"Off the Books" is the third single from ''

Stone Crazy ''Stone Crazy'' is the second studio album by hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released on June 24, 1997 by Relativity Records and Epic Records in later pressings. It is the first album released by The Beatnuts after rapper Fashion left the gr ...

'', a 1997 album by

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

hip hop group

The Beatnuts The Beatnuts are an American hip hop group and production duo from New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu (born Jerry Tineo on December 14, 1968) is a Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les (born Lester Fernande ...

. It was released by

Relativity Records Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his company, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metro New York. Relativity released music that covers a wide variety of musical genres. When it entered in ...

in both

12 inch 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

and CD format in 1997. The song is produced by The Beatnuts and features raps by Juju and Psycho Les, the first on-record performance by

Cuban Link Felix Delgado (born December 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Cuban Link, is a Cuban American rapper and original member of Terror Squad. Biography Delgado was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1974. He and his family emigrated to the Unite ...

, and a notable early verse from

Big Punisher Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the ea ...

. (Big Pun's first on-record performance was the B-Side to Fat Joe's "Envy" single, "Firewater" with Fat Joe, Raekwon and Armageddon.) Lyrics from Psycho Les's verse were later sampled in "The Rep Grows Bigga" by

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 20 ...

and two Beatnuts songs: "No Escapin' This" and "Slam Pit". The track's beat samples "Break that Party and Opening" by

Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the 2000s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' ( ...

, "Sign Song" by

Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 198 ...

, "Get out of My Life, Woman" by George Semper and "Hihache" by

Lafayette Afro Rock Band Lafayette Afro Rock Band was an American funk rock band formed in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York in 1970. Shortly after their formation, they relocated to France. Though little-known in their native United States during their recording period, t ...

. "Off the Books" was the most commercially successful single from ''Stone Crazy''; it reached #86 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 making it the first Beatnuts single to appear on the pop chart. Tom Doggett of RapReviews.com explains the source of the song's success: Its popularity landed it on two Beatnuts hits compilations: '' Beatnuts Forever'' and ''

Classic Nuts, Vol. 1 ''Classic Nuts, Vol. 1'' is the last of three greatest hits albums by hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released by Loud Records during its merger with Relativity on February 19, 2002. Released prior to '' The Originators'', another 2002 Beatn ...

''. It can additionally be found on the soundtracks of two films, 1998's ''Butter'' and 2001's ''Blazin, as well as Big Pun's 2001 album ''

Endangered Species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

'' and various hip hop compilation albums. An "Off the Books" music video, which highlights the lavish lives lived by each rapper, also on the video,

Angie Martinez Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, rapper, singer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York" during her two-decade tenure at New York City station HOT 97 (WQHT), she left that position in 2014 to join ...

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

appeared together at the restaurant. This video was directed by Chris Robinson.

Single track list

CD single

# "Off the Books (Album Version)" # "Off the Books (Instrumental)" # "Bless the M.I.C." # "Intermission" # "Get Funky (Remix)"

12" vinyl

A-Side

# "Off the Books (Clean Version)" (3:34) # "Off the Books (Dirty Version)" (3:34)

B-Side

# "Off the Books (T.V. Track)" (3:34) # "Off the Books (Instrumental)" (3:34) # "Off the Books (Acapella)" (3:25)

Charts

References

{{Big Pun

Off the Books "Off the Books" is the third single from ''Stone Crazy'', a 1997 album by East Coast hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released by Relativity Records in both 12 inch and CD format in 1997. The song is produced by The Beatnuts and features r ...

Big Pun songs Cuban Link songs Relativity Records singles 1997 songs