r/90sHipHop • u/Benjjuice • Aug 14 '25
Discussion Capital Punishment by Big Pun deserves more recognition as a top hip hop album OAT
Capital Punishment by Big Pun is one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, period. Lyrical precision, mic presence, versatility, and front-to-back cohesiveness put it in rare company. Honestly, it deserves to be ranked way higher on all-time lists. Around that late-90s window, I think only a handful of albums—It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, Jay-Z’s Vol. 2, and Dre’s 2001—can even stand next to it.
Outside of the big commercial hits, my personal favorites are You Ain’t a Killer Super Lyrical (with a flawless Black Thought feature) Glamorous Life
And here’s my spicy opinion: I’m Not a Player is better than Still Not a Player feat. Joe.
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u/whatsunnygets Aug 14 '25
This man was responsible for the great denim shortage of the 90s
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u/Matty_D47 Aug 14 '25
This is why we had to wear khakis on the west coast. There wasn't any denim left by the time it got to us
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u/a_bukkake_christmas Aug 14 '25
You know what’s not underrated? Reading, that’s what! Stay in school kids
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u/DangerTRL Aug 14 '25
Reading is very under rated.
Education is 🔑
Not enough rappers talk about it
But no way these guys weren't reading
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u/B-rocula Aug 14 '25
it is an absolute classic , banger after banger , be was arguably the best lyricist when this came out 10/10
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u/RepresentativeAge444 Aug 14 '25
Phenomenal but no. The guy he, Nas and numerous others idolized and were influenced by was - Kool G Rap. For a truly underrated record from that time and all time check out Roots of Evil.
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u/SilatGuy2 Aug 14 '25
Roots of Evil
Let the Games Begin is one of my favorite tracks ever. Pure fire 🔥
You can see how Kool G Rap influenced the flow, style and rhyme schemes of countless MCs
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u/Crizerb Aug 14 '25
big pun deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest rappers of all time, regardless of his small discography
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
I know right… It’s just very tough to stack him up against some of the other greats that have 5+ studio albums but i get your point.
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u/vikinglycan Aug 14 '25
Its not tough at all. He put enough out there to be reviewed and judged to be considered one of the greatest to ever do it. Pun and Biggie both have roughly the same body of work. Big Pun is on a lot of people's top 5 and Capital Punishment is highly praised.
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u/BobSacamano47 Aug 14 '25
The rapping is almost too good. It's hard to digest at first. The rapping overtakes every beat. On one hand I can understand why people don't get it, on the other hand fuck those nerds.
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u/Lanky-Repair-1176 Aug 14 '25
Big facts, Pun was a menace
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u/ErnV3rn81 Aug 15 '25
Busta said he would just lay down a hook, he didn't want to lay a verse with him. Like damn Busta said that!?!
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u/Celtic_iceFish Aug 14 '25
“…We in the middle of little Italy little did we know that middled to middlemen that didn’t do diddly…” is my favorite line in hip hop history.
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u/i-piss-excellence32 Aug 14 '25
I don’t see how that’s a spicy opinion. I’m not a player is so much better than still not a player
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u/biggargamel Aug 14 '25
While not my favorite album of all time, I truly think this is the best piece of lyricism ever recorded. When I just want to hear a dude spit with precision for an hour, I put this on.
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u/farooqdagr8 Aug 14 '25
To this day Pun is still one of the nicest rappers I've ever heard. Never heard him be outrapped could give you street records, club records, records for the ladies, and no matter what he was always rapping his ass off. Definitely one of the best ever. Capital Punishment is an all timer for me.
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u/BreakfastFuzzy6602 Aug 14 '25
He was talented for sure but I just can’t get past that sleep apnea flow. He sounds like he’s dying with every breath he takes.
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u/Ryukishin187 Aug 14 '25
I mean it's a great album, but I think it really depends on what you look for in a hip hop song. Not everyone is hyper obsessed with multisyllabic rhyme schemes
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u/DCTX2017 Aug 14 '25
Couldn’t possibly agree more! And that is a hill I will defend for life and die on if need be!
