Fans Create Petition for Street Named After Big Pun in the Bronx
The legacy of Big Pun still looms large over the Bronx. That much is clear after nearly 4,000 fans signed a petition to rename East 163rd Street and Rogers Place—which already has a mural honoring Pun—after the rapper, who died of a heart attack 17 years ago.
While the plan to get Pun his own street name, Big Pun Place, is obviously still in its earliest stages, it might have some serious potential to work out. News 12 Bronx reports that the proposal could be brought before the city council, and City Councilman Rafael Salamanca says if enough residents support the move, he'll ultimately make it something they can vote on. Chris Rivers, who is Pun's son, is one of the main people supporting this movement.
“I think for the people of the Bronx that grew up listening to him. That was inspired by his words. And the millions of people that heard his music and it changed their lives,” Chris Rivers said. “I think it would be amazing to see something more concrete. I think for one of their favorite artists or just for someone who held down the Bronx. I think it would be an amazing thing for us and for his fans.”
Interestingly enough, this petition springs up just a few weeks after Funkmaster Flex—another Bronx legend—had his name written onto a street sign after he was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. Perhaps that led folks in the borough to want Pun to get a street of his own.
Before his untimely death in 2000, Pun mesmerized rap fans for years with his seemingly breathless flows and incredibly deft rhyme schemes made even more potent by their content. Years later, he still stands as perhaps the greatest MC the borough's ever produced.
Watch the news story about a street potentially being named after Pun for yourself below.
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