The Reason (Beanie Sigel album)
| The Reason | ||||
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| Studio album by Beanie Sigel | ||||
| Released | June 26, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000 - 2001 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 60:52 | |||
| Label | Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam | |||
| Producer | Just Blaze Kanye West Rick Rock 88-Keys No I.D. Sha-Self Bernard "Big Demi" Parker Damon Dash (Executive Producer) Shawn Corey Carter (Executive Producer) Kareem "Biggs" Burke (Executive Producer) |
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| Beanie Sigel chronology | ||||
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The Reason is the second studio album by rapper Beanie Sigel. It was released on Roc-A-Fella Records on June 26, 2001. The album contains 14 tracks, and special guests include Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z, Freeway, Omillio Sparks, Scarface, Daz, Kurupt, and Rell. It received mixed reviews from critics divided by Sigel's lyrical abilities as a rapper. The Reason debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and spawned two singles: "Beanie (Mack Bitch)" and "Think It's a Game".
Contents
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
| HipHopDX | [3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| NME | [5] |
| Q Magazine | [6] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[7] |
| Robert Christgau |  [8] |
The Reason garnered mixed reviews from music critics who commended the record's East Coast production but questioned Sigel's abilities as a credible rapper. Andy Capper of NME found some familiarity in the album's beats but praised Sigel's dark-yet-intriguing delivery along with a talented list of guest artists, calling it "one of the best hardcore rap records of the year 2001."[5] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews praised the lyrical delivery and production for being an upgrade from Sigel's debut effort The Truth, saying that, "[I]n the pantheon of Philadelphia rap from The Roots to Will Smith, make room for a mack (bitch) - he's definitely earned his right to shine."[7] Entertainment Weekly's Evan Serpick said that, "Sigel will never sound as urgent as Chuck D or as smooth as Method Man, but the Jay-Z protégé makes up for it with smarter-than-average gangsta lyrics and eclectic hip-hop beats."[2]
AllMusic writer Bret Love commended the production for remaining consistent and Sigel's persona of a street smart hustler but found it running its course as the album continued, concluding that "Sigel's sophomore effort isn't so much an artistic step forward as it is a step sideways."[1] HipHopDX writer Affrikka said that despite the first two tracks, the record starts to fall off into mediocre un-originality, saying that "Overall, the experience leaves you wanting more from the executive producing credit that Jay-Z takes. It’s almost as if anyone involved in this project expected listeners to not get past the first couple songs."[3] Soren Baker, writing for the Los Angeles Times, commented that "[T]he normally assertive and interesting Philadelphia rapper flows like a sloth on nearly every cut of his second album, failing to elicit much excitement despite the solid, hard-core production."[4] Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud",[8] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[9]
Commercial performance[edit]
The Reason debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 selling 151,000 copies in its first week.[10] On its second week, it dropped to number 11 with sales dropping 50% to 50,000 copies.[11]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nothing Like It" | Kanye West | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Beanie (Mack Bitch)" | Just Blaze | 4:13 |
| 3. | "So What You Saying" (featuring Memphis Bleek) | Just Blaze | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Get Down" | Just Blaze | 4:58 |
| 5. | "I Don't Do Much" | Rick Rock | 4:40 |
| 6. | "For My Niggas" (featuring Daz Dillinger) | Rick Rock | 4:13 |
| 7. | "Watch Your Bitches" | 88-Keys | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Think It's a Game" (featuring Freeway, Jay-Z and Young Chris) | Bernard "Big Demi" Parker | 5:33 |
| 9. | "Man's World" | No I.D. | 3:50 |
| 10. | "Gangsta, Gangsta" (featuring Kurupt) | Kanye West | 3:41 |
| 11. | "Tales of a Hustler" (featuring Omillio Sparks) | Sha-Self | 3:55 |
| 12. | "Mom Praying" (featuring Scarface) | Just Blaze | 4:40 |
| 13. | "Still Got Love for You" (featuring Jay-Z and Rell) | Just Blaze | 4:21 |
| 14. | "What Your Life Like 2" | Just Blaze | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 60:52 | ||
Samples[edit]
Nothing Like It
- "Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing" by The Dynamic Superiors
So What You Saying
- "If It Don’t Turn You One" by B.T. Express
- ”One Nation Under a Groove” by George Clinton
- "Fairplay" by Soul II Soul
Get Down
- "Lost Man” by Quincy Jones
- "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder & Lightning
Man’s World
- "It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World" by James Brown
Mom Praying
- "It Ain’t Gonna Rain On Nobody’s Parade But Mine" by The Dramatics
Still Got Love For You
- "Ike’s Mood 1" by Isaac Hayes
What Your Life Like 2
- "Quasimodo’s Marriage" by Alec R. Costandinos and The Syncophonic Orchestra
Think It's A Game
- "Beth & Me" by Betty Wright
Personnel[edit]
Credits for The Reason adapted from AllMusic.[12]
- Kamel Abdo – engineer
- Tony Dawsey – mastering
- DJ Scratch – scratching
- Just Blaze – mixing
- Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton – engineer, mixing
- Jonathan Mannion – photography
- Midnite – assistant
- Joe Quinde – mixing
- Tony Vanias – recording coordinator
- Doug Wilson – mixing
Album chart positions[edit]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2001 | The Reason | #5 | #1 |
Singles chart positions[edit]
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | |||
| 2001 | "Beanie (Mack Bitch)" | - | #52 | #11 | |
| 2001 | "Think It's a Game" | - | #99 | - | |
Album/Singles Awards[edit]
- BET Awards 2001
Album of the Year: Beanie Sigel, "The Reason"
References[edit]
- ^ a b Love, Bret. "The Reason - Beanie Sigel". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Serpick, Evan (July 13, 2001). "The Reason". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Affrikka (July 12, 2001). "Beanie Sigel - The Reason". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Baker, Soren (July 8, 2001). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Capper, Andy (September 12, 2005). "Beanie Sigel : The Reason". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ "Music: The Reason [Enhanced CD] by Beanie Sigel". Tower Records. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (June 28, 2001). "Beanie Sigel :: The Reason :: Roc-A-Fella Records". RapReviews. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: Beanie Sigel". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ Martens, Todd (July 5, 2001). "Keys' Debut Tops The Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ Martens, Todd (July 12, 2001). "D12 Leapfrogs Keys, Returns To No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "The Reason - Beanie Sigel | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
