FAT JOE / BIG PUN / NAS / RAEKWON / JADAKISS - "John Blaze" [Original Mix]

Just an old classic for any music purists that might've missed this gem before. This is the original mix of "John Blaze", the blazing posse cut from Fat Joe's third (and last truly dope) album "Don Cartagena", recorded somewhere between '97 and early '98.  This demo version features a different, very scaled down beat that makes sure all the attention is kept on the immaculate wordplay of these five heavyweight lyricists. What's really interesting is the different Esco verse that sets off the session. The video up top is of course the music video for the album version while the original demo mix, ripped from a DJ Clue tape, is available to download. Shouts to the original ripper of this, and peace to SiccMade for the upload.

FAT JOE Ft. BIG PUN, NAS, JADAKISS & RAEKWON - "JOHN BLAZE" [OG MIX]

[Coming Soon] BIG PUNISHER - "Bronx Legends Never Die"

I've heard some whispers about this before but now the incredible news of fresh new music from the great Big Punisher is a definite reality. Titled "Bronx Legends Never Die" the project is produced and created by Domingo (who of course produced one of Pun's all time classics "The Dream Shatterer") and will feature guest apperances by Chris Rivers, Cormega, Shaq & Easy Mo Bee. While no tracklist has been released as of yet one song has been revealed to be a re-recording of the Shaquille O'Neal track "The Bigger They R" with Fat Joe and Pun, which is now set to include verses from 'Mega and Chris Rivers, The EP is being pressed up on a very limited CD run of 100 (typo?) copies which is up for pre-order @ IndieGoGo.

DJ ABSOLUT Ft. MOP & CHRIS RIVERS - "New York Giants II"

DJ Absolut, who previously made mixtapes for Raekwon, as well as provided beats for the likes of AZ, Black Market Militia,, LL Cool J, Papoosee and Hell Rell. For his new single, Absolut grabs to the rugged services of Chris Rivers and M.O.P. for the sequel to "New York Giants"..One of my personal favorites from Big Punisher's second and final album "Yeeeah Baby!" where the SBX rhymer and The Mash Out Pose went in hard over a Minnesota and Mahogany monster.The sequel definitely doesn't put the original to shame, even though it doesn't reach the potential of the first.

SHAQ Ft. BIG PUN, FAT JOE & EZ MO B - "The Bigger They R" (1996)

This is just incredible right here... Now, I know this joint has been out for a while but its producer Domingo has finally unveiled a full/CDQ version of this gem of a lost tape. Recorded in 1996 for "You Can't Stop the Reign", Shaquille O'Neal was hellbent on making a respectable album by surrounding him with all sort of legitimate talents. For "The Bigger They R" he invited Big Punisher and Fat Joe as well as Easy Mo Bee (!), and it's a real shame this never was heard back in the days because it's absolute killer. Terror Squadians!

[Footage] BIG L in Studio + Freesteez with BIG PUN

D.I.T.C. is definitely up in the house right now, bringing on both new shit and classic ish for our listening pleasure. Complex Magazine has somehow unearthed two previously unseen clips of the late, great Big L. The first video shows Coleman getting down in D&D Studios for the recording of the all-time hip-hop classic "Size 'Em Up", the B-side to "Ebonics" which was the final 12" ever released before his tragic and untimely passing. It's short but sweet to see L in the studio, just like it's equally mindblowing to hear him go bar-for-bar with the super lyrical Big Pun.

BIG PUN - "Still Not A Player" [Demo]

Justice over @ 2DopeBoyz just posted this, so I figured I'd borrow it for The Lost Tapes as well since it's great to get to hear "new" ish by The Punisher. "Still Not A Player" is of course considered a real classic but to me I really prefer "Capital Punishment" without it since the only thing it manages to do is to annoy me. The original Minnesota mix though? Now that's another story completely... But back to this rough demo version which apparantly originally was dug up by DJ Soul and made the mixtape rounds. This version also features additional vocals by Cuban Link and is overall a cool listen. 

As a lil' bonus I also uploaded a related track which never made it to the final version of "Capital Punishment" though it most definitely should have - matter of fact, when I upload the album to my iPod I usually delete "Still Not A Player" and replace it with this track. "Wishful Thinking" features Big Pun, Kool G Rap, Fat Joe and B-Real going crazy over a hard to the core Showbiz production. A crazy posse cut if I ever heard one, and how this didn't make the LP is forever beyond me (it was placed as the B-side to the "I'm Not A Player" 12").

BIG PUN / FAT JOE / KOOL G RAP / B-REAL - "WISHFUL THINKING"

[comp] BIG PUN - "RHYMING ABOMINATION"

When Cristopher Rios, better known to the world as Big Pun(isher), tragically left the physical world twelve years ago he left behind him three children and a musical legacy that will never be tarnished. With his classic first single and album "You Ain't A Killer" and "Capital Punishment", respectively, people raved about how Pun was the illest latin rapper to ever break through. But that is simply to downplay Pun and his skills; he wasn't just the greatest latino rapper, he was one of the absolute greatest emcees to ever walk the earth - period.

Rios had honed his rhyming talents throughout his ruff ubringing in The Bronx, beginning to write down verses in the '80s. Together with a gang of friends who also had found a passion in the hip-hop culture, the Full-A-Clips crew was formed including Pun (then known as Big Moon Dawg), Cuban Link, Triple Seis and Prospect. They did record some studio music and even back then it was evident that Pun was something out of the ordinary. Sadly most of the music is impossible to find today, "I don't know where most of it is, but we did a lot of songs. There are a couple of verses out there people probably never heard. We just got to wait for the right timing, 'cause everything is timing" said Triple Seis on the subject.

