A Day to Remember: Big Pun

     On this faithful day February 7, in the year 2000, we lost Christopher Rios, also known as Big Punisher. Some come into tears remembering the impact Big Pun had, especially with the Hispanic community. Big pun grow up in the South side of the Bronx, where life was not easy growing up. Witnessing his drug abuse mom and his father dying at a early age, some might say, lead to him dropping out of high school.

     During the 80s, Big Pun began to write some rhymes, eventually forming the Full-A-Clip crew, including Triple Seis and Lyrical assassin(now known as Cuban Link). Big pun later on met another Puerto Rican , Bronx rapper by the name Fat Joe. Is was too long until Big Pun made his commercial debut on Fat Joe's album Jealous One's Envy. Afterwards Big Pun released "I'm Not a Player" which instantly became an underground hit. In 1998 Big Pun released Capital Punishment and it became the first album by a solo Latino rapper to go platinum and was also nominated for a Grammy. Yeeeah Baby, Pun's second album, was not as successful, but still went platinum. In his later years he became a member of Terror Squad, a rap group founded by Fat Joe. Terror Squad released their debut album The Album in 1999.

   

  Big Pun struggled with his weight most of his life. He tried losing weight, but quit and reverted to gaining more weight. On February 7, 2000, while staying with his family at a Crowne Plaza Hotel, Big Pun suffered a fatal heart attack and respiratory failure. Pun was pronounced dead at the hospital after the paramedics could not revive him. He was cremated and his second album was released two months later. Now they're murals dedicated to Big Pun all around the South Bronx. On this day we remember Big Pun, may your soul rest in peace.