big pun ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

The Best & Worst Posthumous Rap Albums Of All Time

Last week (April 26), during a concert at Los Angeles, California's El Rey Theater, Tyler, The Creator told his hometown crowd about a very significant provision in his will. “Some of these [songs] are so good I can’t just let ’em sit on my hard drive,” Tyler told the crowd... Read more

May 2, 2023 Video

Latinos Have Played A Critical Role In Hip-Hop History. There’s No Debate

Last Friday (August 26) Fat Joe posted a video online that celebrated the contributions of Latino Hip-Hop pioneers. The slideshow acknowledged figures ranging from the Cold Crush Brothers' DJ Charlie Chase to DJ Disco Wiz to early producer/musician Pumpkin to The Fearless Four's Master O.C. and Tito. With the video,... Read more

August 30, 2022 Food for Thought

Many Of Hip-Hop’s Greatest Rappers Name Their Top 5 MCs

Note: Jadakiss recently appeared on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby podcast and was asked who his top 5 Hip-Hop groups of all-time were. This article has been updated below with his response, as well as The Game’s top 5 LA Rap albums. A few days ago, during a podcast appearance, Ice... Read more

July 12, 2022 Video

Here Are Some Reasons Why 2000 May Be Hip-Hop’s Greatest Year

At Ambrosia For Heads, we celebrate Hip-Hop throughout the ages. Earlier this year, our What's The Headline podcast launched a series examining the calendar years that made the music and culture reach its full potential. After taking a loving look back at 1984, the next episode drops in on Y2K.... Read more

April 6, 2021 Video

Jadakiss Confirms An Unreleased Concept Song Where He & Big Pun Battled (Video)

Jadakiss has amassed an incredible discography over the last 25 years. Along that journey, the LOX and D-Block member has shared the mic with some of the greats, including JAY-Z, DMX, Nas, Royce 5'9, Eminem, and Scarface, to name a few. Recently, 'Kiss appeared on Bootleg Kev and DJ Hed's... Read more

November 9, 2019 Video

Wu-Tang, Pete Rock & Others Reunite To Celebrate 25+ Years Of Loud Records

Loud Records dominated the Rap music landscape in the 1990s and early 2000s. Steve Rifkind's label has some of the greatest all-time albums in the genre. To do so, Loud took chances by signing and supporting acts that defied the model at the major labels. Rifkind had been a leader... Read more

August 12, 2019 Fresh

Buckwild Gives Terror Squad Some D.I.T.C. Fire To Celebrate Big Pun (Audio)

Last week (February 7) marked 19 years since Big Pun tragically passed away. Although much of the music from the legendary lyricist has released since his death, friends and collaborators continue to find ways to light his legacy. Diggin' In The Crates producer Buckwild uploaded a new joint to celebrate... Read more

February 12, 2019 Audio

Chris Rivers Snatches Royce & Eminem’s Beat And Rips It Just As Hard (Audio)

Chris Rivers may be the son of one of Hip-Hop’s all-time great lyricists, but with a string of solid releases over the last five years he has stepped out of Pops’ shadow to have his work judged on its own merits. At the same time, the younger Rios does not... Read more

May 17, 2018 Audio

Heather B. Told The Rap Game To Put Down The Guns Decades Ago (Video)

In light of the gun violence that has plagued our nation and culture, Ambrosia For Heads is in the midst of a pledge to not play any music that glorifies gun violence for one week (beginning the past Monday, March 5). Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and in the... Read more

March 8, 2018 Do Remember

Chris Rivers & Star Rios Honor Their Father Big Pun With Verses (Audio)

February 7 is a milestone day in Hip-Hop. It marks the birthday of J Dilla (in 1974), and also the day that Big Pun passed away, back in 2000. Typically, Pun's son Chris Rivers uses the date to pay tribute to his father, a personal and controversial figure within the... Read more

