What year was Jay-Z's debut album released?

Jay-Z's debut album was released in 1996.

The album, Reasonable Doubt, arrived on June 25, 1996. It was released through Roc-A-Fella Records, the label Jay-Z had co-founded with Damon Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, and was distributed by Priority Records. The album introduced Jay-Z as a major recording artist after years of building a reputation as a rapper in Brooklyn and through collaborations with Jaz-O.

Reasonable Doubt is often regarded as a landmark of East Coast hip-hop. Its production came from figures including DJ Premier, DJ Clark Kent, Ski, and Knobody, while guest appearances included The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jaz-O, and Memphis Bleek. Songs such as “Dead Presidents II,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” and “Brooklyn's Finest” helped define its gritty, street-focused sound.

A frequent mix-up is Jay-Z's 1997 follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, which arrived after his debut and performed better commercially. His major mainstream breakthrough came later with 1998's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. Those later successes do not change the debut date: Reasonable Doubt was released in 1996.