Big Pun Honored With Bronx Street Corner

Big Pun, the late rapper born Christopher Rios, now has a street corner named after him in New York City. A sign designating the corner of East Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx was unveiled today (March 22), with Big Pun’s wife and children in attendance. Big Pun died in 2000 of a heart attack in White Plains, New York.

The plaza dedication is the first official designation from the city, though not the first time a Bronx street corner has been dedicated to Big Pun. In 2014, a fan bought a sign from the New York City Department of Transportation’s website, posting it up on the corner of E 163 St and Rogers place on the anniversary of Big Pun’s death. It was quickly removed. A 2011 effort by his sister proposing a dedication in Bronx Community Board 2 was unsuccessful. After similarly unsuccessful attempts with a local Community Board, the family of slain rapper the Notorious B.I.G. was able to get a Brooklyn street corner re-named in his honor in 2019.

Big Pun’s solo debut Capital Punishment was the first album by a Latinx rapper to go platinum. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1998 Grammys.