How Jay-Z’s Music Inspired ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Season 2

During the premiere of season 2 of “Reasonable doubtHulu’s legal drama about high-powered criminal defense attorney Jacqueline “Jax” Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), the subject of mortality raises another high-profile murder case waiting to be tried in court. The protagonist, still reeling from the traumatic events of her near-fatal kidnapping at the end of Season 1, receives a call from her best friend, Shanelle (Shannon Kane), who confesses that she just killed her NFL star husband, JT (Christopher Mychael ). Watson) following another domestic violence incident.

The aftermath of the murder and Jax’s inner turmoil are set against the backdrop of the opening episode titled “Can I Live,” named after the classic track featured on Jay-Z’s critically acclaimed debut album, which shares the same name as television series. .

Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt,” released in 1996, is the seminal masterpiece that helped birth a hip-hop legend, arguably the best in the game. Mafia rhymes about a hectic lifestyle and upbringing in Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses kicked off Jay-Z’s rise to rap’s upper echelon. Decades before creating a show with references to Jay-Z’s landmark album, veteran TV writer Ramla Mohamed was an avid fan of the New Yorker’s way with words.

“I was in high school when ‘Reasonable Doubt’ came out and I’m dating, obviously,” Mohamed reflects during a morning Zoom call. “I just remember we had to use the carpool to school, and someone put the CD in, and I remember the first song I heard was ‘Can I Live’… I’ve never heard anyone rapping (a beat like that). It was so gangster.

As a high school student, Mohamed, a Los Angeles native, loved Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” (his favorite Jay-Z album) for opening his eyes to more pockets of gritty regional rap, from the East Coast to the South. But as she grew older, she also developed a deep appreciation for the way the rapper’s work began her path to mogul status with her billion-dollar empire. This motivated her to seek the same prestige in her career, in which she earned credits on hit shows like “Scandal” and “Little Fires Everywhere.”

“I really appreciated his consistency and began to respect him as an artist and creative,” Mohamed explains of his admiration for Jay-Z. “I connect with people who always want to be better.”

When it came time for the television creator to give her show a suitable title, she didn’t have to look far. “It’s funny. I was thinking about what the name of the show could be, and suddenly I looked and there was the Jay-Z (‘Reasonable Doubt’) album cover (backed up).

The album title and Mohamed’s show play with the burden of proof in criminal trials, a perfect combination for a dramatic story about legal matters. However, Mohamed had a broader vision for his Hulu series, which was to give it an edge over other cool shows, which coincided with his vision for Jay-Z’s legacy.

“I started thinking about this idea of ​​black excellence and that, in a lot of ways, Jay-Z fused this idea of ​​being gangster and streetwise with this intellectual, sophisticated sense of hip-hop that I don’t think much of. other rappers did it”, explains the showrunner.

This example of prosperous success for black people weighed heavily in the creative development of Mohamed’s “Reasonable Doubt,” specifically in relation to protagonist Jax.

“I feel like (Jax) embodies Black excellence from over 40 years ago,” says the TV creator, noting that Corinealdi’s character is multifaceted in a way that Black women aren’t always represented on television. “There’s still a desire to strive to be great, to increase Black wealth, but also to stay true to who you are and not feel like you can’t be both at the same time.”

“Reasonable Doubt” also makes more obvious connections to Jay-Z, such as episode titles named after his songs, cleverly used to flesh out the Season 2 plot.

“One great thing is that Jay-Z has so many songs, so I know I’ll never run out of titles,” jokes Mohamed. However, each episode of season 2 he does conveniently has a track title from the rap legend’s catalog to chronicle everything that’s going on with Shanelle’s murder case. For example, episode 202, “Say Hello” (featured on Jay-Z’s “American Gangster” album), introduces the new lawyer responsible for his defense, Morris Chestnut’s Corey Cash. The next episode, 203, “Part II (On the Run)” (named after the song on Jay-Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” album), finds Shanelle literally running away with her secret lover, Adrian (Vaughn W. . Hebron ), as she tries to avoid arrest.

“I look at the titles and think about what songs exemplify and embody what I want the theme of that episode to be,” Mohamed explains of his show’s creative process. “Each episode is definitely connected. I try not to make it random.”

Jay-Z’s Hotline mirrors this season’s murder trial in subsequent episodes of “Reasonable Doubt” such as “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” (205), “This Can’t Be Life” (206) and “Who You Wit ” (209). But that’s not all that’s happening. Season two also focuses on Jax’s rocky marriage to her ex-husband, Lewis (McKinley Freeman), as they deal with relationship issues, including infidelity, in couples therapy. Things come to a head in episode 207, “Venus vs. Mars,” from a track on Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 3,” which is reminiscent of a romance that starts well but ends up turning sour.

The selection of episode titles is largely done by Mohamed, who sees these songs as “as important to me as a story.” Because, according to the showrunner, the songs presented in the program or as titles they are the story.

Mohamed points this out with the title of the Season 2 finale of “Reasonable Doubt,” “Encore,” named after the song from Jay-Z’s “The Black Album.” In a way, the final episode gives everyone an encore, a second chance to get their lives back on track. Most notably, Shanelle is released following the guilty verdict at her trial, after a judge suspends her sentence. Meanwhile, Jax finally gets closure from his kidnapper/former client, Damon (Michael Ealy), after apparently having a groundbreaking conversation with his ghost.

The ending of “Encore” could also be a hint at a potential third season of “Reasonable Doubt,” as Jay-Z’s chorus suggests: “Do you want more?”

Mohamed is certainly crossing his fingers that his Hulu series will be renewed again. With two high-stakes seasons in the books, the creator is proud to say that “Reasonable Doubt” has gained an audience that appreciates her show’s storytelling and hip-hop influence.

“I think the best thing is to see how it affects people”, concludes Mohamed. “I love it when I go on YouTube and see a song I put on the show, and people are like, ‘I’m here because of ‘Reasonable Doubt.’”

“It’s crazy what we do,” she adds. “You don’t know what the impact is, and I think this is a very special place to be able to live and exist.”

All episodes of “Reasonable Doubt Season 2 is streaming now on Hulu.