February 7, 2018 Audio

Chris Rivers Clarifies His Recent Controversial Music Video About Domestic Abuse (Video)

Today (November 10) would have been Big Pun's 46th birthday. The legendary Bronx, New York MC died at the age of 28, on February 7, 2000, from heart failure. Christopher Rios' only son, who shares his name and raps under the moniker Chris Rivers has celebrated his father, as well... Read more

November 10, 2017 Video

Chris Rivers’ New Video Shows The Type Of Abuse His Family Suffered

Chris Rivers is his own man and has proved it time and again. The Bronx, New York MC is the son of legendary lyricist Big Pun. However, like the documentaries on the late Terror Squad founder have suggested, that's not always a good thing. Videos and family testimony have chronicled... Read more

November 4, 2017 Video

20 Years Ago The Beatnuts, Big Pun & Cuban Link Broke The Bank Off The Books (Video)

Two decades ago, The Beatnuts brought Big Pun and Cuban Link to Wall Street. In the video for the Queens, New York group's 1997 single "Off The Books," the men representing various Latin-American identities performed in the heart of America's financial hub and in so doing made a tongue-in-cheek statement... Read more

September 14, 2017 Do Remember

See The Full Historic Conversation & Cypher Between Mos Def, Big Pun, Canibus & DMX (Video)

Twenty years ago, Hip-Hop was in crosswinds. Microphones were grabbed by emerging voices from across the landscape, geographically, stylistically, and regarding content. As the genre collected itself following the sudden and tragic killings of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, it wanted new sounds, messages, and conversations. Mos Def & Dave... Read more

August 28, 2017 Throwback, Video

Despite Her Epic Comeback, Remy Ma Says She Still Can’t Make The Music She Wants

Without question, Remy Ma mounted one of the greatest comebacks in Rap history upon her release from prison in August of 2014. That summer alone, she managed to record with DJ Khaled, Jadakiss, Ty Dolla $ign, and Bobby Schmurda, apparently taking full advantage of all the bottled up ambition and... Read more

June 13, 2017 Fresh

Watch 40 Years Of Hip-Hop History In 4 Minutes In A Mind-Blowing Mashup (Video)

It ain't nothin' like Hip-Hop music...Over the last 40 years, there have been few forces in pop culture with more impact than Hip-Hop. Like Rock & Roll before it, the music and lifestyle shaped an entire generation and has had untold influence around the world. The Rub: The History of... Read more

June 5, 2017 Video

Fat Joe Airs Out Terror Squad’s Dirty Laundry & Defends His Name (Video)

Fat Joe is one of Hip-Hop's most controversial figures. The Bronx, New Yorker has roots in some of the hardest Rap music of the '90s, starting with his '93 debut, Represent. However, in the days after Big Pun's sudden 2000 death, Joe stepped forward to become a mainstream giant, making... Read more

March 3, 2017 Video

Finding The GOAT Producer: DJ Premier vs. RZA. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

February 27, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Chris Rivers Pays Tribute To His Father Big Pun With A Crushing Freestyle (Video)

Tuesday (February 7), marked the 17th anniversary of Big Pun's passing. Though Pun only released two studio albums, his dextrous rhymes and impeccable flow left a mark that allows him to still be widely considered one of Rap's all-time greats, nearly 20 years after his debut album, Capital Punishment. Fat... Read more

February 9, 2017 Video

Fat Joe Unsung Tells The Story Of 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Most Enduring Superstars (Video)

Since 1993, Fat Joe has been a mainstay in Hip-Hop. In a genre that cycles through stars every few years and considers artists from as recently as 10 years ago, "Old School," his longevity is miraculous. Time and again, Joe has re-invented himself, going from Joey Crack to R&B Rap... Read more

January 22, 2017 TV, TV/Film, Video

This Big Pun Documentary Explores the Beautiful & Ugly Parts of an Icon’s Life (Video)

