It was released by
Relativity Records in both
12 inch 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, and a notable early verse from
Big Punisher. (Big Pun's first on-record performance was on "Watch Out" a track from Fat Joe's second album
Jealous One's Envy) Lyrics from Psycho Les's verse were later sampled in "The Rep Grows Bigga" by
Gang Starr and two Beatnuts songs: "No Escapin' This" and "Slam Pit". The track's beat
samples "Break that Party and Opening" by
Melvin Van Peebles, "Sign Song" by
Buddy Baker, "Get out of My Life, Woman" by George Semper and "Hihache" by
Lafayette Afro Rock Band. "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. 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 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 and
Fat Joe appeared together at the restaurant. This video was directed by
Chris Robinson. ==Track listings==