Customer Reviews

Big Pun: The Legacy

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This was not only a great story but a great documentary on a music artist that opened the doors for so many new artists. I got this movie not knowing much about Big Pun. After watching, I was more than happy I got this. Its truly a collecters item..

Vlad Yudin's "Big Pun: The Legacy" runs more like a tribute than a documentary to the most talented Latin rapper of all-time, Christopher Rios. The film is roughly 90 minutes of Pun performance footage and interviews with family and rappers who were close to him. There are a number of high profile rappers thoughts on Rios including, Raekwon, Ghostface, Method Man, Mobb Deep, Xzibit, B-Real, etc. The problem with "Big Pun: The Legacy" is that almost none of the darkness is explored. There is little to no mention of his abuse of his wife and children (both physical and verbal). Also, the making of Capital Punishment or like a track by track synopsis of this classic album is completely absent from this film. Pun's enormous weight gain and ultimate demise are chronicled well, as is his rise to fame as a top-notch rapper and lyricist. But, again there is not enough depth here to consider this a serious documentary. The bottom line: For hardcore heads only, all others should rent before buying.

If your from the BX, this is for you, if your from the Tri State area this is for you. If your from the era where you think LiL Wayne is one of the best of all time, well then this isn't for you. Put it this way only real hip hop people should get this. Big Pun was too nice, and could have been arguably the greatest of all time. Yet his time in the game was too short due to his death. I feel that you need to be a true fan of real hip hop when lyrics meant something. Right about now you have clowns like Jeezy and Wayne, Pitbull , Officer Rick Ross, Fifty bad scent, owning the waves with at best subpar music, but yet it's throwin into our ears as if it's great music. The present status of hip hop will no where ever be close to that decade of the 90's, early 2000's

Big Pun: The Legacy Review from HHDX -

Before Big Punisher, Hispanic Hip Hop artists struggled for a fair chance in an African American-dominated marketplace. However, it was Christopher Rios' signature rapidfire flow along with his impeccable vocabulary that left jaws dropped across the industry. Pun's unparalleled talent left people scrambling for the rewind button, in order to process his seemingly never-ending rhymes. Though his life was tragically cut short almost a decade ago, Pun's charismatic larger than life persona will forever live on through his music. The Legacy: The Best Of Big Pun encompasses the elite music recorded throughout his career as a solo artist, intertwined with spoken word by Big Pun himself as well as Snoop Dogg, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah.

Chronicling Pun's artistic development leading up to his debut album, The Legacy chronologically begins with Fat Joe and Big Punisher's 1995 HOT97 "Ice Cream" freestyle. Previously only available on Funkmaster Flex's debut, the track's vintage appeal boasts a more nasal-voiced Punisher with a reference to Pun's pre-Terror Squad crew, Full A Clips. Rapidly building momentum, Big Punisher was more broadly introduced to the world on Joey Crack's Jealous One's Envy B-side "Firewater," alongside Joe's friends Raekwon and Armageddon. Followed up with The Beatnuts' "Off The Books," Pun aided his soon-to-be Loud Records label-mates in achieving their first Pop chart success.

A year later, amidst appearances on debut albums by Noreaga and Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Big Punisher dropped his first album, Capital Punishment. Heavily sampling an eclectic mix of 1970s Soul, Jazz, and R&B music like The O'Jays' "Darlin' Darlin' Baby" with a splash of 1990s Hip Hop, Pun sent out the clear message that he was not trying to be anyone but himself. Subsequently, the censored "Still Not A Player" gave Big Punisher his first major mainstream hit. Having read the dictionary several times over, The Legacy's leadoff single "Super Lyrical" and "Twinz (Deep Cover '98)" (which features Big Punisher's legendary "Little Italy" rhyme) demonstrate the lyrical prowess that aided Pun's rise to stardom. The album's critical acclaim led to double platinum sales and a Grammy nomination, and more significantly, Pun became the first solo Latino rapper to go platinum, surpassing his mentor, Fat Joe's success.

Although Yeahhh Baby included his trademark sinister sound with tracks like "Off Wit His Head" and "Leather Face," it also featured more lighthearted efforts like the optimistic "It's So Hard" and the Puerto Rican nationalist anthem "100%." Struggling with morbid obesity, Pun experienced breathing problems throughout the album's recording process, slowing down his iconic flow. Catastrophically dying at 28 years old, just two months before the album's release, Big Pun was unfortunately unable to ensure a whole-hearted release.

While in the Vlad Yudin documentary, Big Punisher's story was told through the words of those whose lives he touched, the accompanying soundtrack allows Pun's tale to be told from his own perspective. Although in different ways, both works undeniably solidify the fact that Christopher Rios' legacy will never be forgotten. As one of Hip Hop's most iconic fallen soldiers, Big Punisher will be remembered as a genuinely humble Puerto Rican lyricist who came, saw, conquered, and sadly could have conquered some more.

this dude was a great MC. as far as the movie. I was glad to see it, a lot of things I already knew though others dvds but this one was well put together and it had people talking about pun the man as equally as his music and they didn't go over board at all. I say if you a fan of hip-hop and pun get this.