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Christopher "Big Punisher" Rios's 1998 debut single, "Still Not a Player." As the first Latin solo Hip-Hop artist to go platinum (thanks to the success of 1998's Capital Punishment), he made history at just 26-years-old. But just two years later, he passed away.... Read more

January 2, 2017 Video

Kool G Rap, Canibus & Chris Rivers Send An Omen That Real Lyricism Is Back (Audio)

One of 2016's most steadfast MCs, Chris Rivers is a clear disciple of that hard-nosed late '80s and 1990s lyricism. While the Bronx, New Yorker's greatest influence would appear to be his father (Big Pun), there are other clear connections. Pun, after all, was a student of Kool G Rap,... Read more

December 17, 2016 Audio

Domingo Enlists Legends Like Big Daddy Kane To Showcase Tomorrow’s Brightest MCs (Audio)

If you’re a fan of hard-hitting street anthems, you may be familiar with veteran Brooklyn, New York producer Domingo's work. His impressive list of collaborators includes Hip-Hop royalty like Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane and Sean Price. He has also worked with a plethora of other accomplished lyricists like... Read more

November 22, 2016 Audio

Two MCs Try To Eat Chris Rivers’ Lunch In A Cypher Turned Raw Battle (Video)

Celebrants of lyricism in Hip-Hop, particularly in the current generation of artists, have much to tout in Chris Rivers. The son of one of the Greats (Big Pun) has by-and-large forgone the glossy, radio-friendly career path for one built on freestyles and collaborations with like-minded MCs like Joell Ortiz and... Read more

August 29, 2016 Video

Fat Joe Tells An Animated Story About Meeting Big Pun & It’s Epic (Video)

Few artists have impacted Hip-Hop over a longer span than Fat Joe. For nearly 25 years, he has remained relevant, not only enduring, but seemingly growing in popularity. While Joe started off as an underground rapper, aptly-nicknamed "Da Gangsta," he has morphed into an artist with incredible mainstream success, without... Read more

August 4, 2016 Video

DJ Khaled May Be The Key Reason Big Pun & Fat Joe’s Twinz (Deep Cover 98) Became A Hit (Video)

In 2004, the Terror Squad released #1 single "Lean Back." With verses by Fat Joe and Remy Ma, T.S. shouted out DJ Khaled. Outside of Miami, Florida, the DJ, radio personality, and producer (of the alias "Beat Novacane") was not a known name in the mainstream. In 2016, Khaled Mohamed... Read more

July 27, 2016 Video

Chris Rivers Recaps The Week’s News In A Blistering Freestyle (Video)

Bronx, New York MC Chris Rivers has supplied Hip-Hop Heads for years with a steady stream of freestyles, collaborations, and an acclaimed onslaught of mixtapes. The son of Big Pun now is the latest lyricist to accept Ambrosia For Heads' challenge to weave headlines in music, news, and lifestyle from the... Read more

June 2, 2016 Video

Remy Ma & Fat Joe Have A Raw Conversation On The Effects Of Prison & Coping With Trauma (Audio)

In a union of two of Terror Squad's major players, earlier this year, Fat Joe and Remy Ma announced they were releasing a joint album. Since then they have been making the rounds discussing the project and their storied shared history. Recently, Remy and Joe were guests on Shawn Setaro's... Read more

April 16, 2016 Audio

Fat Joe & Remy Ma Discuss How Big Pun Is Still Watching Over Them (Video)

Fat Joe and Remy Ma joined The Breakfast Club for a lengthy discussion yesterday (March 4). In fact, it was the longest interview in the show's history, clocking in at a whopping 78 minutes. The two discussed everything from their tumultuous history to Love & Hip-Hop to their forthcoming collaborative... Read more

March 5, 2016 Video

Chris Rivers Writes A Moving Letter To His Father, Big Pun, On His Birthday

Happy Birthday to Big Pun. The lyrical Bronx Bomber would have been 44 years old, yesterday (11/10). In the past year, Chris Rivers, Pun's son, has broken out and established himself as one of Hip-Hop's most promising MCs. While he has established his identity as his own man, shedding the... Read more

