Kyambo Joshua: Jay-Z Wanted "Reasonable Doubt" to be His Only Album, He didn't Want to Rap (Part 3)

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In this VladTV interview, Kyambo Joshua reflects on the early days of Jay-Z’s *Reasonable Doubt*, describing how he helped compile the tapes, sequence the album, and take it to mastering before Jay even heard the final version. Joshua recalls listening to the master during graduation rehearsal and realizing the project had a rare authenticity—pairing elite lyricism with real-life storytelling on a level he compared to Nas’ *Illmatic* and The Notorious B.I.G.’s *Ready to Die*.

He also breaks down the uncertainty around where Jay-Z would fit commercially, between critical acclaim and major sales, and reveals that Jay originally saw the album as a way to launch the label rather than the start of a long rap career. Joshua says Jay didn’t view himself as a traditional “rapper’s rapper,” despite battling figures like X and Big L while moving between Jersey and uptown New York.