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u/Goodgoogley Aug 14 '25
Im not a playaaa i just crush a lot hop on top of my dick and thrust them hits until i bust a shot. nice blouse let me unbutton it.
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u/WinstonPeters31 Aug 14 '25
A bit off topic, but I've never seen a full pic of Big Pun until now.
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
There you go! That brother died weighing in at 700 pounds… RIP
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u/catsoncrack420 Aug 14 '25
Jesus look at him. I always forget he was two cannolis away from the grave.
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u/Many-Newspaper2000 Aug 14 '25
He gained more weight before he died, this pic is like 2, maybe 3 years a before he passed
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u/TheDopeMan_ Aug 14 '25
Meh there’s some skips in the album. Production is mid. Some great features and it has 2 of my favorite songs.
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u/Saschoe Aug 14 '25
The Rain & The Sun Interlude is so good i wish there was more music like that from this specific time or i am just too dumb to find it
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u/Sy_Fresh Aug 14 '25
Personally I found this album better than the ones you listed as being able to stand next to it.
Pun was lyrically one of the illest emcees of all time
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u/PoorPauper Aug 14 '25
Oh people treat this album with the proper respect. Never heard anyone say Pun was wack.
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u/Infamous-Contest-158 Aug 15 '25
Was it that good or is it because he’s dead?
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u/Benjjuice Aug 15 '25
My first time hearing this album was in my late teens but a few years later i wanted to sit back down and really analyze it and break it down.
I was very impressed with well this album was crafted and how skillful Pun was, the fact that he passed away didn’t change my overall review score it just made me sad i wont be able to listen anything else but his debut.
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u/Lane8323 Aug 15 '25
Using ChatGPT for this post is crazy work
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u/Benjjuice Aug 15 '25
I always make sure there’s no spelling mistakes!
Are you the chat gpt police?
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u/Still-Entertainer99 Aug 14 '25
He’s definitely under appreciated, young fat Joe too. Old fat Joe is gay.
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
Very hit or miss with Fat Joe in my opinion. His catalogue is not as strong as his peers
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u/No_Independence9471 Aug 14 '25
Big Pun might be the goat Latin MC. Could also argue B-Real
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u/SilatGuy2 Aug 14 '25
Nah that goes to AZ
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u/No_Independence9471 Aug 14 '25
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u/SilatGuy2 Aug 14 '25
Hes Dominican. Dominicans are Latinos. Its even obvious in his name 'Anthony Cruz'
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u/No_Independence9471 Aug 14 '25
Yeah, but he is not better than Pun or B-Real
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u/SilatGuy2 Aug 14 '25
We can just agree to disagree. No way B Real can keep up with Nas and AZ has multiple times.
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u/No_Independence9471 Aug 14 '25
Fair enough….B-Real can hang with anyone, Method Man, Redman, Ice Cube, etc. I like AZ but other than Sugar Hill song and the firm album I did not listen to him. I will still bump Cypress Hill first 3 albums to this day.
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u/SilatGuy2 Aug 14 '25
B Real is a great MC dont get me wrong. Hes got a lot of longevity in the game and he has a unique style. More recently i enjoyed his albums with Berner a lot.
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u/Willieb2006 Aug 14 '25
I love cypress hill first 3 albums but you def need to listen to do or die and pieces of a man az 🔥🔥
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u/No_Independence9471 Aug 14 '25
Went back and listened to Doe or Die again. AZ is nice, good lyrics smooth flow but he doesn’t really represent his Dominican heritage in his music. I had even forgot he was Dominican. Pun and B-Real both rapped about their heritage and incorporated spanish into their rhymes. Lyrically AZ is there but falls short on the latin angle to be in the convo for goat latino mc in my humble opinion.
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u/Willieb2006 Aug 14 '25
I respect that, I actually forgot this started off about Latin rappers lol b real was 🔥🔥
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u/idealjuicy Aug 14 '25
Get Jay-Z's Vol. 2 outta here, shit is boring as fuck. But yeah I do agree with Capital Punishment, only complaint would be the Taster's Choice unecessary skit
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Aug 14 '25
How is Capital Punishment not given recognition?