It was however first when Pun met Fat Joe around the time of the latters '93 debut, "Represent", that things really started to move in the right direction. Fat Joe invited Pun to the sessions for his sophomore effort, "Jealous One's Envy" where he rhymed on the two songs "Watch Out" and "Firewater", the latter saved for the B-side to the "Envy" single. Not long after he guest starred on The Beatnuts' smash hit "Off the Books" and released his first solo song "You Ain't A Killer" on the soundtrack to "Soul in the Hole". The world was now aware of the vicious super talented rhyme punisher and when his classic "Capital Punishment" dropped a year later it quickly went platinum - and rightfully so considering that it to this day remains one of the true masterpieces of true school hip-hop, especially from a straight up lyrics perspective. Pun's name was now HOT to say the least, and multiple big names tapped him for guest verses while he also worked with Fat Joe and their Terror Squad crew (which was basically Full-A-Clips renamed and with Joe and Armageddon added to the mix). Fat Joe and Big Pun was an extremely fierce duo as their track record clearly show, so in case you missed it also make sure to also check out "The Shit Was Real", a Lost Tapes compilation of classic Fat Joe material recorded between '92 and '96.

The Punisher lived like a true playboy; fast cars, fast living, fast food, chilling out with his friends and recording plenty of hot music while trying to keep his family life together. Right after he had completed his second, more commercial soudning, sophomore LP "Yeeeah Baby" he sadly passed away due to health complications on February 7, 2000, only 28 years old. He will never be forgotten and his solo albums, the Terror Squad joint, the "Endangered Species" compilation and countless non album tracks will make sure of that. My homie Pattch82 (who worked with me on the Gangrene series and the Call O'Da Wild album) put together his own compilation celebrating Big Punisher's immaculate legacy and with his permission I am allowed to use my alternative take on that comp for The Lost Tapes. The sequencing and choice of songs are 80% Pattch82 so all props to him; I replaced a few songs that I felt was essential to Pun's catalouge, replaced the same songs with versions in higher bitrate and added my own cover art. You can check out Pattch82's version of "Rhyming Abomination" here where he also give a nice rundown of the tracks he chose, where they come from and why he wanted to include them. Ok, so here goes the third collaboration between  The Lost Tapes and Pattch82 so ENJOY!

01. "Watch Out" (w. Fat Joe, Armageddon & Keith Nut)

02. "Fire Water" (w. Fat Joe, Raekwon & Armageddon)

03. "Off The Books" (w. The Beatnuts & Cuban Link)

04. "Wishful Thinking" (w. Fat Joe, Kool G Rap & B-Real)

05. "Triplets" (w. Fat Joe)

06. "Block Party" (w. Kid Capri & Noreaga)

07. "Ice Cream Freestyle (Let 'Em Know)" (w. Fat Joe)

08. "Whatcha Gon' Do"

09. "Dramacide" (w. Kool G Rap & X-Ecutioners)

10. "Best Behavior" (D.I.T.C. w. Big Pun & Fat Joe)

11. "My World"

12. "Speed Of Life Freestyle" (w. Fat Joe)

13. "Symphony 2000" (w. Truck Turner, Kool G Rap & KRS-One)

14. "Toe 2 Toe" (w. Cuban Link)

15. "Fantastic Four" (DJ Clue pres. Big Pun, Canibus, Cam'ron & Noreaga)

16. "The Foundation" (Tony Touch pres. Big Pun, DeShawn & Rief-Hustle)

17. "Thug Brothers" (w. Noreaga)

18. "Drop It Heavy" (w. KRS-One & Show & AG)

19. "Bring 'Em Back" (w. Terror Squad & Big L)

BIG PUN - "RHYMING ABOMINATION"

The Making of Big Pun's "Capital Punishment"

Another great XXL Mag article was the 9-page spread given to the track-by-track breakdown of The Making of "Capital Punishment" in their March 2004 issue. As the other articles in the Making of... series, it includes interesting quotes from the people behind the project, describing their involvement in the respective songs. Fat Joe is of course a part of it, as is JuJu/The Beatnuts, RZA, Armageddon, Infinite Arkatectz (remember them?), Young Lord, Inspectah Deck, Prodigy, Sean C and more. 

If you're a fan of Big Punisher's debut album, and I can't really see how you couldn't be, this is essential reading that will undoubtly make you hit play on "Beware" and let it run. To me, "Capital Punishment" is a rap classic that stood the test of time although I do make a few adjustments to the tracklist when uploading it to the iPod. While I love the original Minnesota take on "I'm Not A Player", I just can't stand the mess that is its sequel and pushed the incredible Showbiz laced, Kool G-Rap/B-Real/Fat Joe featuring "Wishful Thinking" off the LP. Besides that switch I only get rid of most of the skits except for the one with Dead Prez and the musical intermissions but otherwise this album warrants front-to-back play and repeated listens.

To not take up too much space on the blog's front page I decided to upload all the scans in a .rar file for y'all to download instead of putting each separate page here. These scans is something I've been having on my computer for the longest and are not my scans, if anyone feel they deserve the credit for this let me know and I'll give you a mention. Download below:

XXL'S "THE MAKING OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT"