Cipha Sounds Presents: The 75 Greatest Tunnel Bangers

Songs that used to make the club go wild.

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Complex Original

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Tunnel banger (noun) Circa 1994-2000, a record—often hardcore and aggressive—that whipped the crowd into a frenzy during the prime-time hour after 1 a.m. at the NYC club's Sunday-night party.

To truly understand the definition of a "Tunnel banger," you first need to know about The Tunnel itself. Peter Gatien's NYC nightclub was a hotspot for house music and techno in the early '90s, but it wasn't until the creation of a Sunday-night party called "Mecca" that the Tunnel would cement its place in hip-hop lore. When Funkmaster Flex took over the party's prime-time slot—roughly 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.—in the mid-'90s, the "Tunnel banger" was born.

So what was the Tunnel like on a Sunday night? As Flex's warm-up DJ (along with Big Kap), Cipha Sounds was there for it all. The crowd? "The thugs, the drug dealers, the fucking jail dudes. Even the security guards were hustlers," says Ciph. The mood? "It wasn't a 'dance' club, people weren't really dancing," he says. "But records would just make people go crazy, hands in the sky, jumping." And the music? "The records you would not hear at any other club because they were too hard," says Ciph.

"Street records, which would usually just be album cuts, became their own genre." Yep: Tunnel bangers. This all sound kinda crazy? Well, it was—the Tunnel was shut down nearly every year because of violence, and eventually closed for good in 2001. All that remains are the memories...and the music. With a Flex co-sign, Cipha Sounds went back to the good ol' days—when hardcore rap and NYC still mattered—for this epic countdown of The 75 Greatest Tunnel Bangers. Now take your shoes off and get in a single-file line...

As told to Donnie Kwak (@KwakaFlocka

RELATED: The Oral History of The Tunnel
RELATED: Interview: Notorious Club Owner Peter Gatien Talks About The "Limelight" Documentary & Hip-Hop's Best Party Ever

75. LL Cool J "Doin' It" (1996)

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Producer: Rashad Smith
Album: Mr. Smith
Label: Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "First of all, the video was shot in the Tunnel. It's one of the very few, quote-unquote 'soft' or 'not-so-hard' records that ripped. The reaction that the record received in the Tunnel is why they shot it there."

74. Tha Alkaholiks "Likwit"/"Only When I'm Drunk" (1993)

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Producer: E-Swift, Tha Alkaholiks
Album: 21 & Over
Label: Loud, RCA

Cipha Sounds: "One of the last of the Mohicans of underground hip-hop. A lot of West Coast stuff ripped in the Tunnel, but this is one of the biggest ones that wasn't straight-up gangsta music. Even though this record came out in '93, it was late to the Tunnel."

73. Method Man & Redman "How High" (1995)

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Producer: Erick Sermon
Album: The Show Soundtrack
Label: Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "The remix is the one that me, Flex, Big Kap, and DJ Riz all used to play—the one from the video. One night Doo Wop came and played the original version and it fuckin' ripped. And we were all like, What?!? That side rips?? The remix is the one that led to their collabo album and them working together."

72. Canibus "Second Round K.O." (1998)

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Producer: Wyclef Jean, Jerry Wonder, Canibus
Album: Can-I-Bus
Label: Universal

Cipha Sounds: "The part that everyone felt when he really shut down LL was when he said, 'The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.' And that was the perfect time to drop a Biggie record. Flex would bring that part back and play different Biggie records. Sidebar: That's when battle records kind of started to come back. The LL response, which was over the 'Ain't No Nigga' beat, didn't really catch on because Wyclef was begging Flex not to play it any more because they settled the beef."

71. Ruff Ryders f/ Sheek Louch & Big Pun "Pi̱a Colada" (1999)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: Ryde or Die Vol. 1
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "In a weird way, it was probably one of Pun's biggest records in the Tunnel—that and 'Banned From TV.' And I'm sure Sheek made the record with Pun to bag more Puerto Rican girls."

70. Redman "I'll Bee Dat" (1998)

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Producer: Rockwilder
Album: Doc's da Name 2000
Label: Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "This is one of Flex's and Big Kap's favorite records, and Red actually shouts out Big Kap on the record [1:05], so that part used to get cut up for like 20 minutes straight."

69. Sporty Thievz "Cheapskate (You Ain't Gettin' Nada)" (1998)

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Producer: Ski Beatz
Album: Street Cinema
Label: Ruffhouse, Columbia

Cipha Sounds: "Technically, this is like a girl record. This record used to make girls mad in the Tunnel 'cause dudes would get right in their face singing the hook."

68. Tha Alkaholiks f/ Ol' Dirty Bastard "Hip Hop Drunkies" (1997)

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Producer: E-Swift, Marley Marl
Album: Likwidation
Label: Loud

Cipha Sounds: "Another example of how Flex loved old-school samples, because they sampled the intro of the video version of 'The Symphony."

67. Ja Rule "Holla Holla" (1999)

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Producer: Irv Gotti, Tyrone Fyffe
Album: Venni Vetti Vecci
Label: Murder Inc., Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "It's just a classic call-and-response Tunnel banger. And Ja Rule's biggest hit, Tunnel-wise."

66. Mary J. Blige "I'm Goin' Down" (1994)

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Producer: Chucky Thompson, Puff Daddy
Album: My Life
Label: Uptown

Cipha Sounds: "It was perfect to play after 'The What,' Biggie and Method Man. It's probably my favorite Mary record of all time."

65. Ruff Ryders f/ Snoop Dogg, Yung Wun, Scarface & Jadakiss "WW III" (2000)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: Ryde or Die Vol. 2
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "The last verse, Jadakiss' verse, was the main one. Most of the time when we played this, we went straight to the Jadakiss verse. When he says 'New Year's Eve,' everybody used to put their gun fingers up and buck in the air."

64. The LOX "Breathe Easy" (2000)

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Producer: P. Killer Trackz
Album: We Are The Streets
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "Another classic Tunnel banger. When the Lox got off of Bad Boy, they were making straight-up all-street records. The 'No More Shiny Suit' era. Timbalands, Yankee hats. Dudes would be in the club rocking tank tops."

63. Jermaine Dupri f/ Jay-Z "Money Ain't a Thang" (1998)

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Producer: Jermaine Dupri
Album: Life in 1472
Label: So So Def, Roc-A-Fella

Cipha Sounds: "Jermaine Dupri used to do a set at the Tunnel whenever he was in town. When he performed this record, it was one of the biggest nights at the Tunnel, crowd-wise. When Jay-Z came out, there were people hanging off the pipes in the ceiling to see the stage."

62. Redman "Pick It Up (Remix)" (1997)

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61. Crooklyn Clan "N.Y.S. Anthem" (1995)

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60. Mary J. Blige f/ Smif-N-Wessun "I Love You (Remix)" (1995)

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59. The Notorious B.I.G. f/ Puff Daddy & Mase "Mo Money, Mo Problems" (1997)

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Producer: Stevie J, Puff Daddy
Album: Life After Death
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "One of Biggie's biggest hits, this was the second single off of Life After Death. But it felt like Ma$e's first single. Ma$e used to come on the road with Lil' Kim when I was touring with her and this would be the biggest record he would perform at that time."

58. Mobb Deep "Survival of the Fittest" (1995)

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Producer: Havoc
Album: The Infamous
Label: Loud

Cipha Sounds: "There's something off-beat about that record. It's like off-measure. Me and Riz used to hate it because of that, but it's just a classic Tunnel record. The transition from 'Shook Ones' to this was seamless. 'Shook Ones' lasted a certain amount of time, and when this came out, this just took 'Shook Ones' spot like it never went away."

57. Lost Boyz "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz" (1995)

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Producer: Easy Mo Bee
Album: Legal Drug Money
Label: Uptown, Universal


Cipha Sounds: "That wasn't even the single—it was the B-side to 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless'—but it just fucking took off."

56. Black Rob f/ The LOX "Can I Live" (2000)

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Producer: Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie
Album: Life Story
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "The original version was on the Lox sampler tape cassette done by the Madd Rapper. Black Rob wasn't on it. They couldn't clear the sample in time, so that's why it wasn't on the Lox album. Sidebar: This is my favorite Sheek verse of all time. And he knows it because every time I see him I recite this verse to him."

