Customer Reviews

Capital Punishment

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Big Punisher aka Christopher Rios (1971-2000) dropped his debut album "Capital Punishment" in 1998. Executive produced by Pun, Fat Joe, and Matt Life, with guest appearances coming from Black Thought of the Roots, R&B singer Joe, Miss Jones, Wyclef, Funkmaster Flex, Dead Prez, Noreaga, Prodigy, Inspectah Deck, and Busta Ryhmes. As well as appearances coming from Puns, Terror squad family (Fat Joe, Cuban Link, Prospect, Armageddon, Triple Seis). This is excellent album, and in my opinion the best latin hiphop album ever, and one of the nicest albums of the last decade, every track is entertaining, Puns flow and lyrical ability is amazing, and production is tight all throughout. "Beware" and "Super Lyrical" feat. Black Thought start the album off real strong. Next comes "Still Not a Player" feat. Joe, lead single to album, and the song that blew up on the radio, positive upbeat song that became a memorable hiphop anthem. On the next track "Dream Shatterer" Pun comes out hard, and flows well. "Punish Me" feat. Miss Jones is a relaxed track, where Pun talks about the strains of relationships, and his dedication to being a father no matter what. Next comes the banging track "You Aint a Killer". "Glamour Life" features all of Terror Squad and each one of them drops memorable verses to sick background beats. Dead Prez drop in for the short interlude "The Rain and the Sun" which has Puns best friend and half brother Cuban Link showing love.Some more nice tracks follow and then Noreaga drops in for the hook on "You Came Up", my favourite track on this album which uses horn loops and a sick bassline. Track has Pun talking about coming up in the game, and paying tribute to his Terror Squad family as well as Tupac, while celebrating making it in the game. Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang drop in for "Tres Leches" (Triboro Trilogy) and album ends with "Parental Discretion" feat. Busta Rhymes. Big Punishers "Capital Punishment" is a hiphop classic, best latin hiphop album of all time, essential for every hiphop collection. R.I.P. Christopher Rios.

This cd is SOOOO underrated. In my opinion, Pun is one of the greatest of all time, and this cd is his best work. In addition to being "super lyrical", dude could also flow like water.

When this cd first dropped I was a little bit skeptical to cop it. I liked "still not a player" when I first heard it, but the song got played out on the radio and MTV real quick. I was expecting the rest of the cd to sound similar. I was so wrong. This cd is classic hip hop.

The entire cd is good, but there are some standout tracks. "Super Lyrical" featuring Black Thought is the initial banger. Pun and Thought trade verses to a dope beat and there are some great vocal samples of Adrian from "Rocky IV" inserted into the song. "You ain't a killer" is actually a more insightful track, accompanied by a dope piano loop. "The Glamour Life" features some hot verses from Pun and Cuban Link. Pun's flow on "Deep Cover" is absolutely insane. The cd ends strongly with "Boomerang", "You came up", and "Tres Leches" which are all anthems as well. Bottom line--if you're a fan of lyrical hip hop, then this is a must have cd.

Pun is not often mentioned as one of best emcees ever, but he definitely should be. Dude is a legend in my mind.

R.I.P. Pun--You were ill.

During Big Pun's unfortunately short lifetime, he released only one album, 1998's "Capital Punishment," and with this one release he amassed the reputation of one of New York's greatest MCs ever. Listening to this album, it's not hard to see why. Pun shows simply amazing technique, lyricism, and versatility on the album that made him the first Latino rapper to go platinum. Pun flawlessly tells stories of crime and dangers in the streets of the Bronx, but he also makes some deeper tracks about life and philosophy. He is simply an awesome lyricist. Also, the group of guest rappers is among the best ever assembled for an album. In addition to his group of Terror Squad peers such as Fat Joe, Cuban Link, and Noreaga, other appearances come from rap legends like Prodigy, Busta Rhymes, Inspectah Deck, Black Thought, Dead Prez, , and singers such as Joe, Wyclef Jean, and Miss Jones. The production is outstanding throughout the album, coming from such accomplished beatmakers as the RZA, L.E.S., Rockwilder, and Dr. Dre. Overall this album is a complete classic that deserves to be a part of any hip hop collection.

