BY JORDAN COMMANDEUR • FEBRUARY 12, 2019

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 the life and times of Christopher Rios aka Big Pun. The revered producer for O.C., Black Rob, Celph Titled and others has given fans a Terror Squad posse cut titled “Fire” that features Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Reef Hustle on the hook, and an exceptional verse from Big Pun. This song is special because it reunites Punisher’s vocal with his onetime protege Rem’. The two had several songs together including “Ms. Martin,” “You Was Wrong,” and “Thug Love,” but have not been heard on the same track since Ma’s debut, There’s Something About Remy: Based On A True Story, in 2006.

This banger starts with fire engine sirens and big orchestral drums, then the boom bap percussion hits and a sample of Pun saying, “Terror Squad, what?” repeats a couple of times. Joey Crack starts the bar fest and really hits his stride about mid-verse when he kicks, “Now Joe quit rappin’, hell gon’ freeze then / Well, sh*t that’s like LeBron leaving… / Some ghostwrite and get it in lyrically / But I’m that ni**a you call for credibility / If you righteous, I spit it mathematically / You not good enough, get ya mans to come battle me / I spit rounds off / I squeeze pounds off / You n*ggas hot, I’ma get the f*ck from around y’all.” Ha, the two crew-superstar has got punchlines and jokes.

Pun’s verse is from “My World,” which was one of the songs that eventually landed on 2001’s posthumous compilation, Endangered Species. While some Heads may have already memorized this one, the Bronx legend’s words from the late 1990s are still as dope today as they were back then. “F*ck the small talk, ni**as know Pun keep the fo’ cocked / Don’t walk too fast, might pass through the wrong block / Don’t stop, keep it movin’, the streets’ll ruin / The average man, faster than, the motherf*ckin’ teamsters union.” Pun’s legacy as a compound-rhyme-spitting MC is eternal.

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