Even in his passing, Christopher Rios still stands among the giants of lyricism in Hip Hop

In many cultures, deaths are celebrated, but not in Hip Hop.

Yesterday marked 15 years since the passing of lyrical great Big Pun, but the impact that he left on the game is eternal. As one of the premier members of Fat Joe’s infamous Terror Squad, Pun made it unequivocally clear that his influences of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Biggie, and even Eddie Murphy would set him apart from all of those in the upper echelon of verbal gymnastics. Joints like “John Blaze” featuring Nas, Raekwon, Jadakiss, and Fat Joe showed Pun’s natural propensity for emceeing, not just as one of the average, but as one of the best. In his own original words,

“Even if I stuttered, I would still sh-sh-sh*t on you”

Salute to the Rios family, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, TS, and everyone from the the BX that came up on the back of the one and only son of Tony…RIP PUN!

-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)