Drink Champs · The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts

#Throwback Episode - w/ The Beatnuts | (Ep.77)

April 1, 2026·1 hr 23 min·5 clips

The Beatnuts say 'Off the Books' was the record that made Pun 'break' and get signed.

1. Drink Champs with The Beatnuts centers on Corona, Queens, and the records that linked the group to Big Pun. 2. N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN host Juju and Psycho Les, who are described as Beatnuts members with roots in Corona and the Violator/Relativity era. 3. The episode asks how 'Off the Books' became the record that changed Pun's visibility and why the Beatnuts matter in Queens hip-hop. 4. The guests name 'Intoxicated Demons' as their first record in 1993 and place Pun on a Beatnuts record in 1997 on the 'Stone Crazy' album. 5. They trace the group back to Chris Lighty and Violator, then connect that history to Relativity and the wider Native Tongue scene. 6. The conversation returns to 'Off the Books' and the claim that Pun's verse on that song was the first one that made noise. 7. N.O.R.E. argues that the record is the one that made Pun get signed, while the Beatnuts say the track came from mutual respect rather than label strategy. 8. The guests describe choosing between two beats, including one called 'Robbed and Stole,' before driving to the Bronx so Pun could decide. 9. Pun reportedly says, 'If we do this one, we're going to blow up,' and the group follows that choice. 10. The Beatnuts explain that they recorded the project at home in an apartment instead of spending the label budget on a studio. 11. One memorable detail is the chorus line built from notebook writing: 'It's off the hook this year' and 'We getting mad money off the books this year.' 12. The group says Pun was good at endings, because he finished the line with 'Ain't nothing but crooks in here.' 13. N.O.R.E. keeps emphasizing that the record 'made noise,' and the guests push back by calling themselves catalysts rather than the whole reason. 14. The episode also revisits the broader Beatnuts influence on Latino women, touring energy, and the culture around their shows. 15. N.O.R.E. mentions that the show gives 'flowers when they can smell them' and 'trees when they get in the house,' framing the discussion as a salute. 16. The guests and hosts revisit a dispute about whether Jennifer Lopez's 'Jenny on the Block' borrowed from a Beatnuts idea, with the group saying the sample and concept were used without credit. 17. The tone is loose, loud, and heavily improvised, with interruptions, jokes, and repeated commands to 'relax.' 18. The format is a drink-heavy interview that keeps turning personal memories into hip-hop history. 19. Fans of late-1990s Queens rap and Big Pun history will get the most from it. 20. Listeners wanting a structured, low-chaos interview may skip it.

As heard by us

A sample dispute about credit, influence, and who really got there first.

This throwback centers on a sample dispute, a later record that used the same sample, and the fight over credit that comes with being first to the idea.

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Why you'd press play

Hear the Beatnuts hash out sample politics, credit, and who really bit what.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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