The Reason (Beanie Sigel album)

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 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".

The Reason
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	Shawn Carter (Executive Producer) Damon Dash (Executive Producer) Kareem Burke (Executive Producer) Just Blaze Kanye West Rick Rock 88-Keys No I.D. Sha-Self Bernard "Big Demi" Parker
Beanie Sigel chronology
The Truth (2000) The Reason (2001) The B. Coming (2005)

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Blender	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[3]
HipHopDX	[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
NME	[6]
Q Magazine	[7]
RapReviews	7.5/10[8]
Robert Christgau	[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

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 50,000 copies.[12]

Track listing

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

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

Credits for The Reason adapted from AllMusic.[13]

• 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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001) Peak position US Billboard 200[14] 5 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position US Billboard 200[16] 189 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 56

Singles chart positions

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

• BET Awards 2001

Album of the Year: Beanie Sigel, "The Reason"

References

1. Love, Bret. "The Reason - Beanie Sigel". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
2. Catucci, Nick. "The Reason - Beanie Sigel". Blender. Alpha Media Group. Archived from the original on November 7, 2001. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
3. Serpick, Evan (July 13, 2001). "The Reason". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
4. Affrikka (July 12, 2001). "Beanie Sigel - The Reason". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
5. Baker, Soren (July 8, 2001). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
6. Capper, Andy (September 12, 2005). "Beanie Sigel : The Reason". NME. IPC Media. 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. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (June 28, 2001). "Beanie Sigel :: The Reason :: Roc-A-Fella Records". RapReviews. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
9. 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. "The Reason - Beanie Sigel | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
14. "Beanie Sigel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
15. "Beanie Sigel Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
16. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
17. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.