Did Fat Joe betray his former protege? Pun’s widow seems to think so.
Fans of Big Pun probably know that the emcee’s entire mainstream career was kickstarted by Fat Joe. Making his commercial debut on Joe’s Jealous Ones Envy way back in 1995, the New York emcee was put on the fast track to success, coming out the gate with a platinum major label debut, Capital Punishment, a few years later in 1998. Now, it appears that Joe, the man arguably responsible for Pun’s success, isn’t willing to share any of profits he’s earned off of his protege.
In a new lawsuit reported by TMZ (who else?), Big Pun’s widow, Liza Rios, is suing Joe for withholding money that she feels that she’s entitled to. Apparently, Joe made a deal with Pun to split all proceeds generated from Pun’s discography. Naturally, after Pun’s passing, the money would then transfer to his widow. The problem? Rios claims that Joe hasn’t sent her a penny since 2005, despite releasing several posthumous albums years after Big Pun died.
She wants “more than a million bucks,” according to TMZ. Expect a more precise figure to surface soon.
