![Chris Rivers](./media_11a1f5d35427c2441ab3a20eb00025569b5d4933e.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
It’s a rare sight to see a man exceed expectations and truly live up to the legacy of his father, whose work continues to be a topic of conversation even seventeen years after his passing.
Chris Rivers is a talented wordsmith and native of a little borough in New York City called The Bronx. Rivers has made a name for himself in Hip-Hop’s underground circuit, as well as having worked with the likes of Termanology, Nitty Scott, MC, Statik Selektah, and Sheek Louch of The Lox.
He’s also the only son of the great Big Pun.
On February 7, 2000 the rapper, born Christopher Rios, passed at the age of 28 after suffering a heart attack in the midst of work on his sophomore album Yeeeah Baby. The album would go on to be certified gold by the RIAA that same summer, and Pun’s work as a microphone specialist would forever hold a place in the hearts of millions. While chopping it up at the REVOLT office in the heart of Times Square, Rivers spoke on the challenges of following in his father’s footsteps.
“Initially, I had to really fight for the sense of self identity. You know what I’m saying?” Rivers admitted. “I had to change my name from Baby Pun to Chris Rivers, and that was a personal choice ‘cause I didn’t want to live in his shadow.”
The young fire-breather hasn’t exactly staved off comparisons to his father, in partial since their rhyming flows are quite similar, but Rivers has been focused on etching his chapter in the history books and earning his position as a respectable emcee.
“After a while, I seen people call me more Chris Rivers and recognizing me for my own talent and my own music – it’s been a journey and it feels amazing to see, every day, more and more that I’ve earned each fan… I earned this.”
But any true New Yorker can recall the days, especially in the summer, when you’d turn the dial on your radio and the sounds of “Still Not a Player” caused you to stop everything you were doing. Unless you were driving, of course, then you could semi-stunt for the duration of the song. However, Pun’s mainstream breakout still allows listeners to hear the continuous echoes of the “boricua, morena” chant provided by R&B staple Joe. Though, it’s totally fine to shed a tear when “It’s So Hard” blasts directly after.
Rivers also took time to reflect on Pun’s longevity in the Big Apple and how the city has helped in maintaining his relationship with his father.
“He passed when I was six. So while he was alive, I knew he was a rapper and stuff but at that age, you’re not really grasping too much,” he lamented. “I didn’t realize how much of a famous, or person he was, or how much impact he had on the world until his funeral… I mean blocks and blocks were flooded with thousands of people each day of the wake and people who never met him before dropped on their knees in front of his casket and ripped off their shirts and was yelling and screaming.”
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