In 1998 Jay-Z was riding high and regarded the king of New York. Diddy was winning and getting nominated for Grammy awards left and right. The last thing anybody expected was Big Pun. A 500-pound Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx who in the eyes of some was way better than Jay-Z was a shock to the game. Fat Joe had been grooming Christopher Rios but 1998 was the year when he would release his classic debut album, Capital Punishment and take over the game.

Considered the last real lyricist to come into hip-hop besides Eminem, Big Pun was one of the most well rounded MC’s that hip-hop would ever see. He was a lyricist to the core but could also touch on social issues, politics, and of course, the ladies. On Capital Punishment, Big Pun would do what it takes most rappers a whole career to get done, if at all. The lead single “Still Not A Player” is a perfect example of how lyrics don’t need to be sacrificed just to make a hit record.

He followed the old school method of having an R&B singer on the hook (Joe) and spit witty lines like, “I like ‘em butter pecan/ The Blackberry molasses/ I don’t discriminate/ I regulate every shade of that ass/ Just lemme show class/ And pass my test/Fat ass and breast/Highly intelligent bachelorettes”. “Beware” and “Super L yrical” show why Pun is one of the greatest lyricists every with his spitfire delivery and mind-boggling vocabulary.

“Punish Me” is a track for the ladies with a message as Pun spits lines like, “Funny how the money took her/ from an average honey to a stunning looker.” I think this is the first time I ever wrote about a skit on an album but who could forget the two parts of “Pakinamac”? “You Came Up”, “Fast Money”, “Dream Shatterer”, and “I’m Not a Player” round out the album. This album is a staple in hip-hop history. It marked the first time a Latino hip-hop artist went platinum and also birthed one of the greatest lyricists of all time. This is a hands down classic and Pun’s skills should be remembered for years to come.

“Dream Shatterer”-Big Pun

Ay-yo I shatter dreams like Jordan, assault and batter your team
Your squadron'll be barred from rap like Adam & Eve from the garden
I'm carvin' my initials on your forehead
So every night before bed you see the "BP" shine off the board head
Reverse that, I curse at the first wack nigga with the worst rap
Cuz he ain't worth jack
Hit 'em with a thousand pounds of pressure per slap
Make his whole body jerk back, watch the earth crack
Hand him his purse back
I'm the first Latin rapper to baffle your skull
Master the flow, niggaz be swearin' I'm blacker than coal
Like Nat King, I be rapping and tounge's packing
The ones, magnums, cannons and Gatling guns
It's Big Pun!  The one and only son of Tony...Montana
You ain't promised manana in the rotten manzana
C'mon-pana we need more rhymers
Feel the marijuana snakebite anaconda
A man of honor wouldn't wanna try to match my persona
Sometimes rhymin' I blow my own mind like Nirvana
Comma, and go the whole nine like Madonna
Go try to find another rhymer with my kinda gramma

I'm pure adrenaline, uncut, straight to your gut, medicine
Raw cure for pain I coat your brain like polyurathane
Simple and plain, I'll explain it in layman terms
If you came to learn how to make fire, I'm-a make it burn!
Higher and hotter than lava this scholar
is 'bout just as smart as MacGyver
To put honor inside the heart of a lion
Revolved in a life of crime
Fuck it I like the shine, up in the white and lime
Comes with the pipe design
Plushed out! Both pockets about to bust out
If you not in it for the spinach, get the fuck out!
Take a hike; we can even battle to make it right
Go 'head lace the mic, you finished?  Say good night...
Head to head in the street, I'll leave you dead in your feet
Settlin' beef, I'll even let you rhyme to the Benjamin beat
But it won't matter, you dreams still gon' shatter
It's a long ladder to climb and mine is on the stagger
So get outta town, 'fore I hit you
With the loudest sound you ever heard
Desert bird player you outta bounds