Big Punisher - "Punish Me"

Next Sunday will mark the ten year anniversary of Pun's death and I find it absolutely necessary that I pay my respects to the legend.  In my opinion Pun was probably the most versitle emcee aside from Biggie, demonstrating to create (good) pop tracks ("Still Not a Player"), hard tracks ("Beware"), and beautiful tracks.  This song is an example of the latter and is one of my favorite hip hop tracks from the late 90's.  R.I.P.

Cypress Hill - "Insane In The Brain"

Who you tryin’ to get crazy with ése?  Don’t you know I’m loco?

Cypress Hill is one of those groups that just has that distinctive 90s sound.  Their bass-heavy beats and odd sample loops (this song samples a high-pitched trumpet for its chorus) combined with B-Real's high-pitched nasal vocals and Sen Dog's (mostly just) shouting create a unique sound that can only be attributed to the group.  Cypress Hill was the first latino hip hop group to have critical and commercial success, with four of their first five albums going at least platinum.  Cypress Hill has a huge influence on [insert your favorite hip hop artist here], but their influence extends beyond hip hop.  Their hit "How I Can Just Kill a Man" was covered by Rage Against The Machine on their Renegades album and this song has been referenced by everything from Futurama to Zoolander to The Simpsons.  Hit the jump for the download link and a bonus track that Joell Ortiz released as a tribute to fellow Latino emcee Big Pun.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

WordIsBorn

PS. I re-upped all of the old download links for those of you who missed out first time around and wanted to get a few dope tracks/mixtapes.  Hit me up if you have any problems.

Big Punisher - "Still Not A Player" x "Beware"

Literature holds the tradition of the "tragic hero," a character who the audience cares for, not because they are perfect, god-like beings, but because their flaws make them all the more human (and typically lead to their downfall).

Christopher Rios, better known by his moniker Big Pun, was one of hip hop's tragic heroes.  The South Bronx-born Puerto Rican emcee was literally and figuratively larger than life.  Though fit as an adolescent (he played basketball and boxed before dropping out of school at 15), Pun rode the line between obesity and morbid obesity for most of his life.  His 1998 debut album Capital Punishment is one of the most complete albums I've ever heard, a perfect blend of pop hits and hardcore battle raps, and was the first album by a Latin emcee to go platinum.  In effect, it was Pun's success and skill that killed him.  Life on tour did not encourage a healthy lifestyle and Pun's weight skyrocketed. Eventually, he was convinced to check into a weight-loss clinic in North Carolina where he lost 80 pounds but did not complete the treatment due to homesickness.  On Febuary 7, 2000, Pun suffered a fatal heart attack and respiratory failure while at home with his family.  He reportedly weighed 698 pounds at the time of his death.  He was 28.