November 11, 2015 Fresh

Chris Rivers’ & Sheek Louch’s I Got It Made Video Salutes Many More Legends Than Just Special Ed

Over the Summer, Chris Rivers released a slew of sizzling freestyles featuring both original and throwback tracks. Out of many quality offerings, one stood out in particular. The son of Big Pun teamed with one of his father's contemporaries in The LOX's Sheek Louch. Together, Chris and Donnie put on... Read more

November 6, 2015 Video

Mobb Deep’s The Infamous vs. Big Pun’s Capital Punishment. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

November 4, 2015 Finding the GOAT

Chris Rivers Has That Medicine for Heads That Have Been Hurting From Wack Hip-Hop (Mixtape)

2015 has been the year that Chris Rivers has stepped out of the shadow of being Big Pun's son and shown the world he shines on his own. For the last few months, Rivers has owned Fridays with a series of blistering freestyles and videos. While many of his weekly... Read more

October 23, 2015 Mixes

Chris Rivers & Sheek Louch Have Got It Made With Their Throwback Freestyles (Audio)

For the last several weeks, Chris Rivers and Sheek Louch have released rugged verses over throwback beats. Rivers has covered everyone from Black Moon to his father, Big Pun, and even tackled a LOX standout. Sheek has gone a bit more contemporary, with verses over Jay Rock, The Clipse and... Read more

August 7, 2015 Audio

Ever See This Big Pun & Terror Squad Cypher in the Back of a Limo? (Video)

Here's a look back at a behind the scenes moment with Big Pun, Prospect and Cuban Link from Terror Squad, and Charlie Hustle. In an experience that was much like a true to life segment from Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang Clan: 36 Chambers, the crew was in the back... Read more

August 1, 2015 Throwback

Big Pun’s Widow & Chris Rivers Offer Up The Real & Uncut Story of Life With Pun (Audio)

Fifteen years removed from Big Pun's death, there has been a lot of attention paid to one of Hip-Hop's greatest lyricists. The Bronx, New Yorker Terror Squad founder born Chris Rios has been survived by his wife, Liza Rios, and three children. The youngest, Christopher Rios (same name as his... Read more

July 11, 2015 Audio

Chris Rivers Drops a Freestyle Over Classic Bone Thugs & Do or Die. TGIF. (Audio)

Another Friday, another release from Chris Rivers. The MC formerly known as Baby Pun continues his weekly lyrical assaults, unloading aggressive, rapid-fire, and complex verses over an impressive array of production styles. This week it's the Midwest's turn, with Rivers first re-invigorating the classic sounds of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "1st of... Read more

July 10, 2015 Audio

Chris Rivers Gets Zapped With a Catfish on a Computer Love Remake (Audio)

Chris Rivers is known for blisteringly fast and aggressive raps, akin to those of his father, Big Pun. Like father, like son, when it comes to smoothing it out on the R&B tip, Rivers is also more than capable. On "Catfish Love," the MC formerly known as Baby Pun hops... Read more

July 3, 2015 Audio

There Ain’t No Half Steppin’ On Chris Rivers’ Newest Throwback Freestyle (Audio)

Chris Rivers, son of the late Big Pun, has been going on lyrical tirades lately. From killer freestyles, to adding some of his own Horror-core influences, Rivers is proving to be a standout. He is properly following in Big Pun's footsteps by recording crazy bars of his own on his father's... Read more

June 26, 2015 Audio

Chris Rivers Releases a Video For His Scorching Big Pun & LOX Freestyle (Video)

Chris Rivers' "You Ain't Recognized" is one of his 2015 standout moments. The freestyle combines Rivers' dad's "You Ain't A Killer" with The LOX's DJ Premier-produced "Recognize" for a vicious showcase of bars. In the song, Christopher manages to deftly blend style and substance, in what—for many Rap peers—is a... Read more

