His weight fluctuated in the early 1990s between obese and morbidly obese. He weighed 180 pounds (82 kg) at age 18, which increased to 300 pounds (140 kg) at 21. Rios struggled with weight issues his entire adult life. The album did not fare well commercially but it was well received critically and the album was meant to start the foundation for all other Terror Squad members to release their solo projects. The Terror Squad collaboration album (1999–2000) īig Pun became a member of Terror Squad, a New York-based group of rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full-A-Clips who released their debut album The Album in 1999. Capital Punishment was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The full-length debut Capital Punishment followed in 1998, and became the first album by a solo Latino rapper to go platinum, peaking at No. The remixed song, featuring Joe and titled " Still Not a Player", became Big Pun's first major mainstream hit and major breakthrough for Knobody. Suitably impressed, the rapper hired Knobody to remix " I'm Not a Player". In 1997, producer Knobody's production partner Sean C took advantage of his new role as A&R at Loud Records to play Knobody's tracks to Big Pun. In 1997, Big Pun began recording songs for his debut album Capital Punishment. He also appeared on The Beatnuts' song "Off the Books". After changing his stage name to Big Punisher, Rios met fellow Puerto Rican and Bronx rapper Fat Joe in 1995 and made his commercial debut on Fat Joe's second album, Jealous One's Envy, in addition to appearing on the song, "Watch Out". At this point Rios was operating under the alias Big Moon Dawg. Rios made a number of recordings with the group in the 1990s, which have not been released. He later formed the underground group Full-A-Clips with Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz and Toom. Career ĭuring the late 1980s, he began writing rap lyrics. Between the ages of 18 and 21, Rios' weight rocketed from 180 lb (82 kg) to 300 lb (140 kg) he was consequently unable to tie his own shoes. Rios struggled with depression stemming from his turbulent childhood, and he coped with it by overeating. Using his settlement money, Rios married his high school sweetheart, Liza, and the two moved into a home together. Later, he received a large settlement from the city stemming from an incident in 1976, where Rios broke his leg while playing in a park. He moved out of his mother's house at age 15 and was homeless for a period of time in the late 1980s. He regularly played basketball and trained in boxing. He grew up in the Soundview neighborhood and had at least two sisters and one brother. Rios was born in The South Bronx in New York City, New York, to parents of Puerto Rican descent.