Music

Jay-Z Considers 'Reasonable Doubt' His 'Most Important' Album: 'The One That Set It All Off'

Free to the public, interactive activations have been launched to honor the 30th anniversary of the classic album.

Jay-Z with long dreadlocks in a formal suit with a white flower pin, standing in a crowded event setting.
Image via Getty/TheStewartofNY

Roc Nation is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Jay-Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt, with a pair of immersive pop-experiences, and HOV himself is remembering the widely acclaimed project as the most important entry in his catalog.

Taking place in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the dual-location JAŸ-Z 30 experience opens on Thursday (June 25) and is free to the public. To sign-up for event details, please visit: JAYZ30.com.

Per a press release, the pop-ups offer "a wide array of visitors a chance to revisit the music, memories and influence of a classic that continues to resonate three decades later."

Complex stopped by the exclusive Apple Music-sponsored launch event on Wednesday night (June 24), which you can see clips from in the video above. Meanwhile, Complex’s own Jordan Rose had a brief chat with HOV in Brooklyn, using the opportunity to ask him which album he considers the “most important” in his life.

“Yeah, of course it’s the first one,” Jay told Complex. “It’s the one that set it all off.”

HOV is in a legacy-focused state of mind this year, having announced several in-high-demand shows in the States and elsewhere. Still, he’s also looking ahead, as evidenced by his much-discussed Roots Picnic freestyle.

See here for a roundup of highlights from the performance, which marked HOV’s first U.S. solo headlining show in more than seven years. The 25-time Grammy winner will soon take the stage for fans in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. Reasonable Doubt, notably, isn’t the only HOV classic celebrating an anniversary this year.

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