June 19, 2015 Video

From Big Pun & Fat Joe’s Takeover To Miami Bass, The Latino Hip-Hop Legacy Is Examined (Audio)

The great Hip-Hop photographer and documentarian Joe Conzo, Jr. recently told Latino USA, "I'd go toe-to-toe with anybody that says Latinos weren't there in the beginning." Joe was dubbed as the photographer of "Hip-Hop's baby pictures" by The New York Times, which means he was there when it all started... Read more

June 11, 2015 Audio

Chris Rivers Earns Every Instrumental, From Big Pun To LOX (Audio)

When you're constantly compared against your father, you have to make it count. Chris Rivers has massive shoes to fill as Big Pun's son. So when the Bronx, New York heir to the family microphone takes his dad's instrumental, it's a sign of confidence. In a quick strike, that's just... Read more

June 5, 2015 Audio

Here’s a VIDEO Mix of 90s Gems For True Lovers of Hip-Hop (Video)

DJ E Double D does it again. The UK-based DJ/VJ has put together an amazing blend of Hip-Hop videos. This is a full-on visual mixtape, complete with cutting, scratching, beat juggling and, above all, some incredible music. He balances classic staples and deep album cuts by De La Soul, Mobb... Read more

June 5, 2015 Throwback

Chris Rivers Is A Chip Off The Legendary Block In 2 New Looks (Video)

One of the most interesting things about the late, great Big Pun is his creative duality. In his early days with Cuban Link and Full-A-Clips, Punisher favored a horror-core style, as heard on early 1990s Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and Geto Boys records. By the late '90s however,... Read more

April 17, 2015 Audio, Video

Chris Rivers DESTROYS the Mic on Sway In The Morning (Video)

Chris Rivers (f/k/a Baby Pun) recently stopped by the Sway In The Morning show to chop it up. Before getting to possibly one of the best freestyles the show has seen, Sway starts off by talking about how Rivers' father, the legendary Big Pun helped him establish himself as a... Read more

April 4, 2015 Video

Big Daddy Kane Names His List of the Greatest MCs of All-Time. Who Made the Cut? (Video)

"Me, KRS and Rakim changed the whole way people rhymed..."--Big Daddy Kane Big Daddy Kane is widely considered to be one of the greatest MCs of all-time and, for many, he is the GOAT. So, when Kane speaks about his list of Hip-Hop's best lyricists, it takes on a different... Read more

March 24, 2015 Video

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): The Notorious B.I.G. vs. Big Pun…Who You Got

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

March 13, 2015 Throwback

Chris Rivers Joins Styles P & Vinnie Paz In A Visual That Would Make Full-A-Clips Proud (Video)

Long before the Loud Records deal, Big Pun was about the hard-nosed deliveries, the Horror imagery, and the grimy accounts of a life on the edge. Fifteen years to the day after Pun's tragic death, his son, Chris Rivers, carries on tradition. "War Room," with The LOX's Styles P and... Read more

February 7, 2015 Video

15 Years After Big Pun’s Life, Producer Domingo Shares Vivid Memories Off The Books (Interview)

Fifteen years ago today (February 7, 2000), Christopher Rios tragically died from a heart attack, leaving behind his family, friends, and millions of fans. At the time, the Bronx, New York MC known as Big Pun had only released a lone album, 1998's Capital Punishment, but with that body of... Read more

February 7, 2015 Food for Thought

Do Remember: Fat Joe, Nas, Big Pun, Raekwon & Jadakiss’ John Blaze (Video)

1998 was a critical turning point for Fat Joe. Two albums deep, the Bronx, New Yorker had made Represent and Jealous Ones Envy with the hardcore Hip-Hop Head in mind and in spirit. With Joe's brazen delivery, sharp cadence, and keen ear for intricate sample-based production, he had risen the... Read more

January 29, 2015 Throwback