Big Pun was undoubtedly one of the most influential Hispanic rappers of the 1990s, who broke down many doors during his short but sweet career as a recording artist. Born Christopher Rios, the rapper first gained fame due to his association with Fat Joe and quickly grew in popularity. Known for his tongue-twisting rhymes and lyricism, Pun also had the reputation of being a cheeky lothario.
Akin to Remy Ma, Rios grew up in the inner city projects of Castle Hill. As an adolescent, he was inspired by other artists hailed from the Bronx, such as Rakim and KRS-One. After seeing Fat Joe break into the mainstream as a Puerto Rican from the Bronx, Rios was more convinced than ever that he could succeed as a rapper.
Desperate to enter the hip-hop world, Big Pun tracked down Fat Joe, one of the most prominent Puerto Rican rappers of the early ’90s. After successfully finding the rapper (real name José Cartagena), Rios waited for him outside one of the Bronx’s many Bodegas.
As Cartagena left, Pun approached him. He then proceeded to ask him if he could rap for him. Cartagena was so impressed by Rios, as the head of a crew, Joe made Pun the face of the Terror Squad.
Upon Fat Joe’s recommendation, Rios signed with Loud Records. In 1998 Pun released his debut album, Capital Punishment. debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and was certified as platinum by the RIAA. Furthermore, it was even nominated for a Grammy but ultimately lost to Jay-Z’s Vol 2…Hardknock Life.
Although Big Pun was a talented lyricist, he was also morbidly obese and, according to Remy Ma, had Sleep Apnea when they first met due to his obesity issues and, in 2000, passed away due to his morbid obesity. However, before his passing, Big Pun recorded a 1998 rendition of Dr Dre’s 1992 single ‘Deep Cover.’
Entitled ‘Twinz’ the track features his crewmate Fat and the hears the pair rapping back to back over a classic hip-hop beat. You can hear the acapella of the track in the video below.
