#TBT: Five Beanie Sigel Deep Cuts That Prove He's One of the Greats

We take a look at five Beanie Sigel deep cuts in this week's Throwback Thursday installment.

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Image via Complex Original
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Beanie Sigel is underrated yet is still one of the greats. His albums aren't classics, but they have classic tracks on them. He's one of the few gangsta rappers that tell both sides of the game: the pain and the glory. His debut album, The Truth, had cuts like "Raw & Uncut" and "Mac & Brad" where the newcomer held his own with the likes of Jay Z and Scarface, respectively. His sophomore LP, The Reason, had shit like "Nothing Like It," "Get Down," "Tales of a Hustler," and "What Your Life Like 2," which cemented his place as a street legend. His third album, The B. Coming, is the closest he has to a classic with songs like "Feel It in the Air" and "Change" on it, but the buildup was overshadowed by his 2004 court case, where he was eventually acquitted. Both State Property albums are grossly underrated by the mainstream. Fuck them, though, because both those LPs are certified street classics. I'm pretty sure I caught a case because of "No Glory."

There was a period when Beans had the Roc on his back. He played the role of muscle when it came to beef with the Ruff Ryders and Nas, and he held his own. Bottom line: Beanie Sigel can rap his ass off especially when he's on some street shit, which is like 99.7 percent of the time. Sigel has been in and out of jail the last decade, and a couple days after coming home he was shot late last year. I honestly can't wait for him to get healthy and get back in the studio. Here are five Beanie deep cuts that prove he's one of the greats.

Angel Diaz is staff writer for Complex Media. Follow him @ADiaz456.

“Freestyle” (1998)

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This was one of the game's first tastes of Beanie. This track appeared on Roc-a-fella Presents: This Thing of Ours, a bonus disc that came with Jigga's Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life. This is a very rare freestyle that I run back 50 times every time I come across it. I remember hearing this when it first came out and losing my damn mind.


"Y'all scrape up for weed money and grub/Me and my man roll in a Benz for a dub/On our way to the club smoking weed out the jug/While most stay in court trying to plead with the judge"

I felt like the man whenever I copped weed in a jar because of this song.

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“1000 Bars" f/ Memphis Bleek (1999)

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After his couple placements on This Thing of Ours, Beanie popped up to give us 1,000 bars with Memphis Bleek over the "Banned From TV" beat.


"You was never known for gettin' money, nigga/You was only known for gettin' other niggas money, nigga/We ain't no joke, y'all a bunch of funny niggas/We throw that shit on...y'all a bunch of funny niggas"

Beans came on this shit like a fucking animal. The game was put on notice. "If money talk, you shouldn't utter a word."

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“Adrenaline” (1999)

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You hear that classic Scott Storch sound. That piano is filthy. This was also one of Beanie's first featured verses. He and Black Thought grew up together, were in a rap group called the Crash Crew when they were around 7 or 8 years old. Big Pun was originally supposed to be featured but got locked up due to traffic violations, and the rest is history.


"First nigga that flinch, I'mma fire 'em/Tape 'em up, grip his hands, and plier 'em/Know the bricks is in here, where you hiding 'em?/Don't die in the shit that you lying in/Used to get fronted bricks, now I'm buying 'em/Used to cop off my man, now I'm supplying him"

Beanie Sigel had arrived.

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“Free Beans” (2004)

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This song appeared on the classic Dipset mixtape Sippin' on Sizzurp Vol. 1 Getting Drunk Off Music. Beanie had just come home from one of his many charges. So who better to talk to than Smack DVD, the hood's version of 60 Minutes? He decided to give them a live version of the track because it was tearing up the streets at the time. Beanie had the house arrest bracelet on and everything. I can't wait for historians to unearth Smack and Cocaine City DVDs in the future.


"They tried to incarcerate me/I went to war with them boys in '94 so of course they hate me/Had to reinforce the door in case the law raid me/They gonna need the Task Force to take me"

I make an ugly face whenever I hear that line.

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“Who Shot Ya (Freestyle)” (2005)

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Man, that Still Public Enemy #1 tape was all kinds of fire. I miss Green Lantern tapes. Beans went straight savage on this shit. I can't even repeat some of the raps he said on here. Except for maybe the one below.


"Nigga, all you seen was the light from the heat/Mask on tight, getaway was so sweet/A buncha black smoke, dual exhaust on the Jeep/Back tires screech while they mark up the streets”

When will Beanie chill needs to be an answer on Jeopardy.

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