Remembering a G.O.A.T.

Christopher Lee Rios "Big Punisher"
November 10, 1971 - February 7, 2000

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Big Pun is quite possibly the most underrated rappers of the 90's, even at the commercial level. The word play in his rhymes is unmatched by any rapper that I can think of except for maybe Eminem at his early years. Not only did he assault the mic with the complex rhyme scheme but he could keep it fast for all 16 bars without losing a breath. Every time I put on one of his tracks, even if I've already heard it hundreds of times, I can't help but sit back and wonder how he cleverly chose the right words at the right time in each bar. Even though his lyrics were executed perfectly, they sometimes times lacked content but he always found a way to make up for it with charm and charisma, a trait that was lost in hip-hop during the that period of hardcore rap.

From working with Digging In The Crates Crew to being a Grammy nominated solo success, Pun has put his all into everything he has done and his music is the proof. Success did not change who Pun was, it has only helped the growth of Fat Joe, The Terror Squad, Cuban Link, open the door for Latino's in hip-hop, and hip-hop in general. It's So Hard (Pun intended [so was that one]) losing a G.O.A.T. but he will live on through his music.