55. The Firm f/ Dr. Dre "Phone Tap" (1997)

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Producer: Dr. Dre, Chris "The Glove" Taylor
Album: The Album
Label: Aftermath, Interscope, MCA

Cipha Sounds: "One of the hardest beats in the Tunnel. Dre doing East Coast records was long overdue. Ripped."

54. Master P f/ Mia X "Bout It Bout It II" (1996)

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Producer: Beats By The Pound
Album: Ice Cream Man
Label: No Limit, Priority

Cipha Sounds: "At the time when Flex was playing this, the only people who reacted were literally the dudes that used to hustle drugs down South. They'd come to New York and they'd go down South to sell. We used to call them 'I-95ers.' It'd be like 200 people reacting to this record. To the regular customers, it sounded like straight noise. But the hustlers down South, they saw how this record really got reaction. From there, it just grew and it spread. And the I'm Bout It movie came out, and that's how it blew up."

53. Jay-Z f/ The LOX, Beanie Sigel & Sauce Money "Reservoir Dogs" (1998)

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Producer: Rockwilder
Album: Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "A classic posse-cut record, reminiscent of the old-school 'Live at the Barbecue'-type records. It used to get played to the end. And Jay-Z referenced 'E-ZPass' before anyone else. Sidebar: It says produced by Erick Sermon, but it was actually produced by Rockwilder. 'Do It Again' was officially Rockwilder's first big Tunnel record, but he told us he did 'Reservoir.' Erick told him they could get more money if he put his name on it."

52. Mobb Deep f/ Raekwon & Nas "Eye for a Eye (Your Beef is Mines)" (1995)

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51. Total f/ The Notorious B.I.G. "Can't You See" (1995)

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Producer: Puff Daddy, Rashad Smith
Album: New Jersey Drive Soundtrack
Label: Tommy Boy, Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "One of Biggie's first things he did after his album came out. It was a seamless move after his album and into his next singles, and then into Junior Mafia."

50. Shyne f/ Barrington Levy "Bad Boyz" (2000)

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Producer: EZ Elpee
Album: Shyne
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "I remember a classic argument between Flex and Big Kap. It was our first night back after the Tunnel had shut down for a bit, and it was one of the Roc-A-Fella nights. They were arguing about which record was bigger: 'Bad Boyz' or 'My Mind Right' by Memphis Bleek. What was gonna be the first record back? In the booth at the time was Jay-Z, Dame Dash, Memph Bleek, DJ Clue, Rockwilder, and DJ Twinz, who produced the Bleek record. The Twinz helped convince Flex that 'Mind Right' was the bigger record. Sidebar: The DJ booth at the Tunnel could've been its own club—it had its own speakers, it was so loud in there."

49. Lil' Kim f/ Jay-Z & Lil' Cease "Big Momma Thang" (1996)

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Producer: Stretch Armstrong
Album: Hard Core
Label: Undeas, Big Beat

Cipha Sounds: It was like a ladies' anthem but it wasn't a soft ladies' anthem, it was hardcore. Women were talking as hard as the dudes were. Super-sexy, how she was talking. Girls would just scream these lyrics."

48. DMX f/ Mase & The LOX "Niggaz Done Started Something" (1998)

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Producer: Dame Grease
Album: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
Label: Ruff Ryders, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "This was technically a Murda Mase record. It's another record that was on a bootleg vinyl. This record was big in Harlem. I think McGruff was on the original, too. This is a quintessential Tunnel record because it would definitely not play anywhere else. A street anthem. Like, how could you dance to this?"

47. The Firm f/ Noreaga "I'm Leaving" (1997)

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Producer: Trackmasters
Album: The Album
Label: Aftermath, Interscope, MCA

Cipha Sounds: "This is back when the Trackmasters were running the Tunnel. I broke that record in the Tunnel. Album cut off The Firm. I was a huge Nore fan—me and him did a lot of things together back in the days. This is one of my favorite joints off The Firm album, it was so random. I definitely got the 'shoulder' on this record. When me or Kap would play certain records—like an early version or a brand-new joint—sometimes we'd get the 'shoulder.' Flex would put his hand on your shoulder and say, 'Don't play that next week.' Or he'd just literally take your record and stick it in his crate. We were the testers."