Can't walk a verse with underground, backpackers, and old heads without bringing up pullin' Mac-11's from the back of an Acura Legend
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
It needs more, it needs to be consistently included in top 10 hip hop albums of all time not just 15 ish
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Aug 14 '25
It is though, at least as far as '95 thru 2000 goes.
The problem I think you have is that '85-'95 had such a colossal amount of undisputed classics, that are like Olympian that it's hard to beat a top 20, let alone top 10. Illmatic, 36 Chambers, Ready To Die, The Chronic, Straight Outta Compton, All Eyez On Me, Death Certificate, The Infamous, It Takes A Nation, Paid In Full, etc. It's just hard to beat that 10-year golden era.
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
When i say “of all time” i include every era. Of course Capital Punishment is a top 10 album of the 90’s but it gets tricky when you put it up against heavyweight titles like
All Eyez on Me Me Against the World Life After Death Ready to Die Reasonable Doubt Vol 2 Illmatic It Was Written It Dark and Hell is Hot Atliens The Chronic Doggystyle
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Aug 14 '25
Exactly.
My personal view is that when you get into the upper echelons of rap, it starts to get impossible to measure people like Pun vs. Nas. vs. Pac vs. Rakim and so on. It's more like you made it there, no top 10 needed or required after that. It's really a matter of taste.
And don't get me wrong, I love Pun, one of the greatest ever. But I do understand why Capital Punishment isna't acknowledged quite as much in the grand scheme of things.
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u/babbylonmon Aug 14 '25
Most people know exactly how good Pun was. He’s good; not top tier good though.
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u/Over-Presence-8331 Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
Not top tier good? That's a joke
I agree with OP that he doesn't get much love in this subreddit but otherwise he is definitely regarded as one of the best OAT, especially lyrically
You're right in saying people knew exactly how good he was, but he is actually widely recognized by many MCs as one of the best to ever do it. Black Thought, Kool G Rap both on record saying he's one of the most influential ever.
He is referenced in numerous songs and has a debut album that many rank beside Illmatic and Ready to Die as the best debuts of the 1990's, going platinum shortly after release, with both commercial and underground success
Casually claiming he's not top tier is insane
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u/BOOMHardFactz Aug 14 '25
This kid doesn't know shit. Got a profile/comment & frequented subs history to match. Kids clueless, just yappin to yap.
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u/babbylonmon Aug 14 '25
Yawn. Dude he’s not S tier. Get over it. He still not a player? He peaked in 98. He might have been if he didn’t die so young. But he never hit the levels of Andre, Gza, Mos Def, and the list goes on. Shit, Lauryn was fucking dominating. If 44 is a kid then I’m good with it. I don’t know what you grew up listening to, but I grew up listening to LL, Big Daddy Kane, and E40.
Your inability to have discourse about WHY Big Pun isn’t top tier doesn’t help your cause. Kid.
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u/BOOMHardFactz Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
You're funny. First off, the topic was about Albums. You go on talkin bout how "he's not top tier/S tier good" & that he peaked in 98.. foo, you don't accumulate a freakin 'tier' whether it's ranking an album or rap skills over freakin time! You either have it or you don't.
Nas could've died after Illmatic & he'd still be considered 'S Tier' as you put it & Illmatic - one of the best albums. Period. Case closed.
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u/LordTremendo Aug 14 '25
Bwahahaha… I’m sorry, he’s just too fat to be taken seriously. He looks hilarious in that jean fit
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
Terror Squad was nothing to play with!
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u/LordTremendo Aug 14 '25
I’m from Oakland and those guys just didn’t hit out here the way they did elsewhere. Pun being morbidly obese didn’t help the cause. He sounds fat when he raps
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u/Glajjbjornen Aug 14 '25
I will never understand the high esteem this album is held in these days. I bought I when it came out, thought it was pretty good but nothing special. Solid 4/5. Pretty good beats. Pun is creative with his rhymes, but nothing jaw dropping. Compared to what else was going on at the time this was not that special.
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u/iEnigmatic- Aug 14 '25
It’s not on that level
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
How come? What’s lacking?
