Christopher Lee Rios popularly known by his stage name Big Pun was an American rapper who’s rightly considered has one of the best ever. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx district of New York City in the early 1990s, he was the first Latino rapper to have a platinum album as a solo act. He first appeared has a feature on Fat Joe's second album "Jealous One's Envy" in 1995, and the second album from The Beatnuts "Stone Crazy in 1997” prior to him signing to Loud Records as a solo artist.
Early life
Rios was born on Nov 10, 1971 in The Bronx, New York City, USA, to parents of Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in the South Bronx area of the city. At the age of five, Rios broke his leg while playing in a park. By all accounts from Pun's family, his early years were very hard, including witnessing his mother's drug abuse and the death of his father.
Music career
Career Beginnings 1992-1996
During the mid-1980s, he began writing rap lyrics. Later he formed the underground rap group called Full-A-Clips with rappers, Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz and Toom. Rios made several recordings with the group in the early 90s, which are not released. At this point, Rios was operating under the alias Big Moon Dawg. After changing the alias to Big Punisher, Rios met fellow Puerto Rican and Bronx rapper Fat Joe in 1995 and made his commercial debut on the second album by Fat Joe Jealous One's Envy He also appeared on The Beatnuts' song "Off the Books"
Big Pun and Fat Joe Relationship
Fat Joe and Big Pun were seemingly on the verge of ruling the rap landscape, best friends, and fellow musicians-in-arms. That ended when Pun was taken from this earth early in 2000. Some say that death has the power to connect, but in the case of Joe and Pun's family, a gap has emerged in the aftermath of the tragic loss, one that has resulted in unkind words, alleged broken promises and even lawsuits.
Capital Punishment
Pun was a member of The Terror Squad, a formidable rap crew that included rapper's Armageddon, Remi Marin, Fat Joe and Triple Seis. April 28th 1998 is a monumental date in hip hop history, the date Big Pun released his debut solo album and blessed us with Capital Punishment. Capital Punishment debuted to rave reviews, earning platinum status - the first for a Latino rapper - and cemented the young Bronx native has a true hip-hop legend. On this album Pun displays his phenomenal lyrical ability and song diversity. Backed up by features by hip hop icons like Mob Deep and Black Thought and with the likes of Rza and Premo on the production, it’s easy to see why Capital Punishment received the much coveted five mic review in the Source Magazine and reached platinum status.
His next album, Yeah Baby, was scheduled for release in April 2000. Unfortunately, Pun would never see the release of his second album. On February 7, 2000, Christopher "Big Pun" Rio suffered a fatal heart attack, his weight had ballooned to nearly 700 pounds. In an interview last year with Music Choice, Joe detailed his struggle with depression following the passing of his best friend. …No doubt the life of Big Pun was ground breaking. Two decades since Big Pun first burst on the scene his rhymes and songs are still a potent force that can match anything the has come along ever since. What more can be said.
R.I.P Big Pun
"Capital Punishment"
(feat. Prospect)
[Big Pun]
It's mine; it's all mine you understand?
At least me and my peoples
Can you dig that?
21st century -- thought I'd never see it
Right around the corner, baby
Ours for the taking
[Verse one: Big Pun]
Yo; I've seen child blossom to man,
some withered and turned to murderers
Led astray by the liars death glorifiers observin us
Watching us close, marketing host is here to purchase, purposely overtaxin the earnings
Nervous, burning down the churches
They're scared of us, rather beware than dare to trust
Throw us in jail, million dollar bail, left there to rust
Let's call in order, give ourselves a chance to enhance broader
Advance to where minorities are the majority voter
Holdin my own, I'm livin alone in this cold world
My sister just bought a home without a loan, you go girl!
She's an exception, some people can leap to the impression
See, me myself, I start flippin and fall victim to deep depression
I'm stressin the issue here, so we can cross the fiscal year
Tired of gettin fired and hired as a pistol-eer
There's no longevity living off negativity
Fuck it, I'd rather sell reefer than do pizza delivery
That's how the city be, everybody gettin they hustle on
Judge singin death penalty like it's his favorite fuckin song
Word is bond, takin my life you know they lovin it
God 'F' the government and it's fuckin capital punishment!
[Chorus: Prospect]
Capital punishment, given by the government
System so organized they get to you and who you runnin with
Can't live alone, watch for the spies and tapped phones
Totin the llello for life, the rightful heir to the throne
We come from Kings and Queens, people with dreams, Gods and Earths
For what it's worth, we benefit the Earth with infinite worth
First it's turnin tables, open our own labels
Disable the Republicans, then reverse capital punishment
[Verse Two: Big Pun]
I've seen it all up close, shit out the movies you'd be buggin
My cousin JuJe, barely a juve', lost it and turned on the oven
He wasn't playin, blew out the flame and started inhalin
Barin a secret too deep to keep on the street for sharin
Wearin the virus, Acquired Immune Deficiency
Dishin his dick in every thick promiscuous fish in the sea
Listen to me, shit is rough in the ghetto
You bluff, blow your head off, fuck a snuff, we bust lead off!
Get off your high horse, or die off like an extinction
Boriquans are like Mohicans, +The Last of the Po'Ricans+
We need some unity, fuck all the jeeps and jewelry
The maturity, keeps me six feet, above obscurity
The streets are deadly and everybody's a desperado
I guess the motto we promise to let you homage in death your motto
Like Zorro, I mark my territory with a symbol
Not with a Z, but a P, cause Punishment's what I resemble!
I lend you this if it expands yours, for you and yours
A real man can't fall, he stands tall
The Man's claws are diggin in my back, I'm tryin to hit him back
Time to counteract, where my niggaz at?
[Chorus]
[Verse Three: Prospect]
You like that, it's Pun and Prospect
We hold nines, own more treasure than gold mines, makin progress
With Don Juan's, there's rules to be made, crews to be sprayed
Dues to be paid, nuttin y'all can do to behave
We laid in the slums, made a cake out of crumbs
Even though the government, tryin to take out our sons
Rudy Gulliani trying to blind me, but I see reality
Was raised with the street mentallity
My strategy's why my battery never die
The ghetto kept me wise, so I would never fall to the lies
It's no surprise, but do or die if you want the glamour
Yeah, I want the glamour, laid up with cheese and trees in Atlanta
While Cuban's smoked out like Ronald Isley with Havanas
The hammer in the palm, never shaky, calm handlers
This renegade blow through barricades like grenades
I turn the sun to shade, then the night back to day
Like the twenty-four hour rotation
I know the location, it's just a little in-for-mation
From the Squad, bringing the Terror for the nine-era
And let it rain on your fine leather, nigga, what?
123___BIG PUN – Hip Hop Giant
– One Stop Hip Hop UK___123___