Big Pun Skinny, whose real name is Christopher Rios, was a Latino hip-hop artist. He was a notable rapper and lyricist. He was born in 1970 in the Bronx, New York. He became known by the public in 1995 when he met Fat Joe and appeared in his song ‘Watch Out.’ He also caught a big break with his first hit, ‘I’m Not A Player’ in 1997. He produced two albums in his entire music career. Big Pun outstands among other rappers during his career journey due to his complex rhymes and ability to rap for a prolonged period without taking a breath.
Despite his talent and great success in the hip-hop industry, Pun struggled with weight problems for a better part of his life, which became a significant health concern. He weighed approximately seven hundred pounds before his death. Pun succumbed to death due to heart failure at twenty-eight in February 2000. Here is a vivid description of Pun’s life history.
What were Big Pun’s body measurements?
Big Pun stood six feet tall. He had dark brown eyes and black hair. Before his death, he weighed more than three hundred kilograms. Like many hip-hop artists, Pun had several tattoos all over his body.
Where is Big Punisher from?
Big Pun was born on 10th November 1971, in the Bronx, New York City, in the United States, to Gail Tirado. His parents were Puerto Rican, and he had several siblings, Christine Rios, Nicole Rodriquez, Nyree Rios, and Pina Rios. He grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in America during the 1980s epidemic, and his life experiences heavily influenced his music.
Why is he called Big Pun?
Big Pun earned his name for his great girth, standing at six feet and two inches and weighing over three hundred kilograms at his heaviest. The term Big Pun also referred to his wordplay and lyrical prowess. He was known for his uncanny ability to play with words like no other artist during his time, rapid-fire delivery, and clever punchlines.
Big Pun’s Childhood and early life
Big Pun was born on 10th November 1971, in the Bronx, New York City, in the United States, to Gail Tirado. His parents were Puerto Rican, and he had several siblings, Christine Rios, Nicole Rodriquez, Nyree Rios, and Pina Rios. Pun grew up in a strict household with his mother and stepfather. It is said Pun was not on good terms with his siblings.
When he was five, he broke his leg while playing in a park at the Municipal Council in Manhattan. Big Pun performed well in school and also participated in sports. He played basketball and trained for boxing while in school. Pun was an avid reader and good at dancing and rapping.
Unfortunately, Big Pun had a challenging family, so he left home when he was fifteen and dropped out of Stevenson high school. He dropped out of high school just after one year. To expand his knowledge and vocabulary, he used to read encyclopedias. Big Pun was homeless for some time, making him fall into depression. He also married young and soon had a kid, so his struggle as a young father increased his depression.
After Pun had his first child, he moved to Miami to live with his great-grandmother. Life there was not easy, so he had to do odd jobs to keep himself busy. He later moved to the Bronx and did cargo loading jobs. Pun was fed up with his life and temporary jobs, so he contacted his lawyer, who was handling his case of the leg he broke at five. Finally, the case was settled, and he received half a million dollars in his account. The compensation changed Pun’s life and contributed to his early passing.
Big Pun’s Dating and marriage life
Big Pun dated Liza Rios. Reports claim Pun started dating Rios when she was fourteen years old. Pun married Rios at seventeen when she got pregnant. Rios’ parents were unhappy with the relationship from the beginning, and the disagreement made her not speak to her father for ten years. In their marriage, Pun and Rios had three children Chris, Vanessa, and Amanda. The two were together until Big Pun died in 2000.
Despite Rios being married to Big Pun up to his death, she suffered an abusive marriage. After Pun’s death, she opened up in a documentary about how he abused her emotionally and physically. Rios claimed that Big Pun’s violence resulted from the scars he had from his past abuse from his drug-addicted mother. To medicate his pain, he would overeat, and when that did not work, Pun would turn his anger to his wife and family.
Although many communities think Rios was brave in telling her story because it may help women realize they are in abusive relationships, hip-hop culture was unhappy. In hip-hop culture, snitching up someone even when one is dead is frowned upon. Over some time, the hip-hop community turned their backs on Rios for snitching on their brother Pun. The community believed the act would defame Big Puns’ memory.
