Christopher Lee Rios (November 9, 1971 - February 7, 2000), better known as Big Pun or Big Punisher, was a Puerto Rican American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. He first appeared on albums from The Beatnuts on the track "Off the Books" and on Fat Joe's second album in 1995, Jealous One's Envy, on the track "Watch Out", prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Big Pun's career was cut short in 2000 at age 28 by a fatal heart attack due to his obesity. He is survived by a wife, Liza Rios, and three children. Big Pun was the first solo Latino rapper to sell over one million LPs. His first stage name was Big Moon Dawg. His name comes from the Marvel comic book anti-hero The Punisher.
Born in the Bronx during the early years of hip-hop, Christopher Rios grew up in an athletic tradition, enjoying basketball, boxing, and other sports. At the age of five, he broke his leg in a Manhattan municipal park, which would later (after several minimum wage jobs in New York and Miami, where he briefly relocated) net him a settlement from the city, to the tune of $500,000. At the age of 15, Pun dropped out of Stevenson High School. Sometime during the '80s, Rios began to write rap lyrics, forming the Full A Clips Crew with Triple Seis, Cuban Link, and Prospect. After meeting fellow Puerto Rican and Bronx rapper Fat Joe, in 1995, Pun became increasingly associated with him, making his commercial debut on Fat Joe's second album, Jealous Ones Envy (J.O.E.).
After an advertising blitz, "I'm Not a Player" (featuring an O'Jays sample) was an underground hit. The song's remix, "Still Not a Player" (featuring Joe), became Big Pun's first major mainstream hit. His full-length debut, Capital Punishment, followed in 1998, and was the first album by a Latino rapper (and a Latino solo artist) to go platinum. Around this time, Big Pun became a member of The Terror Squad, a New-York-based group of Latino rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full A Clips Crew.
Big Pun was also a member of the Digging in the Crates Crew, alongside Fat Joe and various New York hip-hop legends such as Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Big L, and O.C.
Due to issues with his broken leg and drug abuse, Pun's health declined during these years. The once-athletic man struggled with overeating problems and weight issues for several years, his weight bounding between 450 and 700 pounds (200 and 300 kg). Though he checked into a North Carolina weight loss clinic and lost 80 pounds (35 kg), the final effort was not enough to save Pun's health. At the age of 28, on February 7, 2000, Big Pun died of a heart attack at 700 lbs. (300 kg).
Big Pun's second album, Yeeeah Baby, was already scheduled to be released at the time of his death, and was issued in March 2000. A second posthumous album, Endangered Species, was released in 2001, a collection of "greatest hits," new material, guest appearances, and remixed "greatest verses."
Pun's supporters generally praise him for his complex rhyme schemes, intricate wordplay, ability to stay on-beat, and relentless flow and breath control (despite his immense size, which would generally render his complex phrasing too difficult).
Fire Water
Big Punisher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(4:30 in the morning, Mira
You know what I mean, Mira
Let's get this money sorted and counted, word
Know what I mean, dame te culo mami
Give me my shit back, Mira, hey yo
Fat Joe and them is here now, word
The remix, add on son
Politic for the real ones)
[Chorus]
We get knots, like stockbrokers who own Marriotts
Blast shots for all my niggas who splash cops
The rich Corleone camp is here, thousand and one
Corner son, fake a jack, you be a goner
Yo, control this rap like Napoleon
Half-Mongolian, hold it, you owe me in
Rock 'em like linolieum, yeah
Lex, diamonds, shin'in like you rhymin'
929'n, Titanium glass, time to play that ass
Whirlwinds of French, come movin' intense
Time to pull again, release the shell,well
Make 'em yell again, so sleek
But I'm a be maxin' in suites
Countin' your paper and countin' your sheeps
Hittin' your chick in Jeeps
Miraculously, attack your faculty, who wanna tackle me?
You jack mack, kidnap 'em for free
What?, you got heat, you better pop those
We movin' like gestapos, through underground potholes
That rock those, much land discoveries
Chrome rims, sippin' bubbly
Who livin' lovily, half a brick to cover me
So dissin' me, come on now listen G,
You's a dime I'm a key
Thun, thun straight out of Sicily
Now, back to the stash crib
Joey Crack baggin' up cracks
One love, give 'em Jeep bags, Kid!