46. Nas f/ Puff Daddy "Hate Me Now" (1999)

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Producer: D-Moet, Pretty Boy, Trackmasters
Album: I Am...
Label: Columbia

Cipha Sounds: "I don't know why, but it was one of Flex's favorite records. He would just play it over and over and over. Just an anthem."

45. Jay-Z f/ Foxy Brown "Ain't No Nigga" (1996)

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Producer: Jaz-O
Album: Reasonable Doubt
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Priority

Cipha Sounds: "That was Jay-Z's first big Tunnel hit. Big Kap broke that record in the Tunnel. He got the 'shoulder.' It has the male-female, 'back-and-forth' thing."

44. The Murderers "We Don't Give a Fuck" (2000)

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43. The Notorious B.I.G. "Ten Crack Commandments" (1997)

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Producer: DJ Premier
Album: Life After Death
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "Obviously, huge record, because the Tunnel was definitely full of drug dealers. The reason why it was big to me was because it was originally an Angie Martinez 'Top 5 at 9' promo with Jeru rapping. She used to play it on the radio every night, and when Biggie heard it, he wanted it. If you listen to the song and you hear Premier's scratches, the numbers in the background, it stops at '5' and then he starts over at '1' and then he goes straight to '9'—'cause it's a 'Top 5 at 9' promo. This is when I was real underground, and I was like, 'How could they steal that from Jeru!' Angie says she has the original on a DAT in her closet but she won't look for it for me."

42. Jay-Z "So Ghetto" (1999)

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Producer: DJ Premier
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "This was like the perfect cross between underground and commercial hip-hop at the time. It was the definitely the biggest Premier/Jay-Z collabo as far as the Tunnel is concerned."

41. The Notorious B.I.G. "Real Niggaz Do Real Things" (1996)

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40. Case f/ Foxy Brown "Touch Me, Tease Me" (1996)

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Producer: Darryl Young, Kenny Kornegay
Album: Case
Label: Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "Another R&B record with a hard hip-hop beat, a classic sample. You would see thugs singing along to this song. It was the Bad Boy era—everything was flossy, mink coats, bottles of champagne."

39. Ruff Ryders f/ Jadakiss & Styles P "Dope Money" (1999)

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Producer: P. Killer Trackz
Album: Ryde or Die Vol. 1
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "This Ruff Ryders album ripped in the Tunnel. A classic, classic Styles and Jadakiss back-and-forth record. And I always wondered why Sheek wasn't on these records. I used to ask him all the time, 'Why are you not on these records?' He'd say: 'Nah, you know, whatever, daddy...'"

38. Ruff Ryders f/ Jadakiss "Kiss of Death" (1999)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: Ryde or Die Vol. 1
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "This shit was like one of the Tunnel records that's what I call a head-nod record. Early Swizz Beatz. You know the Lox used to diss Swizz Beatz. He was Dee's nephew, and he was just always hanging around. They treated him like a kid that was hanging around, they wouldn't really listen to his beats. Then he came back and smacked them in the face. I think what did it for him was 'Banned from TV.' When that shit took off, they were like, 'Hey, that's our guy.'"

37. Craig Mack f/ The Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J & Busta Rhymes "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)" (1994)

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Producer: Easy Mo Bee
Album: N/A
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "It was Craig Mack's record but everybody treated it like it was Biggie's record. This is when we knew that Puffy had chosen the Bad Boy leader...and it wasn't Craig Mack."

36. The Notorious B.I.G. & 2Pac "Where Brooklyn At (Freestyle)" (1993)

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35. Puff Daddy f/ Black Rob "I Love You Baby" (1997)

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Producer: Puff Daddy, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence
Album: No Way Out
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "This record was only on the Puffy album vinyl, so the sound quality was low. The soundman used to hate when we played this record because we had to turn up the master volume but always forgot to turn it down for the next one. Flex used to bring it back to the top a million times. And Black Rob used to hop out of a Dominican gypsy cab whenever he came to the Tunnel—with two Spanish girls, every time."

