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 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 75,000 copies.[12]
"Mom Praying" contains a sample of "It Ain't Gonna Rain On Nobody's Parade But Mine", written by Harvey Scales, and performed by The Dramatics.
"Still Got Love for You" contains a sample of "Ike's Mood I", written and performed by Isaac Hayes.
"What Your Life Like 2" contains a sample of "Quasimodo's Marriage", written by Alec R. Costandinos and Michael Jouveaux, and performed by Alec R. Costandinos and The Syncophonic Orchestra.
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