Times are changing, and society is opening for people to come forward with their own stories of abuse. Rios is now applauded for her honest portrayal of her abuse. Recently, Pun’s son, who performs under the name Chris Rivers, released a video depicting and discussing domestic violence within families. In the beginning, Chris used to perform under the name Lil’ Pun, but he changed it when he began to understand what her mother, Rios went through.
Big Pun’s career
Big Pun began his career by writing rap lyrics in the 1980s. He formed a rap group known as Full-A-Clips with a few rappers, including Lyrical Assasin, Joker Jaemz, and Toom. Pun recorded numerous songs with the group, but none was released. In the end, the group became non-operational. Initially, he started his career as Big Moon Dawg and later changed the name to Big Punisher, which is shortened to Big Pun.
In 1995, Big Pun met a talented rapper called Ft Joe, and the two became best friends till Pun’s death. The passion for music and rap strengthened Pun and Joe’s friendship and working relationship. Fat Joe founded a hip-hop record label Terror Squad and signed a deal with Pun. The record label released Joe’s album ‘Jealous One’s Envy’ in the same year where Pun first appeared. He became better known to the public when he was featured in Fat Joe’s song watch out.
In 1997, Big Pun started working on his album ‘Capital Punishment’ and recorded songs for it. The rapper hired producer Knobody to remix the song ‘I’m Not a Player,’ which changed the title to ‘Still Not a Player’ and became Pun’s major hit. Pun completed and released his ‘Capital Punishment’ album on 28th April 1998. It became a smashing hit and the only solo album he released in his lifetime. Pun was the first Latino rapper to have a platinum-certified solo album.
Additionally, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, became number one on the Top R&B Albums chart, and stayed there for two weeks. Capital Punishment was Pun’s first solo album to be certified platinum, and it sold over a million copies. The album was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1999. In 1998, Pun appeared in the TV series ‘Moesha’ which aired on the UPN network.
In 1999, the Terror Squad released its debut album, ‘The Album,’ but did not do well commercially. However, it received critical acclaim. In the same year, Pun was cast as Punny in the film ‘Thicker Than Water .’The film featured other rappers like Fat Joe, Mack 10, Ice Cube, and MC Eiht. Pun also starred in ‘Urban Menace,’ a black horror film in 1999. Fat Joe was also featured in the movie.
Big Pun died in 2000, but his second album ‘Yeeeah Baby’ was completed after his death and released in April 2000. Like his first album, this one was also a smashing hit. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and gained gold record status within three months after its release. In April 2001, another album, ‘Endangered Species’ was released. The album included a collection of some of Pun’s unreleased work. The album did well and was at number seven on the Billboard 200.
What type of music is Big Pun?
Big Punisher is usually associated with the subgenre of hip-hop known as hardcore rap because of his gritty lyrical content and aggressive delivery. He was the first Latino solo rapper to go platinum. Also, Big Pun’s versatility and unique flow allowed him to experiment with various styles in the hip-hop genre. He also showed a talent for melodic hooks and smooth rhymes, demonstrating his technical abilities as an emcee.
How many songs does Big Pun have?
Throughout his career, Big Pun released two studio albums; Capital Punishment and Yeeeah Baby. Capital Punishment had twenty-four tracks, while Yeeeah Baby had sixteen songs. He had one compilation album and nineteen singles, including thirteen as a featured artist.
What were Big Pun’s controversies?
In 1998, Fat Joe and Big Pun were arrested for robbery and second-degree assault. On the Puerto Rica parade, they stole a man’s chain and beat him up close to death. Before, the Big Pun also had several other cases. During Pun’s concerts, his security guard fired shots to scatter the crowd. These controversies came up since Pun was asked to take life easy due to his weight problems. Pun also became wild when his mother was arrested because of drug addiction. There are also several incidents where he was arrested as a young adult due to drug trade and other offenses.