34. Capone-N-Noreaga f/ Foxy Brown "Bang Bang" (2000)

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33. M.O.P. f/ Busta Rhymes, Teflon & Remy Ma "Ante Up (Remix)" (2000)

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32. Puff Daddy f/ The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes "Victory" (1997)

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Producer: Puff Daddy, Stevie J
Album: No Way Out
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "This is actually my favorite Big verse of all time. I had a version that Lil' Cease gave me with no hook and no Busta Rhymes that I used to play off a DAT tape. And finally it came out on Puffy's album. But I was playing it in the Tunnel a year early. I was playing that when Biggie was still alive."

31. Pharoahe Monch "Simon Says" (1999)

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30. Cam'ron f/ Mase "Horse & Carriage" (1998)

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Producer: Trackmasters
Album: Confessions of Fire
Label: Untertainment, Epic

Cipha Sounds: "I broke that record. I got that record 'cause Cam was with Ma$e when he came on tour with Lil Kim. Cam used to write for Junior Mafia at that time. I think Cam wrote 'Crush On You' for Cease. So after '.357' and 'Pull It' came out and Cam was making noise, he gave me 'Horse & Carriage' on a DAT, just to play it for Flex to see if Flex liked it. I told Flex not to play it on the radio, so therefore...he played it on the radio. So it got popular, and I used to play it in the Tunnel off of the DAT on my own DAT machine. Flex gave me the 'shoulder'—and I said, 'You can't give me the "shoulder" until it's on vinyl.' And I played it every week."

29. Jay-Z "Where I'm From" (1997)

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Producer: Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence
Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "Classic, straight-up Brooklyn record. This would make Brooklyn go absolutely nutso. Every time you were in trouble at the Tunnel—'cause mind you, after a half-hour of Tunnel bangers, you were getting into dangerous waters—this record would always save you. You had to be on point because it felt like you could lose your life if you didn't play what they liked. "

28. Juvenile f/ Jay-Z "Ha (Remix)" (1998)

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Producer: Mannie Fresh
Album: 400 Degreez
Label: Cash Money, Universal

Cipha Sounds: "I was on the road with Lil Kim, so when I went down South, I used to trade with DJs down there, and ask them what's the biggest record. They gave me the original 'Ha,' so I brought it up and started playing it. It started blowing up, so Flex started playing it on the radio. It got so big that Jay just jumped on it. Smart guy."

27. Raekwon "Incarcerated Scarfaces" (1995)

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Producer: RZA
Album: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Label: Loud, RCA, BMG

Cipha Sounds: "This is a Wu classic. That's also another record that was out earlier but lasted the test of time at the Tunnel. Hard drums and Raekwon just spittin'. I think that might be Raekwon's only solo song on the album. On his own album. Flex would mix this with 'Shook Ones' and 'Eye for an Eye."

26. Mobb Deep "Quiet Storm" (1999)

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Producer: Havoc
Album: Murda Muzik
Label: Loud

Cipha Sounds: "That was one of my records that I broke. I was in Soundtrack Studios and next door to me was Prodigy. The whole day, I just heard the 'White Lines' bassline over and over again. Finally I was like, what's going on in there. He told me he was working on his solo album and he played me a piece of the song—no hook, no ad-libs, just one verse. Then like, three months later, I heard it on a Clue tape, almost the exact same way. Then I found a super-random bootleg of it. And I started playing it in the Tunnel.

"Dude from Loud Records was like, 'What is this Mobb Deep record you keep playing?' He went back to his boss and said that this record was ripping at the Tunnel. Then they made it a Mobb Deep record, so they put Havoc on the hook.The demo version knocks way harder because it wasn't mixed.

"Sidebar: I took the instrumental and made 'You Will Never Find' with these kids from Toronto called In Essence. Flex was like, 'Yo, I'm not using the studio so go in there and make some shit that you think they'll sound good over.' He said only use Loud beats so he wouldn't have to clear it. So I made that and some other shit. That record is still a club banger."