After the intro, the album begins with "Beware," starting the album with a hard lyrical track with great production. "Super Lyrical" is just that, a collaboration with Roots rapper Black Thought. "Still Not a Player" was Pun's most successful single, the song that made him famous and a legendary classic. Over an awesome, Latin-inspired beat, Pun drops hilarious, well delivered verses in between great singing from Joe, who also sings the classic outro. "The Dream Shatterer" is very well produced and is a hard, street-level song. Miss Jones collaborates on "Punish Me," one of my favorite songs on the album. With a subdued, thoughtful beat, Big Pun talks about a relationship gone sour. "You Ain't a Killer" is another New York classic. The hard piano laced beat fits great with Pun's threatening lyrics and great punchlines. "Glamour Life" features the Terror Squad, where they talk about the reaps of a life of crime over a great beat. The title track follows in the trend of hard, well-produced tough songs. On "I'm Not a Player," Pun speaks again of his character and interactions with women, the song utilizes a great soul sample. "Twinz (Deep Cover 98)" is a cover of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's classic song from 1992, where Pun and Fat Joe collaborate for one of the best songs from either one of their catalogs. I really like the interlude "The Rain and the Sun" with Dead Prez, it's relaxing. "You Came Up" may actually be my favorite song on the disc, though. With Noreaga, Pun discusses his rise to the top of hip hop, and the saxophone loop is perfect, Terror Squad always shines on this type of song. RZA produces "Triboro Trilogy," a standard New York anthem featuring legends Inspectah Deck and Prodigy. "Fast Money" tells an awesome story, and the album finishes with the Busta Rhymes-assisted "Parental Discretion," where the rappers warn parents of the dangers of raising children in the ghetto and exposing them to the dangers.

"Capital Punishment" is so amazing because it is a perfect combination of a truly special MC, great guest appearances, awesome production, and perfect execution. This album is so complete and well rounded, easily one of the best albums from the late 90s. I recommend this album to all kinds of hip hop fans, it has something everyone can enjoy, because it's such a classic.

Notorious for taking huge breaths after spitting never ending lines, Pun was a crazy lyricist. This album really shows off the talent of the 400 pound Latin heavyweight. It also features a range of artists such as; Prodigy, Inspectah Deck, Noreaga, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, and his executive producer Fat Joe. From start to finish, every track on this album is tight. Too bad Pun had such a short career. His music and halarious wit will sorely be missed. Check out this album. Trust me you won't regret the purchase.

this c.d is tight. i couldn't believe the audacity of mellon collie saying he is a rap fan coz he listens to snoop and masta p. This is real rap. Tracks like 'beware' 'Capital Punishment' 'Glamour Life' 'I'm Not A Playa'and 'you ain't a killa' are totally off da hook. But the best song on this album, and quiet frankly one of the best songs I have ever heard is 'Dream Shatterer.' Punishers flow on this track is razor sharp. He just hits you with line after line of quality seemingly without pausing to take a breath (immpressive considering he wieghed well over 400 pounds at the time.) I only gave this album 4 stars because their were a few minor flaws. Some of the tracks towards the end of the C.D sound a little tired (Boomerang and You Came Up), but only in production terms, the lyrics are still great. I strongly reccomend this C.D simply because there won't be another one like it with punishers untimely death last year. (P.S 'yeeeah baby' is no where near as good. So stay away from that and buy this. Believe.)

Buy this album if u love hip-hop, cos this is what it's all about...Pun is a lyricist with intelligence, this album is a classic, and those people that gave it bad reviews listen to the likes of "Master P and Snoop" so they obviously dont know hip-hop, and are inferior dik-riders :) Big Pun was about to be on of the greatest, and this album is a testimant to that...dope tracks are "Beware", "Dream Shatter (peep his flow on this joint)" and of course "Still Not a Player", but the whole album is dope, RIP Pun, we miss ya

Big Punisher couldn't have such a great career, but at the same time, very short. Two years after releasing this album, he would later die of a heart attack. Pun was such a great lyricist that would be remembered along the east coast, with various hits like "Still Not A Player", and "You Came Up". Pun saw himself as one of the best Latino rappers here in the game, and with his debut he set out to prove that point.