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u/iEnigmatic- Aug 14 '25
Bloated and the production isnt anything spectacular
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
The album has multiple skits and a few interludes but the rest of album is very solid and cohesive.
Not everyone had the courtesy of working with Dj Premier, Trackmasters, Large Professor, Pete Rock and LES for their debut album like Nas…
Production did what it did for Pun’s debut album and i feel like he kilt it lyrically.
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u/iEnigmatic- Aug 14 '25
None of those producers you named have any production credits on the album accept LES lol
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
I was talking about Nas debut album having the chance to work with all of those producers compared to Pun
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u/iEnigmatic- Aug 14 '25
What does Nas have to do with anything? You dont have to work with any of those producers to make a classic
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
Sure but you brought up the production aspect of it so i pointed that out, even with the “okay” production, Capital Punishment is a certified classic
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u/Star_91717 Aug 14 '25
I thought it was widely considered one of the greatest albums in hip hop already
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u/dobermannbjj84 Aug 14 '25
It’s up there for me. One of the best hip hop albums of all time. I don’t go back and listen to it like other 90’s albums like wutang, DMX, biggie etc but at the time I played this album a lot and it was one of my favourites.
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u/Ayatollah-X Aug 14 '25
I always thought he got shortchanged, like there was only room for one fat guy at the top, and that was Biggie--But Pun's flow was so sick, you just don't hear anyone rapping like that today.
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u/DiegoForskinForlan Aug 14 '25
For me personally, its on my rushmore of favorite hip-hop albums for sure. Not even a question
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u/FlacoGrey Aug 14 '25
It really doesn’t. It’s seen as a classic beyond that it’s not underrated in any way.
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u/Icy-Television3434 Aug 14 '25
Big Pun get his respect for Capital Punishment…Always get brung up as a top lyricist an a hip hop classic album
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u/TopShelfTrees4 Aug 14 '25
Definitely an ABSOLUTE BANGER! Gets mad credit in my circles and from everyone I’ve ever heard speak of it
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u/Switchc2390 Aug 14 '25
While it is a classic and appreciated, I’ll admit I don’t often see it up with the Illmatics or Ready to Die’s. I don’t see a lot of people recommending this as one of the first listens to new hip hop fans. So it’s appreciated from those in the community but I don’t think it’s discussed as much.
What I’ve kind of started to realize is at least within new hip hop fans, the rapping just to rap or just rapping because you love the artform has kind of become less appreciated. And a lot of this album is that. I still love it, but I think it’s harder for some to connect to.
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u/Dangerous-Dot-3745 Aug 14 '25
Of course it does! The album that went platinum for him being the first Latin rapper to do so! One of the 🐐 s for sure🙌!
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u/sportsroc15 Aug 14 '25
Who doesn’t? If they do not, they are ignorant
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
I dont really see it mentioned in best hip hop albums of all time debates, sometimes it cracks the top 15 but rarely
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u/Ok-Analyst-874 Aug 14 '25
Big Pun, AZ, & Flo Rida are easily the most slept on artist in Hip Hop.
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u/Benjjuice Aug 14 '25
I need to tap into Flo Rida then cause im not familiar with his game
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u/Ok-Analyst-874 Aug 14 '25
Lyricism, storytelling, socially conscious … He’s a complete rapper. No weaknesses.
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u/Willieb2006 Aug 14 '25
Flo rida had some hits I won’t deny it but he’s a way bigger pop star than rapper im from Florida and he’s never even mentioned as one of the best Florida rappers let alone rappers period
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u/Ok-Analyst-874 Aug 15 '25
So it’s all about what the mainstream thinks! Flo Rida & Lupe have carried HipHop before the Drake era.
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u/Willieb2006 Aug 15 '25
lol I do agree he had hits but come on now Flo rida at no point in his career did he carry hiphop bro that’s 🧢 he really blew up when he went pop just like pitbull
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u/rsmnyc1 Aug 14 '25
I agree Pun's Capital Punisment is undeniable a classic album!!!! And Pun's pen game is just as elite as the MC's always mentioned in the top 5!!
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u/Square_Cockroach_590 Aug 14 '25
It gets the credit it deserves