The moment Whoo Kid crossed Big Pun

DJ Whoo Kid is a legendary New York DJ. Known for assembling and curating the hottest mixtapes on the East Coast alongside kingpins such as DJ Clue and Kayslay, he was one of the most respected DJs of the 1990s. However, before his untimely demise in 2000, Big Pun had no respect for Whoo Kid.

That said, due to his mixtapes’ power and influence on tastemaking, he often had to be careful who he featured and which tracks he played. However, on one occasion, he found himself on the wrong side of the Bronx-born Terror Squad emcee Big Pun after Whoo included a Pun diss track on his CD.

During the height of his career, Whoo Kid was focused on selling as many mix CDs as he could. However, this made him oblivious to the tensions and feuds that existed behind the scenes. In an interview with ThisIs50.com, the DJ (real name Yves Mondesir) opened up about the lead-up to his strange encounter with Big Pun.

During the mid-’90s, an industry feud between the Terror Squad and Roc-a-fella was raging, and MCs from both crews were taking aim at each other on tracks. Although its origins are still unknown, it is rumoured to have begun following an altercation at the Manhattan hotspot, Club Carbon.

Following this, overt and subliminal diss records got thrown back and forth. However, unaware of the beef, Mondesir unknowingly selected a diss track from Sauce Money to feature on one of his mixtapes. With Big Pun as its main target, the Terror Squad lyricist (real name Christopher Rios) called Mondesir to address the situation.

Recalling the series of events that followed, Whoo Kid explained, “Pun calls me to meet him in Harlem, and here I am thinking I’m talking to the promoter. I get to Harlem to meet in front of the Apollo and get $1,000…I’m waiting and waiting. And I finally see a Benz with a Spanish kid in it.”

The driver, who was an associate of Rios, drove Mondesir to the impoverished Bronx neighbourhood of Castle Hill to meet Pun and his friends inside a van armed with submachine guns and pistols. The DJ detailed how Rios got straight to the point about how he was unhappy with the record.

Mondesire explained, “Pun said, ‘This record right here has the Latin Kings laughing at me.’ That’s why you’re here. It’s not because I want to rip your head off. It’s because you got me looking crazy. And in the streets, I’m respected by the Latin Kings.”

Called ‘Middle Finger U,’ the diss track spread like wildfire, and many have since accused Pun of kidnapping Mondesir that day. As he spoke to Whoo Kid, Rios stood over him while he gripped an Uzi. Whoo Kid recognised the emcee’s power in the Bronx as a respected gangster.

Looking back at that day, Mondesir stated, “What I learned is that Big Pun was the real gangster out of the whole Terror Squad shit. There’s a reason why their name was Terror Squad. Pun really went out there and did the shit…after they met me, Pun ran up in Roc-a-fella’s offices and did his thing.” You can hear the full interview in the video below.