Not a whole lot can be said, since everyone has covered every aspect of this album. My two cents are that some of the standouts are the best songs I've heard in a minute. The track "Super Lyrical" has Pun and Black Thought of The Roots going back and fourth over a sick beat. "Still Not A Player" featuring Joe (who updates his song here) still remains to be his biggest hit of his career. The track is edited, probably because it was his lead single. Tracks like "Punish Me" (with Miss Jones) and "You Ain't A Killer" also work well. Further down the album "Caribbean Connection" with Wyclef Jean is dope (hell, even Clef spits a dope verse). Pun shows he can work with the entire Terror Squad on "Glamor Life", which is also backed by some great production. My favorite song here is the original version of "I'm Not A Player" ("I'm not a player, I just **** a lot..."). That track as a classic. Joe and Pun trade verses on the hit song "Twinz (Deep Cover '98)" which will remind listeners of an old Snoop Dogg song ("It's still 187 on an undercover cop"). Towards the end there is the bragging "You Came Up" featuring Noreaga, as Pun looks back on how he came up in the rap game. "Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)" with Prodigy and Inspetah Deck is a sick cut. Pun finishes the album with "Parental Discretion" with Busta Rhymes doing the hook (his signature wild screaming he was known for back in the 90's).

Many look at Big Punisher's debut as a landmark in hip hop music. It takes me back to when every guest appearance was a hot artist (especially with Wyclef). Pun's lyrics shined on every song, that I still know who is reciting his lyrics till this day. Majority of these tracks are highly on point. Even the skits are hilarious ("Pacinamac" literally had me rollin). Pun might have had a short music career, but he sure as hell left his footprint here in the game. Rest In Peace Big Punisher.


Lyrics: A+
Production: A
Guest Appearance: A+
Musical Vibes: A-

Top 5 Tracks:
1. I'm Not A Player
2. Super Lyrical (featuring Black Thought)
3. You Came Up (featuring Noreaga)
4. Caribbean Connection (featuring Wyclef Jean)
5. Parental Discretion (featuring Busta Rhymes)

Honorable Mention:
1. Still Not A Player (featuring Joe)
2. You Ain't A Killer
3. Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy) (featuring Prodigy and Inspetah Deck)

Now, I am not the one to give respect to albums regardless if the artist is gone from this world. I am the first to call it like I see it. However, I can't front....Capital Punishment is probably one of the greatest hip hop albums to be released ever. The late Christopher Rios with the help of his "twin" Fat Joe puts out what might not have even been anticipated but on time with this solid debut. Pun's word play and lyrical prowess, in my opinion, would take mentor Fat Joe out in a freestyle competition any day. Pun's production is quite possibly the best compliment to this gem and the guest appearances are on time and on point. My favorite would have to be "Punish Me" featuring Miss Jones, displaying Pun's lyricism in reference to love, relationships and fatherhood. My second fav would have to be the posse cut "Glamour Life" showing Pun and his fellow Terror Squadians speaking of aspirations of fame and fortune(which is not one of my favorite topics in hip hop however when you have an excellent lyrical delivery on this subject I will make an exception). In short, this is a must have from quite possibly the "best" member of the Terror Squad camp.

This is one of the best ever, from one of the best ever! Along with the late Big L (R.I.P.), Punisher was one of the nicest to bless a mic... a lyrical genius. Capital Punishment is and will remain classic in the same sense of Nas' Illmatic, Mobb Deep's Infamous, Jay-Z's Resonable Doubt, and Dr. Dre's The Chronic. Rest in pease, Pun!

Realrappa what are you taliking about. How old are you man pick this album up with the Nas CD's. Do you evn listen to music. The Real Rappers listen to Illmatic but you listen to the crap version of rap that makes the old folks hate rap.My Mom even loved Illmatic and she is 55 and hates all Rap music besides Illmatic-A Tribe Called Quest-and Will Smith. This album is also great because he was everything that Fat Joe still try's to be.Big Pun had increddible power in his lyrics. His raps were bigger then him.He was literally a 900 pound lyrical guerilla.This was top form lyricism and is one of the top 5 alltime lyrical excapades. The Beats were top rate and songs like Super Lyrical and Twinz will tell you how good they are.
Chingy makes some fun music from time to time but comeon does he really get close to this at anytime. Nas is awesome to.Real Rappa there is no beef but may I say you should listen to some real rap and also listen to those rock albums you dissed to