Big Pun, also known as Christopher Lee Rios, had three children before he died in 2000 at the young age of 28. He had two daughters Amanda Rios and Vanessa Rios, and one son, called Chris Rios.
The life of legendary rapper Big Pun was cut short due to heart failure, however Big Pun still lives on in many people’s heart and mind. This is especially true for his son, Chris Rios, or Chris Rivers as he is known on stage, who has followed in his father’s footsteps and is pursuing a Hip Hop music career.
Chris Rivers
25-year-old Chris Rivers started pursuing his career in music, two years after the death of his father, in 2002. Chris is the youngest of the three children and decided to professionally pursue his music career when he turned 18.
When the youngster was starting out he was known as Baby Pun and was in a group called 3 Down in 2002. The group was made up of Baby Pun, Ray Ray (Raymond Scott’s son) and Lil James. Following the release of their single Baby Boo, which featured Brenda Russell, the band broke up.
In 2011, Rivers debuted on Cormega’s 2011 compilation Raw Forever, where he appeared under his nickname Baby Pun. He stuck the name Baby Pun when he featured on Vinnie Paz’s God of the Serengeti in 2012, before choosing to stick with Chris Rivers for his debut mixtape release Wonderland of Misery in 2013.
Wonderland of Misery was well received by music fans and many thought that Rivers’ style was similar to that of his late father’s. Following the success of his first solo release, Rivers went on to collaborate with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, The Lox, Termanology, Vinnie Paz, Styles P, Chino XL, Joell Ortiz, and Canibus.
Since 2013, Rivers has been making a name for himself in the hip hop world. He has released several albums and EPs, including Wonderland of Misery 2: The Good King in 2014, The Good King EP in 2014, Medicated Consumption in 2016, Medicated Consumption 2.0. The Refill in 2016, Delorean in 2017, and his latest release G.I.T.U. in 2019.
Rivers and Big Pun
Big Pun died when Rivers was only young. On his latest album, G.I.T.U., the song Sincerely Me is dedicated to his father. The heartfelt song shows an insight into the relationship the two had and details how Rivers forgives his father for his mistakes.
Talking in an interview Rivers said “Sincerely Me is a heartfelt homage that I used as a letter to my father, Big Pun. I wanted to tell him about my life and the things I have been dealing with since his passing. My emotions range from forgiveness, hardships to triumph.”
Some argue that Rivers’ success comes from that of his father, however, this isn’t the case. Rivers’ admits that he doesn’t know how his father would have felt about him pursuing music, but that he just hopes that if his father were here today, he would make him proud.
“Rivers’ career is going from strength to strength. Which he might have his father Big Pun to thank for that, due to being given a musically gifted gene, but all the rest of it is clearly hard work and dedication put in by Rivers. Nobody handed him these achievements; his talents and songs that discuss his generation, culture, familial heritage, and himself, got him this far” says Valentina Huertas, a music journalist from MONEDEROsmart.