Genres

Visitors Review

2013-06-16 22:14:11

Big Pun: The Legacy Review from HHDX

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.

2013-06-16 14:42:52

Great Hip Hop Collection!

Love Love Love this film. I am a huge Big Pun fan but this is a film good enough for any hip hop fan who wants a piece of history... Big Pun Forever! One of the best movies I have seen!

2013-06-10 12:22:34

nothing new

This review is from: Big Pun: The Legacy (DVD) I found this to be repetitive information and it is a simple bio compilation about his life. kjg ihbi hi

2013-06-09 18:29:28

A must have for Hip Hop Fans Everywhere

One of the best music documentaries I have seen in a while. The film really does a good job of putting a story together. Big Pun was a legend and a hero to many of those pursuing their dreams.This is a collector's edition for those music fans worldwide!

Frank Damage 2013-06-05 20:44:46

The Legacy of a Legend

This film could have very easily been titled "Big Pun - The Rise andFall of Rap Royalty" because in his day and even now, Christoper Rios,a.k.a. "Big Punisher," was regarded as a king. Not only by his loyalfans and the Puerto Rican community of the South Bronx, but by renownedand established artists, both inside and outside of the hip hop musicscene.Now don't think for a minute that in order to appreciate thisdocumentary it requires that you be a fan of the music that permeatesthroughout it, or even a fan of the man whose life and rapid rise tostardom is its focus. Vlad Yudin has done an excellent job here increating a film that allows even "outsiders" to see the very real andhumanistic side to a music culture we may know little about and evenallow us to feel as if their loss was ours as well.Through archival clips and contemporary interviews with such highprofile artists like Xzibit, Snoop Dog, Method Man, Redman, Chuck D,DMX and even actress Rosie Perez, Yudin invites us to not only view howone man seemingly became a legend overnight, but how that man livedafter he did and how little (if at all) he changed to the people whoknew him best.In an industry rife with struggles to simply gain recognition as wellas the insurmountable odds against ever coming close to the status thatBig Pun did AND maintaining that notoriety well beyond the narrow spaceof his life, Yudin presents us with the details of how Rios did justthat and overcame a host of prejudices he never even acknowledged, bysimply being a master at his craft. On February 7, 2000 a legend left us with his musical legacy and thoughI commented initially that this documentary could have very well beentitled "Big Pun - Rise and Fall of (Rap) Royalty," I have to concedethat to be an error on my part. If anything this film shows that whileBig Pun did in fact rise like a rocket to incredible heights, even nowlong after death he has never truly fallen in the eyes of those heinspired, impressed and influenced. Take a look at this impressive filmand you may end up becoming one of them as well.

Frank Damage 2013-06-05 08:26:16

The Legacy of a Legend

This could have very easily been titled "Big Pun - Rise and Fall of(Rap) Royalty" because in his day and even now, Christoper Rios, a.k.a."Big Punisher," was regarded as a king. Not only by his loyal fans andthe Puerto Rican community of the South Bronx, but by renowned andestablished artists, both inside and outside of the hip hop scene.Now don't think for a minute that in order to appreciate thisdocumentary it requires that you be a fan of the music that permeatesthroughout it, or even a fan of the man whose life and rapid rise tostardom is its focus. Vlad Yudin has done an excellent job here increating a film that allows even "outsiders" to see the very real andhumanistic side to a music culture we may know little about and evenallow us to feel as if their loss was ours as well.Through archival clips and contemporary interviews with such highprofile artists like Xzibit, Snoop Dog, Method Man, Redman, Chuck D,DMX and even actress Rosie Perez, Yudin invites us to not only view howone man seemingly became a legend overnight, but how that man livedafter he did and how little (if at all) he changed to the people whoknew him best.In an industry rife with struggles to not only gain recognition, butalso insurmountable odds against ever even entrtaining the dream ofrising to the status that Big Pun did AND maintaining that notorietywell beyond the narrow space of his life, Yudin presents us with thedetails of how Rios did just that and overcame a host of prejudices henever even acknowledged, by simply being a master at his craft. On February 7, 2000 a legend left us with his musical legacy and thoughI commented initially that this documentary could have very well beentitled "Big Pun - Rise and Fall of (Rap) Royalty," I have to concedethat to be an error on my part. If anything, Vlad Yusdin shows thatwhile Big Pun did in fact rise like a rocket to incredible heights,even now long after death, he has never truly fallen in the eyes ofthose he inspired, impressed and influenced. Watch this film and youmay become one of them as well.

2013-06-05 09:46:38

More of a tribute than a documentary...

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.

Frank Damage 2013-06-05 06:46:53

The Legacy of a Legend

This could have very easily been titled "Big Pun - Rise and Fall of(Rap) Royalty" because in his day and even now, Christoper Rios, a.k.a."Big Punisher," was regarded as a king. Not only by his loyal fans andthe Puerto Rican community of the South Bronx, but by renowned andestablished artists, both inside and outside of the hip hop scene.Now don't think for a minute that in order to appreciate thisdocumentary it requires that you be a fan of the music that permeatesthroughout it, or even a fan of the man whose life and rapid rise tostardom is its focus. Vlad Yudin has done an excellent job here increating a film that allows even "outsiders" to see the very real andhumanistic side to a music culture we may know little about and evenallow us to feel as if their loss was ours as well.Through archival clips and contemporary interviews with such highprofile artists like Xzibit, Snoop Dog, Method Man, Redman, Chuck D,DMX and even actress Rosie Perez, Yudin invites us to not only view howone man seemingly became a legend overnight, but how that man livedafter he did and how little (if at all) he changed to the people whoknew him best.In an industry rife with struggles to simply gain recognition as wellas the insurmountable odds against ever coming close to the status thatBig Pun did AND maintaining that notoriety well beyond the narrow spaceof his life, Yudin presents us with the details of how Rios did justthat and overcame a host of prejudices he never even acknowledged, bysimply being a master at his craft. On February 7, 2000 a legend left us with his musical legacy and thoughI commented initially that this documentary could have very well beentitled "Big Pun - Rise and Fall of (Rap) Royalty," I have to concedethat to be an error on my part. If anything this film shows that whileBig Pun did in fact rise like a rocket to incredible heights, even nowlong after death he has never truly fallen in the eyes of those heinspired, impressed and influenced. Take a look at this impressive filmand you may end up becoming one of them as well.

2013-05-30 17:16:15

great

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.

2013-05-30 05:47:23

Must have for Music fans!

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..