Big Pun

Early life in the Bronx

Big Pun was born Christopher Lee Rios on November 10, 1971, in the South Bronx, New York City, to Puerto Rican parents. He grew up in the Soundview section of the Bronx alongside his siblings. He moved out of his mother's home at 15 and spent a period of the late 1980s without a stable place to live.

Full-A-Clips and early rhymes

Rios began writing lyrics in the late 1980s. He formed an underground crew called Full-A-Clips with Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz and Toom, first rapping under the name Big Moon Dawg before settling on Big Punisher, later shortened to Big Pun. His dense, multisyllabic rhyme style and breath control became his signature, and they were already his calling card at the underground level.

Meeting Fat Joe

In 1995 he met fellow Bronx rapper Fat Joe, who brought him into his circle. Pun made his commercial recording debut on Fat Joe's second album, Jealous One's Envy (1995), on the track "Watch Out." He also drew attention with a guest verse on The Beatnuts' "Off the Books." Those appearances built a buzz around him in New York before he had a solo release.

Loud Records and Capital Punishment

In 1997 Pun signed with Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions and Loud Records. His first single, "I'm Not a Player," reached No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. His debut album, Capital Punishment, followed on April 28, 1998. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The remix "Still Not a Player," featuring R&B singer Joe and produced by Knobody, became his biggest hit, reaching No. 24 on the Hot 100.

Capital Punishment was certified platinum by the RIAA, making it the first hip hop album by a Latino solo artist to reach that mark. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, where Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life won. The album featured guests including Black Thought, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, Noreaga, Prodigy and Inspectah Deck, with production from RZA, Rockwilder, Showbiz, Knobody and others.

Terror Squad

Pun was the most prominent member of Terror Squad, the Bronx collective led by Fat Joe. The group released Terror Squad: The Album on Atlantic in September 1999, and Pun led its single "Whatcha Gon' Do." The same year he appeared with Fat Joe on Jennifer Lopez's debut single "Feelin' So Good."

Death

Christopher Rios died on February 7, 2000, at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York, at age 28, after a heart attack and respiratory failure. He was survived by his wife and three children.

Posthumous releases

His second studio album, Yeeeah Baby, was released on April 4, 2000, two months after his death. It debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 179,000 copies in its first week, and produced the singles "It's So Hard," featuring Donell Jones, and "100%," featuring Tony Sunshine. Sources differ on its certification (gold vs. platinum). Loud followed with Endangered Species on April 3, 2001, a compilation of unreleased tracks, guest appearances and hits that reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Its single "How We Roll" featured a then-new R&B singer, Ashanti.

Legacy

Pun is widely remembered as one of the most technically skilled rappers of his era and as a milestone for Latino artists in hip hop. Rolling Stone later ranked Capital Punishment No. 128 on its list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. On March 22, 2021, the intersection of East Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx was co-named Big Pun Plaza in his honor. He is also credited with discovering Remy Ma, who later joined Terror Squad.