New Mural to Honor Big Pun

ByABC News
February 6, 2001, 2:44 PM

February 5 -- On the first anniversary of his death, Big Punisher will be commemorated with a new mural to be painted in the South Bronx in New York tomorrow.

The rapper, born Christopher Rios, died of a heart attack on Feb. 7 last year. He was 28 and reportedly weighed 700 pounds at the time of his death.

Rap collaborators Fat Joe, Cuban Link, and Tony Sunshine will join friends and family of Rios as an honorary mural painted last year is whitewashed and repainted by graffiti artist collective Tats Cru. The mural will be located at 163rd Street and Westchester Avenue.

Rios' second solo album, Yeeeah Baby, was released two months after his death, debuting at No. 3 on the album charts. His 1998 debut, Capital Punishment, was the first album from a Latino solo rapper to achieve platinum certification.

Loud Records is planning a new Big Pun album, Endangered Species, for April 3. The collection will include tracks from his two solo LPs, collaborations from other artists' albums, and several unreleased tracks. The disc will include liner notes written by Fat Joe.