Classic Albums

Brooklyn-born Jay-Z is one of the most successful and creative hip-hop artists of all time. His remarkable rise to fame was heralded by his first album Reasonable Doubt, released in 1996, which broke new ground for rap, telling the bittersweet story of a street hustler from Brooklyn with striking, coded lyrics supported by rich soul samples. The programme uncovers the unusual story of how and why Reasonable Doubt was made, and the moral maze its story presents. Jay-Z collaborated with many major producers, like DJ Premier, Irv Gotti, Clark Kent, Knobody Sean Cane and Ski who show how they created their soulful samples.

Other contributors include Mary J Blige, Foxy Brown, Sauce Money and Memphis Bleek, Kanye West and Barry Michael Cooper, who analyse the inner core of the album - the voices, rhythms, lyrics and conflicting emotions that make this album a classic. The programme uses new interviews, rare performance footage and home movies and featured songs include Can't Knock the Hustle, 'Ain't No N..., Brooklyn's Finest, Dead Presidents II, D'Evils, Can I Live, Regrets and others. Reasonable Doubt is the one Jay-Z chose to be his Classic Album because of the power of its music and poetry and because of the disturbing and precautionary story it tells.