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1998 studio album by Big Pun
Capital Punishment is the debut
studio album by American rapper
Big Pun , released by
Loud Records and
Fat Joe 's
Terror Squad Productions . Released on April 28, 1998, it is the only album released during his lifetime and is regarded as a
Hip-Hop classic, described by
Black Thought of
The Roots as "super groundbreaking" upon release.
[1] The album peaked at number five on the
Billboard 200 charts and number one on the
Top R&B Albums chart for two weeks. It was nominated for
Best Rap Album at the
1999 Grammy Awards , but lost to
Jay-Z 's
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life . It was also the first solo Latin hip hop record to go
Platinum .
[2]
Reception
Entertainment Weekly (7/17/98, p. 85) – "Everything about this Bronx-bred Puerto Rican rapper is generous, his 400-pound girth, his multiple rhyming within each line, and his talent for spewing out verses without stopping for breath." – Rating: B+
[5]
Q (6/00, p. 123) – 4 stars out of 5 – "Displaying huge lyrical prowess and the requisite 'sensitive' side...[the album] established Pun as a serious rival to Biggie Smalls and something of a ladykiller to boot....funk and fun aplenty....Outrageously good."
The Source (6/98, p. 159) – 4 Mics (out of 5) – "He'll rhyme every possible word in a line because he wants to be twice as nice....Capital Punishment' s all about execution."
Rap Pages (9/98, p. 120) – 4 (out of 5) – "Big Pun is at his best with all barrels firing bullets lacing the air like embroidery on grandmama's quilt."
[12]
Legacy
Rolling Stone included Capital Punishment in their list of The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time at 128.
[13]
Track listing
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "Intro" 0:33 2. "Beware" 3:15 3. "Super Lyrical" (featuring
Black Thought ) 3:28 4. "Taster's Choice" (skit) 1:20 5. "
Still Not a Player " (featuring
Joe ) 3:56 6. "Intermission" 0:21 7. "The Dream Shatterer" 3:33 8. "Punish Me" (featuring
Miss Jones ) 4:15 9. "Pakinamac Pt. I" (skit) 1:35 10. "You Ain't a Killer" 4:14 11. "Pakinamac Pt. II" (skit) 0:57 12. "Caribbean Connection" (featuring
Wyclef Jean ) 3:24 13. "Glamour Life" (featuring
Cuban Link , Triple Seis,
Fat Joe & Armageddon of
Terror Squad ) 4:43 14. "Capital Punishment" (featuring Prospect) 4:20 15. "Uncensored" (skit) (featuring
DJ Funkmaster Flex ) 2:12 16. "
I'm Not a Player " 3:41 17. "
Twinz (Deep Cover '98) " (featuring Fat Joe) 3:49 18. "The Rain & the Sun" (Interlude) (featuring
dead prez ) 1:49 19. "Boomerang" 3:35 20. "
You Came Up " (featuring
Noreaga ) 3:54 21. "Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)" (featuring
Prodigy and
Inspectah Deck ) 4:19 22. "Charlie Rock Shout" (skit) 0:26 23. "Fast Money" 3:48 24. "Parental Discretion" (featuring
Busta Rhymes ) 4:33 Total length: 1:11:53
"Still Not A Player" is edited on all pressings. The original uncensored version can be found on the promo single.
Sample credits
"Intro" samples an dialogue clip from the 1994 film
Fresh .
"Beware" samples "Theme for the Losers" by
Henry Mancini , "Shook Ones Part I" by
Mobb Deep , and interpolates "Hot Potato" by
Naughty by Nature .
"Super Lyrical" contains vocal samples from "One More Chance / Stay with Me (Remix)" by
The Notorious B.I.G. , "It's Logic" by
Canibus , and dialogue clips from the 1985 film
Rocky IV .
"Still Not a Player" samples "A Little Bit of Love" by
Brenda Russell and interpolates "Brazilian Rhyme (Bejio Interlude)" by
Earth, Wind & Fire .
"The Dream Shatterer" samples "Funk & Wagner" by Don "Sugarcane" Harris.
"Punish Me" contains a vocal sample from "Not Gonna Be Able to Do It" by
Double XX Posse .
"You Ain't a Killer" samples "With a Child's Heart" by
Michael Jackson .
"Caribbean Connection" samples "
Ready or Not " by
Johnny Osbourne , "Moshitup" by
Just-Ice , and "
It's All About the Benjamins " by Puff Daddy.
"Glamour Life" samples "The World Is a Ghetto" by
George Benson .
"I'm Not a Player" samples "Darlin' Darlin' Baby" by
The O'Jays , "Singers" by
Eddie Murphy , "Darlin', Darlin', Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)" by Steve Khan.
