Capital Punishment (Big Pun album)

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]

Capital Punishment
Studio album by
Big Pun
ReleasedApril 28, 1998 (1998-04-28)
Genre
Length71:53
Label
Producer
  • Big Pun (also executive)
  • Fat Joe (also executive)
  • Matt Life (executive)
  • Ju-Ju
  • Rockwilder
  • Knobody
  • Dahoud
  • Nomad
  • Mike Zulu
  • Domingo
  • Frank Nitty
  • Younglord
  • L.E.S.
  • The Infinite Arkatechz
  • Minnesota
  • dead prez
  • V.I.C.
  • RZA
  • Danny O & EQ
  • Showbiz
Big Pun chronology
Capital Punishment
(1998)		 Yeeeah Baby
(2000)
Singles from Capital Punishment
  1. "I'm Not a Player"
    Released: August 7, 1997
  2. "Still Not a Player"
    Released: March 28, 1998
  3. "You Came Up"
    Released: August 22, 1998

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
Q[7]
RapReviews9.5/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
The Source4/5[11]
  • 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
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
      		0:33
      2."Beware"
      		3:15
      3."Super Lyrical" (featuring Black Thought)
      • Rockwilder
      • DJ Iroc (scratches)
      		3:28
      4."Taster's Choice" (skit)
          		1:20
          5."Still Not a Player" (featuring Joe)
          • Rios
          • Jerome Foster
          • Knobody
          • Dahoud (co.)
          • Nomad (co.)
          		3:56
          6."Intermission"
            • Mike Zulu
            		0:21
            7."The Dream Shatterer"
            • Rios
            • Domingo
            		3:33
            8."Punish Me" (featuring Miss Jones)
            		4:15
            9."Pakinamac Pt. I" (skit)
                		1:35
                10."You Ain't a Killer"
                • Rios
                • Richard Frierson
                • Young Lord
                		4:14
                11."Pakinamac Pt. II" (skit)
                    		0:57
                    12."Caribbean Connection" (featuring Wyclef Jean)
                    • Young Lord
                    		3:24
                    13."Glamour Life" (featuring Cuban Link, Triple Seis, Fat Joe & Armageddon of Terror Squad)
                    • Rios
                    • Leshan Lewis
                    • L.E.S.
                    		4:43
                    14."Capital Punishment" (featuring Prospect)
                    • Rios
                    • Michael Dewar
                    • Collin Dewar
                    • The Infinite Arkatechz
                    		4:20
                    15."Uncensored" (skit) (featuring DJ Funkmaster Flex)
                        		2:12
                        16."I'm Not a Player"
                        • Minnesota
                        		3:41
                        17."Twinz (Deep Cover '98)" (featuring Fat Joe)
                        		3:49
                        18."The Rain & the Sun" (Interlude) (featuring dead prez)
                        • Rios
                        • Clayton Gavin
                        • Lavonne Alford
                        		1:49
                        19."Boomerang"
                        		3:35
                        20."You Came Up" (featuring Noreaga)
                        • Rios
                        • Stinson
                        • Rockwilder
                        		3:54
                        21."Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)" (featuring Prodigy and Inspectah Deck)
                        • RZA
                        • DJ Roc Raida (scratches)
                        		4:19
                        22."Charlie Rock Shout" (skit)
                            		0:26
                            23."Fast Money"
                            • Rios
                            • Danny O & EQ
                            		3:48
                            24."Parental Discretion" (featuring Busta Rhymes)
                            • Showbiz
                            		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
                            Year Song Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
                            1997 "I'm Not a Player" 57 19 3 - 7
                            1998 "Still Not a Player" 24 6 13 5 1
                            "You Came Up" - 49 43 - -

                            Certifications
                            Region CertificationCertified units/sales
                            Canada (Music Canada)[14] Gold 50,000^
                            United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000^

                            ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

                            See also
                            • List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)

                            References
                            1. Espinoza, Joshua (April 27, 2018). "Black Thought Reflects on the 20th Anniversary of Big Pun's 'Capital Punishment'". Complex. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
                            2. "Gold & Platinum - Big Pun". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
                            3. Huey, Steve. "Capital Punishment – Big Pun". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
                            4. 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.
                            5. Mukherjee, Tiarra (July 17, 1998). "Capital Punishment". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
                            6. 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.
                            7. "Big Pun: Capital Punishment". Q. No. 165. June 2000. p. 123.
                            8. 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.
                            9. Mao, Chairman (May 6, 1998). "Big Punisher: Capital Punishment". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
                            10. 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.
                            11. Alvarez, Gabriel (June 1998). "Big Pun: Capital Punishment". The Source. No. 105. pp. 159–160.
                            12. "Big Punisher – Capital Punishment CD Album". Cduniverse.com. 1999-08-24. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
                            13. "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
                            14. "Canadian album certifications – Big Punisher – Capital Punisher". Music Canada.
                            15. "American album certifications – Big Punisher – Capital Punishment". Recording Industry Association of America.
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