by John Bush
Arriving just two months after his death from a heart attack, Big Pun's second album Yeeeah Baby proves the rapper's demise was doubly tragic. Of course, the death of anyone at a young age is a tragedy in itself, but Yeeeah Baby displays an artist evolving beyond his previous work with remarkable ease. On the highlights &Watch Those,& &Off Wit His Head,& and &New York Giants,& Pun spits out inventive rhymes and paces his delivery with excellence, more than proving that he should be considered in the top-ten list for late-'90s MCs -- among considerable competition (DMX, Jay-Z, Method Man). He also salutes his Latin heritage all over the album, switching from street slang to Latin lingo without batting an eye, and working a flute charanga sample on &100%.& Despite a variety of track-masters throughout the album, Yeeeah Baby is quite seamless, thanks no doubt to friend and partner Fat Joe (the executive producer) as well as Pun himself. He would've been proud.