[Chorus]
Word life, I'll be the infamous
Who leaks the witnesses, crack's the wickedest
Run up in your crib, blast your kids
Ain't no myth in this, shit's official
I'll pistol-whip you with my Smith and Wesson
Cause my investin' was sendin rappers to heaven
Gives me an erection
You need protection from the smooth assassin
Who really moves at action, blastin' mothafuckas
Execution fashion
Now who's the fat one that you love to hate
Catch you at your mother's wake, smack you
Then I'll wack you with my snub 38
It doesn't take much to make me restless
Look at my face and definite lose your breath
Truck my face is Lexus
You want to test this, so really?,
I'll make one call and have the whole WU comin' on the ferry
I'm very dangerous and well-connected
I puff an L with Method, then try to
Decide who's next to fill his neck slit
So respected and admired the boss, retired your lost
Wu Tang, your terror squad, vaya con Dios!
[Chorus]
You guys despise guys like us
Guys like us, disgust like Spartacus
You cuss and claim a bust
You lust for a part of us, you thrust
But can't touch
Plus we far from any type of fellas you can trust
Put the pressure on the mic, I biz
Press to your chest, sound like sweat on my back
We're having sex, tight-ass flex
Pretty Pocahontas pussy sweet, like my new Tek
Sis' got curves like a GS, 300 Lex
My body's 95% alcohol, 5% cancer
Sosa diamonds, Getty, Lucci, blaze it up like Bonanza
Catch me in the cut, easy G's is burnin' my gut
As I Remember my menage au trois was mired by sluts
I questionmark your heart, punctuate your fate
All your version predicates
Done as well as you pronunciate
In the (west) we're gonna break you off the isle
Take C.O.s hostage arab style, no surrender
[Chorus]
Yo, I'm all about business and enterprisin'
Advisin' financial advisers on franchisin' the wider than horizons
Divisin' ideas with master minders
Movin' on a stash of diamonds
First we get the cash, then we laugh like miners
Don't get me wrong I'm a funny bastard
But when it come to money, son, I'm not the one to laugh with
I'm after for what cash can bring me brothers
Me and my demon lovers blast and laugh at hyenas
Back to Ringling Brothers believe them others
You's the best, yet, and still
I'm investin' mils on a hunch over lunch
Puffin' on a Chesterfield, who wants to test
The real scandalous
I'm at the Sands in Los Angeles
Plannin' hits with an ananymous philanthropist
Spanish kids, close to God, like evangelists
Choppin' niggas up and makin' sandwiches
Big shout to my man Raekwon, word is bond
The song "Fire Water" by Big Punisher is a classic example of hardcore gangster rap. The track is filled with vivid descriptions of violence, drugs, and street life, all delivered in Big Punisher's trademark hardcore growl. The song features guest appearances from several other rappers, including Fat Joe and Raekwon, who add their own gritty verses to the mix.
The lyrics of "Fire Water" are heavily centered around the street life and the pursuit of money and power. The chorus describes the "knots" that the rappers accumulate, comparing them to stockbrokers who own Marriott hotels. The verses go on to describe various illegal activities, from drug-dealing to kidnapping, as the rappers assert their dominance over their rivals.
Line by Line Meaning
(That's how the east side gets down, word up!)
It's how the East Side does things, you know what I mean?
(4:30 in the morning, Mira
You know what I mean, Mira
Let's get this money sorted and counted, word
Know what I mean, dame te culo mami
Give me my shit back, Mira, hey yo
Fat Joe and them is here now, word
Shine like marbles, collects diamonds
The remix, add on son
Politic for the real ones)
It's 4:30 AM and we need to sort and count the money. Give me my stuff back. Fat Joe and his crew are here now. We're shining like marbles and collecting diamonds. This is the remix for all the real ones in politics.
