Big Punisher

Artist Image: Big Punisher
Attribution
Image Credit: Ernie Paniccioli (https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/faux-street-sign-feted-bronx-rapper-big-pun-article-1.1620425), CC BY-SA 4.0

Biography

Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was a Puerto-Rican American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. He first appeared on albums from The Beatnuts, on the track "Off the Books" in 1997, and on Fat Joe's second album Jealous One's Envy in 1995, on the track "Watch Out", prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Pun's lyrics are notable for technical efficiency, having minimal pauses to take a breath, heavy use of alliteration as well as internal and multi-syllabic rhyming schemes. He died from a heart attack at age 28. About.com ranked him #25 on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while MTV2 ranked him #11 on its list of the "22 Greatest MCs." In 2012, The Source ranked him #19 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. An article from The Rolling Stones Magazine states, "Pun embodied all of the traits of a master wordsmith: melody, a unique flow, an unforgettable voice, humor, and lyrics that made other MCs go back to their black and white composition notebooks."

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1997
Number of Albums 0
Record Label
Website
Wikipedia Big Punisher on Wikipedia
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Trivia

What was Big Punisher's first hit single?

I'm Not a Player

...y been dominated by AfricanAmerican artists. His first hit single, I'm Not a Player , set the stage for the release of his immensely successful 1998 fu...
What was the name of his 1998 fulllength debut?

Capital Punishment

...or the release of his immensely successful 1998 fulllength debut, Capital Punishment . The album was the first by a Latin rapper to earn doubleplatinum...
What did Big Pun's name refer to?

his great size

...ubleplatinum status for record sales. The rapper's name referred to his great size ; many MCs rapped about living large, but Big Pun was medically obes...
Big Pun died from what in 2000?

heart failure

...besehe weighed in at nearly 700 pounds at the time of his death from heart failure , in 2000. Big Pun was born Christopher Rios on November 10, 1971, i...
What year was Big Pun born?

1971

...eart failure, in 2000. Big Pun was born Christopher Rios on November 10, 1971 , in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City. He was raised in a st...
On what date was Christopher Rios born?

November 10, 1971

... from heart failure, in 2000. Big Pun was born Christopher Rios on November 10, 1971 , in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City. He was raised ...
In what neighborhood of New York City was he raised?

South Bronx

... 2000. Big Pun was born Christopher Rios on November 10, 1971, in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City. He was raised in a strict household b...
What sports did he enjoy as a teen?

boxing and basketball

...taristic stepfather, and was in good shape as a teen. He enjoyed boxing and basketball . Conflicts with his parents caused him to leave home at age 15....
At what age did Big Pun leave his home?

15

...nd basketball. Conflicts with his parents caused him to leave home at age 15 . He dropped out of high school after just one year, but Big Pun read ency...
What did he read to expand his knowledge and vocabulary?

encyclopedias

...e home at age 15. He dropped out of high school after just one year, but Big Pun read encyclopedias on his own to expand his knowledge and vocabulary....
Who is Big Pun's wife?

Liza Rios

...He is survived by a wife, Liza Rios , and three children. Big Pun was the first solo Latino rapper to sell over one million LPs. His name comes from th...
How many children does Big Pun have?

three

...He is survived by a wife, Liza Rios, and three children. Big Pun was the first solo Latino rapper to sell over one million LPs. His name comes from th...
Big Pun was the first Latino rapper to sell how many LPs?

over one million

...d three children. Big Pun was the first solo Latino rapper to sell over one million LPs. His name comes from the Marvel comic book antihero The Punish...
What comic book antihero did Big Pun come from?

The Punisher

... one million LPs. His name comes from the Marvel comic book antihero The Punisher . Born in the Bronx during the early years of hiphop, Christopher Rio...
At what age did Christopher Rios break his leg?

five

... tradition, enjoying basketball, boxing, and other sports. At the age of five , he broke his leg in a Manhattan municipal park, which would later (afte...
Where did Rios relocate to?

Miami

...park, which would later (after several minimum wage jobs in New York and Miami , where he briefly relocated) net him a settlement from the city, to the...
Pun dropped out of what high school?

Stevenson

...the city, to the tune of 500,000. At the age of 15, Pun dropped out of Stevenson High School. Sometime during the '80s, Rios began to write rap lyrics...
What rap group formed in the '80s?

Full A Clips Crew

...etime during the '80s, Rios began to write rap lyrics, forming the Full A Clips Crew with Triple Seis, Cuban Link, and Prospect. After meeting fellow ...
What was Fat Joe's second album called?