25. Smif-N-Wessun "Sound Bwoy Bureill" (1995)

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Producer: Mr. Walt, DJ Evil Dee
Album: Dah Shinin'
Label: Wreck

Cipha Sounds: "Just a classic Brooklyn anthem. Even though it came out years earlier, it still rocked in this era. All that reggae shit in the beginning is just Brooklyn. If you live in Brooklyn, even if you're not West Indian, you know what that is."

24. The LOX f/ Lil' Kim & DMX "Money, Power & Respect" (1998)

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Producer: Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Jay "Waxx" Garfield
Album: Money, Power & Respect
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "The Lox were highly anticipated, and then they dropped 'If You Think I'm Jiggy' and everybody was like, 'Hmmm.' This is the record that came out afterwards and saved them. It also basically solidified DMX."

23. Smoothe Da Hustler f/ Trigger Tha Gambler "Broken Language" (1996)

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22. Cru "Pronto" (1997)

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Producer: Yogi
Album: Da Dirty 30
Label: Def Jam, Violator

Cipha Sounds: "This was the record that you might've thought wouldn't work in the Tunnel, but it ripped. Not exactly a one-hit wonder, but basically a dope hip-hop record that snuck through. Sidebar: The reaction of that record made Yogi from Cru record a song with the Lox called 'Live at the Tunnel.' It was a remake of a Love Bug Starski record called 'Live at the Disco Fever."

21. Mobb Deep "Give Up The Goods (Just Step)" (1995)

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Producer: Q-Tip
Album: The Infamous
Label: Loud, RCA, BMG

Cipha Sounds: "Would've been a bigger record in the Tunnel if it had a hook. The intro was one of the best intros ever, but no hook, so it was hard to get out of it. Mentally, you might've skipped over it."

20. Jay-Z f/ The Notorious B.I.G. "Brooklyn's Finest" (1996)

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Producer: Clark Kent
Album: Reasonable Doubt
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Priority

Cipha Sounds: "I've seen so many fights—inside and outside of the Tunnel, physical fights—about who ripped this more, Biggie or Jay-Z. Me? I don't know, it depends on your mood. Me and Jay have had long talks about this record, and it literally depends on your mood of the day. It could change every time."

19. Redman f/ K-Solo "It's Like That (My Big Brother)" (1996)

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Producer: Redman
Album: Muddy Waters
Label: Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "Another one of Flex's favorite records. It was one of Flex's favorites because it's an old-school Just Ice sample. Flex loves when people sample old-school shit and he can cut it up."

18. Ruff Ryders f/ Drag-On & Juvenile "Down Bottom" (1999)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: Ryde or Die Vol. 1
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "This was off the success of 'Ha' in the Tunnel. This was when down South first started creeping it, that down South shit. Ruff Ryders were smart, they were on top of that shit. When Juvenile was ripping in the Tunnel, they got him."

17. Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" (1997)

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Producer: KNS
Album: Make It Reign
Label: Columbia

Cipha Sounds: "This was like straight independent. I always heard of Lord Tariq 'cause he used to be on all of the Doo Wop mixtapes, but I had never heard of Peter Gunz. Big Kap used to play this before Flex got on, and I saw Flex give him the 'shoulder.' We thought it would be regional since it's about the Bronx, but it blew up nationwide."

16. Jay-Z f/ DMX "Money, Cash, Hoes" (1998)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "I remember when we first heard this, we didn't like it 'cause the piano sound was annoying. But we played it a few times, just 'cause of Jay and DMX—then it became a monster. It used to make the Tunnel erupt into a frenzy."

15. Mobb Deep "Shook Ones Pt. II" (1995)

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Producer: Havoc
Album: The Infamous
Label: Loud, RCA, BMG

Cipha Sounds: "How could it not rip in the Tunnel? Just classic. 'Shook Ones Pt. I' was actually pretty big in the Tunnel, but 'Pt. II' ripped everything."

14. The Notorious B.I.G. "Who Shot Ya?" (1995)

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Producer: Nashiem Myrick, Puff Daddy
Album: N/A
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "The quintessential Tunnel banger: Hard beat, Biggie rhyming about Brooklyn and murder, and the first official version of 'as we proceed...' This record would get played four or five times throughout the night."

