Big Pun's debut full length back on double vinyl! Everybody knows Pun could rock a party track, but that fact kind of overshadows the more interesting truth that he was one of only a handful of MCs that should be called “gifted lyricists.” "Dead in the middle of little italy, little did we know that we riddled two middle men who didn't know diddley"... damn Pun! Seriously, what a fucking rhyme scheme. That’s from "Twinz," where him and his mentor Fat Joe burn up the "Deep Cover" beat with a combined 900 pounds of lyrical butane. Of course everyone knows the hits "I'm Not A Player" and "Still Not A Player," but really the album is packed with so much more that showcase Pun's insane lyrical abilities. Also features tons of NY contemporaries on mic and beat duties including Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), Busta Rhymes, Black Thought, RZA, Ju-Ju (of the Beatnuts), Noreaga, and many more.

• 25th anniversary edition
• split colored double vinyl pressing
• housed in gatefold jacket w/ individually numbered obi strip
• limited edition of 2000
• original release year: 1998
• music label: Get On Down 2023

reviewed by Von Bee 08/2015