[Chorus]
We get knots, like stockbrokers who own Marriotts
Blast shots for all my niggas who splash cops
The rich Corleone camp is here, thousand and one
Corner son, fake a jack, you be a goner
We make money like stockbrokers who own Marriotts. We shoot when the cops come around. The rich Corleone crew is here, and there are many of us. If you fake a robbery, you might die.
Yo, control this rap like Napoleon
I control this rap like Napoleon.
Half-Mongolian, hold it, you owe me in
Rock 'em like linolieum, yeah
I'm half-Mongolian, and you owe me something. I hit you so hard it's like you're being rocked on linoleum floors.
Lex, diamonds, shin'in' like you rhymin'
929'n, Titanium glass, time to play that ass
I've got Lex diamonds shining, a 929 car, and titanium glass. It's time to play that ass.
Whirlwinds of French, come movin' intense
Time to pull again, release the shell, well
Make 'em yell again, so sleek
Moving hard and fast like French whirlwinds. It's time to shoot again and make them scream. So sleek and smooth.
But I'm a be maxin' in suites
Countin' your paper and countin' your sheeps
Hittin' your chick in Jeeps
Miraculously, attack your faculty, who wanna tackle me?
I'm going to be staying in lavish hotel suites, counting your money and going after your girls. Who wants to try tackling me?
You jack mack, kidnap 'em for free
What?, you got heat, you better pop those
We movin' like gestapos, through underground potholes
That rock those, much land discoveries
Chrome rims, sippin' bubbly
Who livin' lovily, half a brick to cover me
You're a wannabe gangster. We'll kidnap people for free. If you have a weapon, you better use it. We're moving with stealth like the Gestapos, finding new territory to explore. Meanwhile, we're driving around in cars with chrome rims and sipping champagne. We're living large, and a half brick of drugs would be enough to take care of us.
So dissin' me, come on now listen G
You's a dime I'm a key
Thun, thun straight out of Sicily
Don't try to diss me, listen carefully. You're just a small fry, while I'm a major key player. I'm powerful like a thunder straight out of Sicily.
Joey Crack baggin' up cracks
One love, give 'em Jeep bags, Kid!
Word life, I'll be the infamous
Who leaks the witnesses, crack's the wickedest
Run up in your crib, blast your kids
Ain't no myth in this, shit's official
I'll pistol-whip you with my Smith and Wesson
Cause my investin' was sendin rappers to heaven
Gives me an erection
Joey Crack is packing up some drugs. Let's give them Jeep bags. I'm going to be infamous for leaking information and causing trouble. I'll run up in your house and even kill your kids. There's nothing mythical or unreal about this lifestyle. It's official. I'll even pistol whip you with my gun because it's given me so much success. It makes me excited to invest this way to bring more rappers up to heaven (i.e., to defeat them).
You need protection from the smooth assassin
Who really moves at action, blastin' mothafuckas
Execution fashion
You might need protection from me, the smooth assassin who's always on the move. I'm quick to blast anyone who gets in my way. It's all part of the game.
Now who's the fat one that you love to hate
Catch you at your mother's wake, smack you
Then I'll wack you with my snub 38
Who's the fat guy who everyone loves to hate? If I find you at your mother's funeral, I'll hit you and then blast you with my gun.
It doesn't take much to make me restless
Look at my face and definite lose your breath
Truck my face is Lexus
You want to test this, so really?,
I'll make one call and have the whole WU comin' on the ferry
I'm easily agitated. Just looking at my face might make you lose your breath. I drive a fancy Lexus. If you really want to challenge me, just know that I can call the whole Wu Tang Clan to come get you.
I'm very dangerous and well-connected
I puff an L with Method, then try to
Decide who's next to fill his neck slit
So respected and admired the boss, retired your lost
Wu Tang, your terror squad, vaya con Dios!
I'm very dangerous and have many powerful connections. I can smoke with Method Man and then make decisions about who to kill next. I'm well-respected and admired, and you've lost standing up against me. Wu Tang and my terror squad will see you in hell.
You guys despise guys like us
Guys like us, disgust like Spartacus
You cuss and claim a bust
You lust for a part of us, you thrust
But can't touch
Plus we far from any type of fellas you can trust
You hate guys like us because we're too disgusting, like Spartacus. You curse and claim that you're tough. You even lust after joining us, but you can't be part of our group. Plus, we're not the kind of people you can trust.
