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The first solo Latino rapper to go platinum (with 1998's Capital Punishment), Christopher "Big Pun" Rios didn't live to see the release of this follow-up. Despite a relieved-sounding boast about losing 100 pounds on the percolating "It's So Hard," Pun died of apparent heart problems early in 2000. Yeeeah Baby is a final testament he could be proud of. Imaginative production backs Pun to the hilt as he moves from the smooth Spanglish flow of "It's So Hard" to the living-well-is-the-best-revenge tale "Laughing at You" and the neighborhood-threatening "New York Giants." Loud, strong, and clear throughout, he'll be missed. --Rickey Wright