14 Rappers Currently Living Out Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt
Today's rappers living out the Reasonable Doubt legacy.
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True Legacy - Twenty years since the release of Jay Z’s platinum-selling debut, Reasonable Doubt, the rapper has become an American music mainstay — creating a career that’s parallel to none. With the album’s theme revolving around the mafioso and hustling lifestyle, Jay was at the same time able to create a body of work that dug deeper than the outer workings of an OG. The legacy of Reasonable Doubt runs deep with many of the tracks being lived out by some of today’s burgeoning and most popular rappers. Which ones? Take a look. —Jon Reyes(Photo from top left corner: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly, Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella, Roc-A-Fella Records, Priority Records, Paras Griffin/Getty Images, Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Power 105.1)
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1. Can't Knock the Hustle - Rick Ross: The Teflon Don’s constant battle with hip-hop critics about his perceived gangster status is representative of the intro track where Jay raps about riding the hustler life and music life simultaneously.(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Photo By Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation
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2. Politics as Usual - Jay Z: Hov himself has been living out the life he laid out 20 years ago. Even though he’s out of the drug game, he’s still daring. The latest news that he co-signed the content of Bey’s Lemonade is demonstrative of his calculative business acumen.(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation)
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3. Brooklyn's Finest - Joey Bada$: The battle for the Brooklyn title, playfully depicted by Jay and Biggie on this track, can be seen between Joey Bada$ and Troy Ave today. Hopefully the present two can hash it all out exclusively on the mic.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
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4. Dead Presidents II - Lin Manuel Miranda: Lin’s skills as a rapper became more apparent when he freestyled with Black Thought on The Tonight Show. Oh, yeah, and his Broadway show, Hamilton, is slated to gross one billion dollars in ticket sales this year. C’mon, that’s poetically living out this Jay Z track.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
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5. Feelin' It - Kendrick Lamar: This soulful track feels like Kendrick — the play on phrasing and intricate wordplay. Since his Section.80 debut, Kendrick has shown us that he’s about feeling as much as he is about in-your-face politics.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
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6. D'Evils - DJ Khaled: All in all, Khaled has become a positive ambassador for hip-hop. Just check out all his Snapchat updates where he imparts wisdom. It’s his way of protecting us from THEY, similar to Jay trying to protect listeners from the “devils.”(Photo: John Parra/Getty Images for Pepsi)
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7. 22 Two's - Bobby Shmurda: As Bobby awaits his much-delayed and postponed trial, it’s obvious that the “bad behavior gets in the way of making money” parable on “22 Two’s” has been lived out by the soon to be 22 rapper.(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Power 105.1)
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8. Can I Live - Kanye West: Like Jay back in the day, Kanye is constantly taking stock of the odds against him and how money can essentially be a deterrent to his art. Between his incredible talent and the fact that he’s Mr. Kardashian, Ye will be just fine.(Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
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9. Ain't No N***a - Meek Mill: Meek’s relationship with Nicki has been steady since they were linked towards the tail end of 2014. Nicki even stood by him while he took the biggest L in the Drake vs. Meek mic battle. The world has been constantly asking Nicki why she’s messing with someone like him. This Jay classic definitely comes to mind.(Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015)
Photo By Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015
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