It's Jay-Z without the artificial colour or flavour.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 05/13/2018 22:31 | #214770
Pretty cool, on first listen. I think its score will rise.

75/100 (Above Average)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1996
1. If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle And Sebastian
2. Pinkerton by Weezer
3. Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow
4. Ænima by Tool
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6. Long Season by フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]
7. Soundtracks For The Blind by Swans
8. ATLiens by OutKast
9. Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers
10. Tigermilk by Belle And Sebastian
11. The Score by Fugees
12. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z
13. Murder Ballads by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
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