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The Reason (Beanie Sigel album)

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The Reason
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 26, 2001
Recorded2000–2001
GenreHip hop
Length60:40
Label
Producer
Beanie Sigel chronology
The Truth
(2000)
The Reason
(2001)
The B. Coming
(2005)

The Reason is the second studio album by Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel, released on Roc-A-Fella Records. Originally scheduled for a June 12, 2001 release, the album was ultimately released 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 positive reviews from critics divided over 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".

Reception

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Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
HipHopDX[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME[6]
Q[7]
RapReviews7.5/10[8]
Robert Christgau(dud)[9]

The Reason garnered positive 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."[6] 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."[8] 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."[3] Nick Catucci of Blender wrote that, "Throughout the disc, Beanie stalks through the subdued bounce of big, loose piano and horn riffs, his smooth but steely flow intact. There's a sequel to his first album's not-so-pretty prison tale "What Ya Life Like" here, but it's best hearing about Beans's life when he's feeling nice, not nasty."[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."[4] 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."[5] Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud",[9] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[10]

Commercial performance

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The Reason debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 selling 151,000 copies in its first week.[11] On its second week, it dropped to number 11 with sales dropping 50% to 75,000 copies.[12]

Track listing

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The Reason track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Nothing Like It"Kanye West3:22
2."Beanie (Mack Bitch)"Just Blaze4:13
3."So What You Saying" (featuring Memphis Bleek)Just Blaze5:06
4."Get Down"
Just Blaze4:58
5."I Don't Do Much"Rick Rock4:40
6."For My Niggas" (featuring Daz)
  • Grant
  • Thomas
Rick Rock4:12
7."Watch Your Bitches"88-Keys3:46
8."Think It's a Game" (featuring Jay-Z, Freeway, and Young Chris)
  • Bernard "Big Demi" Parker
  • Karl "Bubb" Patrick (co.)
5:33
9."Man's World"
No I.D.3:50
10."Gangsta, Gangsta" (featuring Kurupt)
  • Grant
  • West
Kanye West3:41
11."Tales of a Hustler" (featuring Sparks)Sha-Self3:55
12."Mom Praying" (featuring Scarface)Just Blaze4:40
13."Still Got Love for You" (featuring Jay-Z and Rell)Just Blaze4:21
14."What Your Life Like 2"
Just Blaze4:23
Total length:60:40

Samples

Personnel

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Charts

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Singles chart positions

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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

References

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  1. ^ a b Love, Bret. "The Reason - Beanie Sigel". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Catucci, Nick. "The Reason - Beanie Sigel". Blender. Archived from the original on November 7, 2001. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Serpick, Evan (July 13, 2001). "The Reason". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-04-21. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Affrikka (July 12, 2001). "Beanie Sigel - The Reason". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Baker, Soren (July 8, 2001). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Capper, Andy (September 12, 2005). "Beanie Sigel : The Reason". NME. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "Music: The Reason [Enhanced CD] by Beanie Sigel". Tower Records. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (June 28, 2001). "Beanie Sigel :: The Reason :: Roc-A-Fella Records". RapReviews. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: Beanie Sigel". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  11. ^ Martens, Todd (July 5, 2001). "Keys' Debut Tops The Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  12. ^ Martens, Todd (July 12, 2001). "D12 Leapfrogs Keys, Returns To No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  13. ^ "Beanie Sigel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  14. ^ "Beanie Sigel Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.