13. Noreaga "Superthug"/Noreaga f/ Nature, Big Pun, Jadakiss, Styles P and Cam'ron "Banned From T.V." (1998)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz/The Neptunes
Album: N.O.R.E.
Label: Def Jam
Cipha Sounds: "I don't know how I can describe how big these records were in the Tunnel. Madman, super-energy, plus the introduction of the Neptunes and Swizz Beatz. These are perfect records. Made the Neptunes. Made Swizz Beatz. Classic Jadakiss and Styles back-and-forth style. Solidified N.O.R.E. as a solo artist.

"Everybody on the song was hot—Nature was the least hot, but he ripped it. Sidebar: Pun wasn't supposed to be on 'Banned.' Pun was in the studio when N.O.R.E. was making it and he asked for 16 bars. And N.O.R.E. said, no, I got everybody on the record already. Pun wouldn't leave the studio and kept writing and just told the engineer to record him."

12. Akinyele "Put It In Your Mouth" (1996)

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Producer: Chris Forte
Album: Put It In Your Mouth EP
Label: Stress, Zoo, BMG

Cipha Sounds: "I was an Akinyele fan from before this, and when I heard it, I was like, this is wack, I don't understand why he made this record. But when I first started going to the Tunnel, my manager Jessica, who was the promoter at the Tunnel and also Flex's manager, a.k.a. Stressica (Stress Entertainment), she started managing Akinyele. And I went to the Tunnel and they played 'Put It In Ya Mouth,' and people went crazy. And I thought, really? I didn't get it. And it just became a huge hip-hop record. I was late on that."

11. Cam'ron f/ DMX "Pull It"/Cam'ron ".357" (1998)

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Producer: Dame Grease, Darrell "Digga" Branch, Lance "Un" Rivera
Album: Confessions of Fire
Label: Untertainment, Epic


Cipha Sounds: "Cam and Jimmy used to always be in the Tunnel, before they had a record out, and everybody knew who they were. I know Jim Jones from the Tunnel before he rapped at all, that's why we're close. '.357' had the Magnum P.I. beat and 'Pull It' had one of DMX's first features after 'Get At Me Dog' blew up.

"You used to play these records back to back. Where else could you hear these in a club? Both songs had no hook. [Cam's manager] Un always used to come to the Tunnel, and you can tell they kinda made these for the Tunnel. If you came to the Tunnel every week, you definitely got influenced into making these kinds of records. Everybody wanted something Flex would play. To get on Hot 97, you gotta get Flex to play it."

10. Memphis Bleek "My Mind Right" (2000)

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Producer: DJ Twinz
Album: The Understanding
Label: Get Low, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "DJ Twinz produced it and Rockwilder helped them structure it. Memphis Bleek would always get a lot of passes in the Tunnel—Roc-A-Fella was huge, he was from Brooklyn, so his records always played. But that one was like his first big Tunnel banger. 'Memphis Bleek Is...' was cool, 'What You Think of That' was cool, but 'My Mind Right' took it over the top. And Flex would play the intro for like 20 minutes straight."

9. Ruff Ryders f/ Jay-Z "Jigga My Nigga" (1999)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: Ryde or Die Vol. 1
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "A very powerful intro. It was probably one of Jay-Z's biggest Tunnel records—though it wasn't really his, it was Ruff Ryder's."

8. The LOX "Wild Out" (1999)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz
Album: We Are The Streets
Label: Ruff Ryders, Interscope

Cipha Sounds: "This record was tailor-made for the Tunnel. After the Bad Boy era and the Ruff Ryders album, that's when the Lox was the most anticipated for their next album. When they did the album release party for We Are The Streets at the Tunnel, they performed a couple of songs, then they started to do 'Wild Out' and the club went crazy.

"It was so many people wildin' out—like 2,500 people in the club—that this dude in a wheelchair was getting shook around a lot. And he was getting nervous, so he went to pull out his gun, and shot himself in the leg. We heard gunshots, like pop-pop-pop, even though the music was so loud. Once we heard the gunshots, everybody started running. And that shut down the Tunnel for a couple of months."