"Boomerang" samples "Le Bracelet" by
Alain Goraguer .
"You Came Up" samples "Don't Ask Me" by Ramon Morris and interpolates "Hail Mary" by
2Pac .
"Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)" samples "Las Vegas Tango" by
Gary Burton , "The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)" by
Mobb Deep , "
Method Man " by
Wu-Tang Clan , "
I Ain't No Joke " by
Eric B. & Rakim , and "Guillotine (Swordz)" by
Raekwon .
"Parental Discretion" samples "Hydra" by Grover Washington, Jr.
Personnel
Credits for Capital Punishment adapted from the album liner notes.
Armageddon – featured artist
Denise Barbarita – assistant engineer
Carlos Bess – mixing
Big Pun – executive producer, primary artist
Black Thought – featured artist
Busta Rhymes – featured artist
Sean Cane – A&R
Chris Conway – mixing
Cuban Link – featured artist
Dr. Dre – producer
Dahoud – producer
Danny O – producer
dead prez – producer, featured artist
Domingo – producer
"E" – mixing
EQ – producer
Fat Joe – executive producer, featured artist
Funkmaster Flex – featured artist
Paul Gregory – assistant engineer
Che Harris – A&R coordination
Daniel "PhotoChop" Hastings
Troy Hightower – mixing
Tom Hughes – assistant engineer
Ken "Duro" Ifil – engineer
Wyclef Jean – featured artist
Inspectah Deck – featured artist
Joe – featured artist
Ju-Ju – producer
Jugrnaut – producer
Knobody – producer
Ola Kudu – creative direction
Adam Kudzin – engineer
L.E.S. – producer
Matt Life – executive producer
Laurie Marks – A&R coordination
Mike D. – A&R
Minnesota – producer
Miss Jones – featured artist
Nastee – engineer
Frank Nitty – producer
Nomad – producer
Prodigy – featured artist
Prospect – featured artist
Roc Raida – scratches
Rockwilder – producer
RZA – producer
Schott Free – A&R
Tony Smalios – engineer, mixing
Triple Seis – featured artist
Showbiz – producer
Soundboy – engineer, mixing
Kevin Stone – assistant engineer
Nikos Teneketzis – mixing assistant
Kieran Walsh – engineer
Gregory "Gold" Wilson – assistant engineer
Ted Wohlsen – mixing
Trauma – producer
Young Lord – producer
Leon Zervos – mastering
Mike Zulu – producer
Album chart positions
Year
Album
Chart positions
Billboard 200
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
Top Canadian Albums
1998
Capital Punishment
5
1
11
Singles
Certifications
See also
References
^ Espinoza, Joshua (April 27, 2018).
"Black Thought Reflects on the 20th Anniversary of Big Pun's 'Capital Punishment' " . Complex . Retrieved June 26, 2022 .
^
"Gold & Platinum - Big Pun" . RIAA.
Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2010-08-15 .
^ Huey, Steve.
"Capital Punishment – Big Pun" .
AllMusic .
Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019 .
^
Christgau, Robert (2000).
"Big Punisher: Capital Punishment" .
Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s .
Macmillan Publishers .
ISBN
0-312-24560-2 .
Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019 .
^
a
b Mukherjee, Tiarra (July 17, 1998).
"Capital Punishment" .
Entertainment Weekly . Archived from
the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2019 .
^
Baker, Soren (June 7, 1998).
"Big Punisher, 'Capital Punishment,' Loud/RCA" .
Los Angeles Times .
Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020 .
^ "Big Pun: Capital Punishment".
Q . No. 165. June 2000. p. 123.
^ Juon, Steve "Flash" (February 20, 2001).
"Big Punisher :: Capital Punishment :: Loud Records" . RapReviews .
Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019 .
^ Mao, Chairman (May 6, 1998).
"Big Punisher: Capital Punishment" .
Rolling Stone . Archived from
the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2019 .
^ Ex, Kris (2004). "Big Pun". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.).
Simon & Schuster . p.
71 .
ISBN
0-7432-0169-8 .
^ Alvarez, Gabriel (June 1998). "Big Pun: Capital Punishment".
The Source . No. 105. pp. 159–160.
^
"Big Punisher – Capital Punishment CD Album" . Cduniverse.com. 1999-08-24.
Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2012-02-09 .
^
"The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time" . Rolling Stone . June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022 .
^
"Canadian album certifications – Big Punisher – Capital Punisher" .
Music Canada .
^
"American album certifications – Big Punisher – Capital Punishment" .
Recording Industry Association of America .
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