Jay Z Reasonable Doubt Review
Jun 25, 2016 - Jay-Z dropped his Roc-A-Fella debut album, Reasonable Doubt, 20 years ago today, June 25. In 1996, The Source had been around for nearly.
Jay-Z is being sued over royalties for his 1996 album Reasonable Doubt, the debut record that put the now 48-year-old rapper on the map.
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The complaint, filed by Raynard Herbert (“Ray Rae”) in the southern district of New York, claims that Herbert was responsible for arranging the music for Roc-A-Fella records and entered into a distribution agreement with Priority Records in exchange for 1% of the profits. Herbert received royalty checks beginning in December 1998 but alleges he was never paid after November 2008. Additionally, he claims to have made numerous inquiries after 2008 about the status of alleged outstanding payments.
Among the defendants in the suit are Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, both executive producers on Reasonable Doubt, as well as Roc-A-Fella, Jay-Z’s record label, and Roc Nation. In the court filing, obtained by Pitchfork, Herbert’s attorney Kevon Glickman claims the plaintiff “is not presently aware of the exact amounts of damages resulting from defendants’ breach” but adds that “the sum of money is substantial”.
The filing also alleges Jay-Z’s failure to pay Herbert constitutes an “oppressive, fraudulent” act of conversion “committed with malice and in conscious disregard of plaintiff’s rights”. Last month it was also revealed that the rapper and father of three would have to testify in court as part of an ongoing investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into his clothing brand Rocawear, which he co-founded in 1999. The brand is under scrutiny for financial reporting after the company Iconix paid Jay-Z $200m in 2007 for it.
He is also seeking $480,000 from the Weinstein Company, which filed for bankruptcy in March, over two projects he executive-produced including Time: The Kalief Browder Story and the forthcoming Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story. In a separate filing, the rapper Eminem alleges he is owed $352,000 by the Weinstein Company, founded by the disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, for three songs he wrote for the film Southpaw.
Reasonable Doubt, released in the summer of 1996, has sold well over 2m copies and is widely regarded as a landmark achievement despite being the lowest-selling album of Jay-Z’s career. The rapper is currently on a 39-city stadium tour, On The Run II, with his wife, Beyoncé.
Jay-Z’s representation has been contacted for comment.
A new pop-up shop and exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of Jay Z’s debut Reasonable Doubt will open in New York City October 20th through the 23rd, Pitchfork reports.
The Roc96 exhibition will be held at 347 West Broadway in Manhattan and explore Jay Z‘s early sessions with DJ Premier at D&D Studios, where Reasonable Doubt was recorded (Premo ultimately produced three album tracks “D’Evils,” “Ain’t No Nigga” and “Bring It On”). D&D owner Douglas Grama will create a replica of the Studio B Control Room, complete with original equipment.
Tickets for the new pop-up shop, with either $50 or $100 store credit, are available on the Roc96 website. Through a collaboration with Fancy, new Reasonable Doubt merchandise is also available including t-shirts, turntables, a “Can’t Knock the Hustle” duffle bag and wooden headphones emblazoned with the LP’s 20th anniversary logo.
The new pop-up is being helmed by Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Kareem “Biggs” Burke, who hosted a similar event in Los Angeles this June, building a replica of Jay Z’s Brooklyn apartment at the time he recorded Reasonable Doubt.