7. Jay-Z f/ Beanie Sigel & Amil "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" (1999)

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Producer: Rockwilder
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "He shot the video on the block of the Tunnel. I think that album—and especially that song—might've been the first time that Jay really kinda focused on a club record. Before he just made records and they worked in the club. But this is actually like 'Put your hands up.' He's actually saying club stuff in it."

6. The Notorious B.I.G. "Hypnotize" (1997)

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Producer: Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Puff Daddy
Album: Life After Death
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "It came out and within a day or two, people in the Tunnel knew every word. Flex played it for like 45 minutes straight."

5. The Notorious B.I.G. "One More Chance" (Stay With Me Remix) (1995)

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Producer: Puff Daddy, Rashad Smith
Album: Ready to Die
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "It's a weird record, because it's not really attached to an album. I think it came out on a Bad Boy best-of years later. They just made two different remixes, and both sides used to rip. That was one of the records that lasted forever in the Tunnel. Like two or three years, as a BANGER. Prime-time record."

4. Junior M.A.F.I.A. "Get Money"/"Gettin' Money (The Get Money Remix)" (1995)

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3. DMX f/ Sheek Louch "Get at Me Dog" (1998)

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Producer: Dame Grease, PK
Album: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
Label: Ruff Ryders, Def Jam

Cipha Sounds: "The whole video was about the Tunnel. The search was like going to jail: You had to take your shoes off, your belt, everything. Some cops would come to the Tunnel with warrants for wanted people, and have photocopies of these pictures and walk up the line with the book open. You'd get inside and pay and be searched, and there'd be cops there looking at you.

"On the benches where people put their shoes on, you'd hear, 'Oh shit, I thought I was gone, yo!' Cops came into the Tunnel a few times and we had to turn the music off for half-hour as they looked for somebody. They'd get on the mic, 'So-and-so, we're looking for you. We know you're in here.' They'd get fucking booed.

"Anyway, Kap broke this record in the Tunnel. Originally it was a freestyle made specifically for a Clue tape with the Lox and DMX on it. And I think it got such a dope reaction that they then made it a record for DMX. The freestyle was on the B-side of the vinyl, so we used to play both versions."

2. Busta Rhymes "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" (1997)

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Producer: Shamelle, Buddah
Album: When Disaster Strikes...
Label: Flipmode, Elektra

Cipha Sounds: "One of the rare straight-up fun party records that ripped in the Tunnel. It was such a short record, only two verses, that Flex used to play it over and over and over. That shit used to rock in the Tunnel for like two years straight. There was a longer lifespan to records back then—less records, and less places to hear them. Sidebar: The Tunnel taught me how to read any crowd. I can go around the world, I don't care, it's not the fucking Tunnel. None of the DJs that existed now would last 10 seconds in the Tunnel!"

1. Puff Daddy & The Family f/ Lil' Kim, The LOX & The Notorious B.I.G. "It's All About the Benjamins" (1997)

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Producer: Puff Daddy, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie
Album: No Way Out
Label: Bad Boy

Cipha Sounds: "This and 'Put Your Hands' had the longest run in the Tunnel. By far, the definition of a Tunnel banger. The original vinyl was the B-side of the first pressing of 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down' and 'You'll See.' They gave it out at the Gavin Convention. But from it catching on in the Tunnel, it went from a promo B-side to a real record, so they pressed a 12".

"Then, after a year of this shit rocking every week, they decided to make it a Puffy single. And that's when they put Biggie and Kim on it, to give it a new life. This was not meant to be one of the biggest hip-hop records of all time, it was a little something to start showcasing the LOX. I heard a version with no Diddy and Styles was on it—'cause you know Styles is not on that record, to give Puffy room.

"I heard a version with Biggie rhyming over the regular Benjamins beat and another where Biggie rapped over a different Jackson 5 beat. I also heard a version where Biggie is rhyming over the Benjamins beat and the Jackson 5 beat starts in the middle of his verse.

"I heard all these from Lil' Cease, who had these cassettes from when Biggie actually laid it. Yo, Cease taught me so much about how to play in the Tunnel. I wasn't into all that street shit, I was into underground, so I listened to everything he played. I've seen this record go through changes. It definitely rocked, the way it was. I don't think Biggie ever performed the 'Benjamins' while he was alive."

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