Better Debut Album: It’s Dark and Hell is Hot or Reasonable Doubt?

[Mike Wins]

RIAA's not handing out fake certifications dude

In that era it was based on shipped to stores though, not sold to customers. So you could ship out 500,000 but only sell 250,000 copies to the public and you were still gonna get the gold certification if you gave the documentation to RIAA. Certification system always been a marketing tool for labels and to validate the artists and their fans

 

[RennisDeynolds]

DMX caught the worlds attention and had them going crazy. Jay released to mediocre fanfare in a crowded space. so in terms of success clearly DMX

I like Jay more and Reasonable is one of my favorite albums, he was talking that shyt effortlessly on there. But X takes you to a Dark place and captivates you on that album.

I'll give it to DMX

 

[spliz]

My panties are fine lol

And I can concede that IDAHIH is a more impactful album. But the question I was responding to was...how did Jay-Z end up ahead of his contemporaries, there's no one answer but I gave what I thought was key, RD being a big part of it.

A lot of people have made the argument that Jay never was THE TOP RAPPER in any era and people use DMX as an eample because even at his height, you had DMX garnering a lot of attention. I'm saying as someone who experienced it real time, someone being more 'hot' than Jay any given year can never erase the good will and consistentcy Jay built on top of RD.

If Jay's first album was Vol. 2, arguably his most "impactful" album...he might have flamed out. To me, it's a much better album in a vaccum and in context. But I'm just a nikka that love tiddies.

Bruh. My point is. The whole question was a damn distraction. Just like what the thread is turning into. No one gives a fukk or even asked homie about how Jay is so popular now. This was simply an album comparison thread that certain people got butthurt about and u ended up getting sucked into their bullshyt cause they started creating arguments noone was having to ask questions no one asked. Lol.

 

[$cam-U-Well_Jack$on]

The coli

‘Don’t call an album a classic the day it just dropped’

also the coli

‘Reasonable doubt wasn’t considered a classic in 1996 so that means it can never be a classic’

is it oochi… you know what, never mind

Y'all mad.

 

[spliz]

A little off topic, I actually bought DMX album twice that summer. If you were lucky to get them, Def Jam was including a few cd sampler in each of their releases that summer. The first DMX I bought didn't have the double disc so I had to buy it again to get that version. I think 4 or 5 cds that summer had double disks. I have them all. One of them had LL's diss for Canibus on it and others would preview up and coming songs from albums like Meth's upcoming album and Cormega's The Testament(that never dropped)

I remember this. Survival of the illest. Green CD. Lol

 

[UpAndComing]

This is the coli


Bow wow first album is better than any Jay album on here

Bow Wow was number #1 on 106 & Park though

 

[UpAndComing]

I'm surprised by the poll. It's Reasonable Doubt easily

Top 10 Hip Hop album of all time

 

[-Quikness-]

DMX for me .. shyt .. best east coast debut ever besides Ready To Die imo

 

[Mastamimd]

I'm surprised by the poll. It's Reasonable Doubt easily

Top 10 Hip Hop album of all time

How is this easy both albums are classics and amongst the best albums of their respective years...I even chose RD because that's how I'm feeling right now, but it could go either way

Edit: I'll agree on one thing: it should be a lot closer

 

[ajnapoleon]

Bow Wow was number #1 on 106 & Park though

Thank you


I knew it was coming

 

[UpAndComing]

How is this easy both albums are classics and amongst the best albums of their respective years...I even chose RD because that's how I'm feeling right now, but it could go either way

Edit: I'll agree on one thing: it should be a lot closer

Nah, I value lyricism heavily. DHH isn't even on that level when it comes to that

Not saying DHH isn't a classic album though

 

[Mastamimd]

Nah, I value lyricism heavily. DHH isn't even on that level when it comes to that

Not saying DHH isn't a classic album though

Ok then lol

 

[vdfebduderocks]

Both are timeless albums.

I like RD more, but I really know why DHH is ranked higher. It's more gritty and it just resonates to a lot more people than RD ever would. Like you felt the album as you listened to it. I think that really matters a lot.

RD's timeless, but it arrived when mafioso rap was king. Mafioso rap doesn't resonate the same way. Plus you have to pit other classics against it like Cuban Linx & Life After Death. It personified the hustler spirit - no lie. Still remains iconic. But it hits different compared to X.

 

[Big Boss]

Its Dark

 

[bigde09]

I listen to its Dark more.