Jealous Ones Envy

...d with him, making his commercial debut on Fat Joe's second album, Jealous Ones Envy (J.O.E.). After an advertising blitz, I'm Not a Player (featuring...
What is the stage name of Christopher Lee Rios?

Big Pun

...s Loud Terror Squad Christopher Lee Rios better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper and songwriter. Emerg...
In what borough of New York was Big Pun located?

Bronx

...apper and songwriter. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 1990s, he came to prominence duri...
Who first discovered Big Pun?

Fat Joe

... with Fat Joe and the Terror Squad. Big Pun was initially discovered by Fat Joe , and made his earliest appearance on Fat Joe's 1995 album Jealous One'...
In what year did Rios break his leg while playing in a park?

1976

...e received a large settlement from the city stemming from an incident in 1976 , where Rios broke his leg while playing in a park. Using his settlement ...
How did Rios cope with his depression?

overeating

...iza, and the two moved into a home together. Rios struggled with depression stemming from his turbulent childhood, and he coped with it by overeating ....
What was Rios's childhood?

South Bronx neighborhood

...rk City, to parents of Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in the South Bronx neighborhood and had at least two sisters and one brother. He regularly pla...
What was Pun's first single?

Im Not a Player

...Puns South Bronx neighborhoodinto the mainstream. His first single, Im Not a Player , predicted the success of his 1998 Grammynominated debut album, Ca...
Pun earned his name for what?

his great girth

...ted debut album, Capital Punishment. The rapper earned his name for his great girth ; while many emcees rhymed about living large, Big Pun weighed near...
Big Pun was known for what sport?

basketball and boxing

... 2000, at the age of 28. As a teen he was physically active, and basketball and boxing kept him in shape. He grew up in a strict household run by his ...
How long did it take to drop out of high school?

one year

...is mother and stepfather, but he dropped out of high school after just one year . Still hungry to learn, however, he read encyclopedias to expand his k...
What was he working until he collected on a longstanding legal claim for a childhood accident in a public park?

odd jobs

...e read encyclopedias to expand his knowledge and vocabulary. He worked odd jobs until he collected on a longstanding legal claim for a childhood accid...
When did he marry Liza?

1990

...an overeating to cope with stress and quickly packed on the pounds. He married his childhood sweetheart, Liza, in 1990 . The couple had three children....
Pun's lyrics are notable for what?

technical efficiency

...m certified platinum as a solo act. Pun's lyrics are notable for technical efficiency , having minimal pauses to take a breath, heavy use of alliterati...
Who ranked him 25 on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of All Time?

About.com

...mes. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. About.com ranked him 25 on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of All Time, while M...
In 2012, The Source ranked him 19 on their list of what?

Top 50 Lyricists of All Time

... MCs. In 2012, The Source ranked him 19 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time . Early life Christopher Lee Rios was born on November 10, 19...
When was Christopher Lee Rios born?

The Bronx, New York

...Early life Christopher Lee Rios was born on November 10, 1971, in The Bronx, New York , to parents of Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in the South Bro...
What was the name of the person who was born in the Bronx in 1971?

Christopher Lee Rios

...19 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. Early life Christopher Lee Rios was born on November 10, 1971, in The Bronx, New York, to parent...
What rap group did Pun form?

FullAClips

...use and his father's death. He later formed the underground rap group called FullAClips which included rappers Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz, and Toom....
What year did Christopher Lee Rios have his first hit?

1997

... was the first Latino rapper whose solo album was certified platinum. In 1997 , he had his first hit, Im Not a Player, which occupied the third positio...
Big Pun's lyrics were full of deep meaning, complex rhymes, and repeated use of what?

consonants and sounds

...s were full of deep meaning, complex rhymes, and repeated use of consonants and sounds , and thus, very fascinating to his fans. Despite the profession...
What was Big Pun's girlfriend's name?

Liza

...iculties as a young father when he and his junior high school girlfriend Liza had their first child. It is said that due to stress, he ate more and be...
What was the name of the streetcorner rap group he and friends formed in 1989?

Full a Clips Crew

... he and several friends formed a streetcorner rap group called the Full a Clips Crew . He later changed his name to Big Punisher, after the Marvel Comi...
When was Capital Punishment released?

1998

...with Loud Records. Pun's solo debut, Capital Punishment, was released in 1998 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 thanks to Still Not a Pl...
What was Big Pun's birthplace?

Bronx, New York

...s Rapper Big Pun was born Christopher Rios on November 10, 1971, in Bronx, New York . In his alltooshort career, Big Pun became a breakthrough Latino a...
How many more children did the couple have?

two

...ng a young father when he and his junior high school girlfriend Liza had their first child together. (They married in 1990 and had two more children.)...