What was Big Pun’s net worth?
Big Pun was an American rap artist and actor. He was a great performer ever. His net worth was three million dollars at the time of his death. Pun gained his wealth from his performances and acting. He used to perform in various places. Big Pun became known as one of the best MCs of all time.
Has Heavy D passed away?
Big Pun died in February 2000 from a heart attack.
What happened with Big Pun?
Big Pun was homeless for some time after leaving his parent’s home in the Bronx, which affected his mental health. The rapper became more stressed when he and his girlfriend Liza got their first child. Pun was around fifteen years when they got their first child. He had to do odd jobs to cater for his family’s needs. Reports claim that he responded to life stresses by eating more, which made him overweight.
By the time Big Pun released the album ‘Capital Punishment,’ he weighed approximately four hundred pounds. Pun added more weight as he became more successful. The impact affected his appearance and career. At some point, it was challenging for him to breathe or walk for short distances. Breathe control also became a challenge, especially when he was rapping.
His friend Fat Joe urged him to lose weight, and Pun even attended the Duke University diet program in North Carolina in 1999. Pun lost weight for a short period, but he regained the lost eighty pounds and gradually added more. Handling day-to-day activities became a challenge due to his size. There were rumors that Pun had to rest on a mattress in the studio while he rapped for his album ‘Yeeeah Baby.’
Despite Big Pun’s weight issues, he still managed to wow audiences during live performances. Pun was also in demand because of his exceptional skills, and together with his friend Fat Joe, they made a cameo appearance on Jennifer Lopez’s “Feelin’ So Good.” Pun was supposed to appear on Saturday Night Live with Lopez, but he canceled as he was not feeling well.
What happened to Big Punisher?
On 7th February 2000, Big Pun experienced difficulty breathing and collapsed in his hotel room. His wife, Rios, contacted 9-1-1, but the emergency medical providers could not revive him. Autopsy results showed that his heart had enlarged to almost three times the size of an ordinary being. Big Pun died of obesity-related heart failure at 28 years old.
The hip-hop and Latino communities mourned Big Pun’s death, and thousands of fans attended his funeral in the Bronx a few days after his death. A local painting company, TATS Cru, painted a large mural about him on a building in his neighborhood as a sign of honor. Fat Joe, Pun’s best friend, mourned his death, stating ‘I lost a brother’ in The New York Times.
In South Bronx, people launched a campaign to rename 163rd Street to ‘Big Pun Avenue.’ The South Bronx also termed Pun, a ghetto rapper and praised him for not forgetting his people. With all his money and fame, Pun lived around the Bronx, and his home was still there. Some individuals have gone to the extent of tattooing Pun’s name or face on their bodies as a way to honor and remember him.
How big was Big Punisher when he died?
When Capital Punishment was released in 1998, Big Pun weighed four hundred pounds. Two years later, by the time he died, Punisher was three hundred and seventeen kilograms. His weight was so much that he could no longer tie his shoelaces.
How old was Big Pun when he died?
Big Pun was twenty-eight when he died in February 2000.
What did Big Pun die from?
Big Punisher died from heart failure and extreme obesity, nearly seven hundred pounds. According to Dr. Louis Roh, the deputy medical examiner of Westchester County, N.Y., Pun had an enlarged heart, about three times the average size.
How many pounds was Big Pun when he died?
Big Pun was six hundred and ninety-eight pounds at his time of death.
Where did Big Pun die?
Big Pun died in New York. At the time of his death, Big Pun and his family were staying at a hotel in White Plains, New York, because their Bronx home was being worked on.
Big Pun was a great hip-hop artist and actor. He was among the most influential artists of his time. Pun’s legacy lives on through his music, and his fans praise him for his intricate rhyme schemes, complex wordplay, ability to stay on beat, and relentless flow and breath control. His music lives on and will continue to inspire and influence future generations. Besides his career, Pun was a true father, an artist, and a real friend to many.