Put the pressure on the mic, I biz
Press to your chest, sound like sweat on my back
We're having sex, tight-ass flex
Pretty Pocahontas pussy sweet, like my new Tek
Sis' got curves like a GS, 300 Lex
My body's 95% alcohol, 5% cancer
Sosa diamonds, Getty, Lucci, blaze it up like Bonanza
I'm great under pressure when it comes to rapping. When I press you tight against my chest, you can hear my sweat in the back. It's like we're having sex while I'm rapping. The woman I'm with has a sexy body like a GS 300 Lexus, but sweet like Pocahontas. My body has lots of alcohol and just a little cancer. My diamonds are expensive, and we're blazing them like on Bonanza.
Catch me in the cut, easy G's is burnin' my gut
As I Remember my menage au trois was mired by sluts
You can find me in the cut (i.e., hiding in the shadows), smoking easy Genies that burn my insides. As I think back, my threesome was ruined by some women who weren't trustworthy or good.
I questionmark your heart, punctuate your fate
All your version predicates
Done as well as you pronunciate
I question your motives, and I'm going to determine your fate with a punctuation mark. Your version of events isn't as strong as your pronunciation.
In the (west) we're gonna break you off the isle
Take C.O.s hostage arab style, no surrender
In the West, we're going to defeat you on your own turf. We'll take the correctional officers hostage in an Arabic style, and we won't surrender.
Yo, I'm all about business and enterprisin'
Advisin' financial advisors on franchisin' the wider than horizons
Divisin' ideas with master minders
Movin' on a stash of diamonds
First we get the cash, then we laugh like miners
I'm all about business and entrepreneurship. I give advice to other financial advisors about how to expand their franchises. I'm putting together schemes with masterminds. I'm using a stash of diamonds to make moves. First, we get the cash, then we celebrate and laugh like miners.
Don't get me wrong I'm a funny bastard
But when it come to money, son, I'm not the one to laugh with
I'm after for what cash can bring me brothers
Me and my demon lovers blast and laugh at hyenas
Don't get me wrong, I have a good sense of humor. But when it comes to money, I'm not joking around. I'm going after the cash, my brothers. Me and my demonized lovers will take care of anyone who stands in our way and laugh like hyenas.
Back to Ringling Brothers believe them others
You's the best, yet, and still
I'm investin' mils on a hunch over lunch
Puffin' on a Chesterfield, who wants to test
The real scandalous
I'm at the Sands in Los Angeles
Plannin' hits with an ananymous philanthropist
Spanish kids, close to God, like evangelists
Choppin' niggas up and makin' sandwiches
Back to Ringling Brothers--I don't believe in the hype. Although you think you're the best, I'm investing millions over lunch without worrying about the consequences. I'm smoking a Chesterfield cigarette, and I'm ready to show the world I'm the real deal. I'm at the Sands in Los Angeles and planning hits with a secret benefactor. I'm like a Spanish kid who's close to God, doing His work like an evangelist. I'll even cut up drug dealers and make myself a sandwich afterward.
Big shout to my man Raekwon, word is bond
I want to give a big shout-out to my friend Raekwon. Word is bond.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, MEMORY LANE MUSIC GROUP, JELLYBEAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: COREY WOODS, JOSEPH ANTHONY CARTAGENA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@timbell1313
This is my neighbors favorite song, whether they like it or not.
@Tone-Moonie
Back in the projects we had no choice lol weather boombox or Car stereos, or the neighborhood druglord with the five star stereo system with the booming subwoofer
@user-vj4xh2ll7b
😂😂😂
@da_Costa_666
Haha.
@ahmedkarim6927
lmao
@bucketsdoo5252
LmfO
@TheZigzach
"I'm all about business and enterprising, advising financial advisers on franchising and widening their horizon's" Thank you Pun for one of my favorite rhymes ever!!
@gregbourne1486
Real artist
@jamesinnaredbird-chappell8074
Zigedi Zach not to mention
@jesusmejia1334
Then laugh like mimes.