We often judge people by their appearance, skin color, a few words that we heard or some emotions that caught our eye. Also, we draw conclusions from the name and other people’s opinions. At the same time, bright and extraordinary personalities often hide among atypical representatives of the human community. They influence the development of our society and enrich it with cultural or scientific achievements. Among such individuals, we can name Big Pun. bronxski.com tells more about his life and career in show business.
Who is Big Pun?
As noted by biography.com/musicians, Big Pun was a famous Latin American rap artist who was born and lived his short life in the Bronx (New York). His work gained such popularity that his album Capital Punishment reached number one on the hip hop/rhythm and blues charts and went Platinum. It was nominated for a Grammy Award. In addition, he was known for his excessive weight. In the most difficult times, it reached 700 pounds and became the cause of the death of the artist at the age of 28…
The beginning of life
Christopher Lee Rios, who later became Big Pun, was born on November 10, 1971 in Soundview (The South Bronx). His parents were of Puerto Rican origin and later the artist was extremely proud of it. He had two sisters and a brother. As a child, he, like all boys, loved basketball, went to boxing training and improved his skills in athletics. Big Pun did well in school and loved to read books.
However, there were some difficulties inside the family. That is why his life started to go downhill from his teenage years. He had to leave his home at the age of 15 due to family difficulties. Since then, he has been homeless for some time and has lived in random places. At the same time, he had to leave school. However, this forced him to proceed with self-education because the desire for knowledge remained strong. He was also fond of breakdancing and rap reading.
Fate smiled at our hero. At this time, he received compensation from New York for an injury. In 1976, he broke his leg while playing a game in the park. This money allowed him to get back on his feet and marry his school sweetheart Lisa. The couple got their own house and their first child was born. This happened in 1990. Later, two more children were born to them. All the dramatic life sorrows and joys contributed to the stress and depression in Christopher. To overcome it, the young man had to eat a lot. At the age of 18, he was 180 pounds (82 kg) but over time his weight reached 300 pounds (140 kg) and this prevented him from living a normal life. Thus, Big Pun couldn’t tie his own shoelaces.
Career
The path to the stage of Christopher Lee Rios started in the 80s. He began by writing rap lyrics. Then, the group Full-A-Clips with Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz and Toom was created. In the 1990s, Rios performed under the stage name Big Moon Dawg but decided to change it to Big Punisher (the name was inspired by comics). This helped him meet Bronx rapper Fat Joe, who invited him to participate in the creation of Fat Joe’s album Jealous One’s Envy and the song Watch Out. There was also a project with The Beatnut and the song Off the Books. This was the beginning of the collaboration between the two rappers. In addition to fruitful cooperation, a strong friendship started. The artists released works jointly and this led to the popularity of Big Pun. Next was Terror Squad, Latin American rappers who worked with Fat Joe, and a collaboration with Loud Records.
In 1997, the first hit was released. It was called I’m Not a Player and became the leader of the charts. His next success was Capital Punishment in 1998, which reached number one on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart. It sold 2 million copies and helped Big Pun become the first Latin American to reach Platinum status. Big Pun became a hero of the Bronx and the entire Puerto Rican community. He often mentioned his past and Puerto Rican roots and sometimes even took a photo with the flag of this territory.
As part of the Terror Squad, a group of rappers from New York, Big Pun released The Album (1999), which became the last in his career. Although it was not very successful, critics accepted it favorably and it allowed Big Pun and other members of the group to continue performing solo.
Big Pun also created a group called Full-A-Clips to sing rap. The peculiarity of Big Pun in this group was that he could read the text for a long time without taking a breath and spoke in complex rhymes. This determined the group’s success.
Weight problems and attempts to solve them. Art
The depression of Big Pun was in progress and he continued to eat a lot. His weight has already reached 400 pounds. At this time, his friend Fat Joe advised him to start attending a program offered by Duke University in North Carolina. Big Pun took the advice and managed to lose 80 pounds. However, the program was interrupted abruptly and he regained the weight he had lost with such effort.
Extra pounds became a significant problem for him. It became difficult to move around the city, attend his concerts and even leave the house. The size of his body affected everything. However, his talent became more and more pronounced. The audience was enthralled when he performed live not on record. Starring in one of the roles in Jennifer Lopez’s clip Feelin’ So Good, Big Pun had a chance to continue acting. In addition to his impressive appearance, he possessed amazing talents. In particular, he was scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live with Jennifer Lopez and Fat Joe to perform the song in 2000. It was canceled due to the weight gain and accompanying illnesses.
Death and inheritance
In early February 2000, Big Pun stayed with his family in one of the White Plains hotels in New York. There he felt the difficulties in breathing. His wife called an ambulance but they were unable to help him. Big Pun died on February 7 due to heart failure. He was 28 years old and weighed 700 pounds.
The death of the rapper was perceived by the hip hop and Latin American community as a great grief. Many people attended his funeral in the Bronx. A mural was created in his honor. Famous musical artists supported his family and expressed gratitude for his work. There were words about pride for joint activities, a great person and an artist.
The death did not reduce the popularity of the rapper. His second album, Yeeah Baby, was released in April. It contained branded lyrics and references to Latin American culture. As a result, it quickly climbed the charts and reached a 3-d position on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. In the following year, his other works were released, which also received warm reviews from fans.
Thus, Big Pun was a famous Latin American rap artist who gained popularity due to his extraordinary talents in music. He rose from the very bottom of the Latin American Bronx and became an icon of rap music of the second half of the 90s. Have you listened to his songs?