Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his
stage name Big Pun (short for
Big Punisher), was an American
rapper, the first Latino rapper to have an album be certified platinum as a solo act. Big Pun emerged from the
underground hip hop scene in
The Bronx borough of
New York City, in the early 1990s. He first appeared on tracks from
Fat Joe's second album "
Jealous One's Envy" in 1995, and
The Beatnuts' second album
Stone Crazy in 1997, prior to signing to
Loud Records as a solo artist. Pun's lyrics are notable for technical efficiency, having minimal pauses to take a breath, heavy use of alliteration as well as internal and multi-syllabic rhyming schemes. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.