Back in 2011, eLZhi and producer Will Sessions re-envisioned Nas’ classic debut Illmatic on their critically-acclaimed ELmatic project. Inspired by their effort, and the countless fans asking him to do so, Skyzoo has teamed up with Antman Wonder — who is behind some of my favorite Add-2 tracks — for a fitting tribute to JAY Z’s classic debut, simply titled An Ode to Reasonable Doubt (or AOTRD for short).
When asked about Reasonable Doubt and what it means to them as an emcee and producer, Sky and Ant had the following to say.
For me, Reasonable Doubt was and is one of the most cohesive bodies of work in hip hop, period. The way Hov painted exactly what that side of the fence was, from the highs and celebrations, to the lows and worried phone calls, to the emotions of someone truly with the weight of the world on their shoulders. It was as honest and clear cut as you can get. As a fan it made me wanna learn every word, and as an artist it further shaped my storytelling and approach to writing. – Skyzoo
Reasonable Doubt further defined Hip-Hop for me. It came out at a time where street rap was grimy and visceral; and then came RD, which was cinematic and ironically eloquent in its own way. The production staff on it was legendary and it helped shape the way I approach music. – AW
The nine-track tribute project is set to release at noon on Hov’s birthday (December 4th) via Loyalty Digital Corp.
