Throwbacks: G-Dep - Special Delivery

When EZ Elpee handed G. Dep the instrumental for "Special Delivery," Bad Boy Entertainment caught lightning in a bottle for the winter of 2001. Released on November 20 as the final single from his debut *Child of the Ghetto*, the record bounces with pure kinetic energy. G. Dep attacks the rhythm with a jagged flow that cuts right through Elpee's heavy synth lines. Harve Pierre, Mario Winans, and Sean Combs stepped in for additional production, but the core of this track is just Dep and Elpee putting in work.

The Nick Quest-directed music video captured that raw movement perfectly. "Special Delivery" peaked at number 3 on the Hot Rap Songs chart but completely missed the Billboard Hot 100. That chart failure is honestly baffling considering you couldn't walk down a block in Brooklyn without hearing it blast from a passing car. It remains the last truly great, unapologetically fun street anthem of the early 2000s Bad Boy era. Check it out below.