Big Pun Biography | Christopher Rios Bio

Big Pun Biography

Big Punisher was born Christopher Lee Rios in the Bronx. Pun spent his earlier years living with his mother and stepfather, who attempted to raise Chris in a rather military fashion. Pun actually grew up fairly athletic, staying in shape while playing basketball. He was also an avid boxer, and would later begin to teach his own children how to box.

While in eighth grade, Pun met Liza, the woman he would eventually marry in 1990 and have three children with. After living in the home of his girlfriend and her mother for a short time, Pun had to relocate to Miami for a while to live with his grandmother. In Miami he eventually had trouble securing a place to stay, and preoccupied himself with odd jobs. This continued when he moved back to the Bronx, eventually working as a cargo loader.

Fed up with his job, he contacted a lawyer who had been handling a case for him for since he was a child. As age five, Chris broke his leg at a municipal park (a building playground in Manhattan) and his mother had been trying to collect money from the city. For years there was no word on the case until a nineteen year old Pun contacted the lawyer, who informed him that it was finally settled for an estimated half million dollars.

The money would provide a better life for Pun and his family, but it would also be one of the factors that lead to his eventual passing.

In 1989 when Pun was known as Big Moon Dog, he hooked up with Triple Seis and Cuban Link (known then as Lyrical Assassin) and they formed the Full A Clips Crew (also with Prospect). Cuban Link and Pun would not only rap together, but they later became best friends as well. In 1995 the Full A Clips Crew bumped into Bronx rapper Fat Joe, and Pun was able to deliver a sizzling verse that would seal his future as an MC.

The day after their meeting, Joe invited Pun to the studio to drop a verse on the track "Watch Out", on Joe's sophomore release Jealous One's Envy. Joe, realizing the talent that he was witnessing, helped show Pun around Loud Records where he was later signed. There he could have more freedom in creating hardcore hip-hop that would cater to many of rap's underground fans.

The Puerto-Rican MC who had dropped out of Stevenson High School at 15 made history when his debut album, Capital Punishment, went platinum after several months. Fueled by the massive success of the single "Still Not a Player", Capital Punishment made Big Pun the first Latin solo rapper to achieve platinum status. More importantly, his incredible delivery and intricate wordplay helped secure him a spot as one of hip-hop's greatest new additions.

Sadly, it was Pun's fame that eventually led to his downfall. Much to the disappointment of his wife, many of the tour promoters pampered Pun excessively and didn't encourage a healthy lifestyle. Coupled with the constant pampering, Pun also had a slow metabolism and often turned to food to either celebrate or to cope with his problems.

Eventually, Pun was convinced to check into a weight clinic in North Carolina where doctors could monitor him and help facilitate his weight-loss. Pun lost 80 pounds on the program and met encouragement, yet homesickness and a need to stay more involved with his family and business affairs brought Pun back to the Bronx before finishing his program.

No longer under the watchful eyes of the clinic doctors, Pun quickly gained the weight he lost, nearly doubling what he had put off. While staying in a hotel with his family while his home was being renovated, Big Pun died of a heart attack and respiratory failure on the afternoon of Feb 7th, 2000. His last heartfelt words were to his wife Liza, who has continued to stay committed to the memory of her husband and the father of her children.

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