Sasha has PDF-ed up the Elizabeth Mendez Berry article that everyone's talking about, and it's well worth the hype. Rarely has hip-hop journalism been so real, or so chilling:
Before going to sleep, many little girls pray for a new Barbie, an X-Box game or a trip to Disney World. At age 7, Vanessa Rios asked only that "Papi would stop hitting Mami."
It was May 1999, and Vanessa was staying with her aunt, Penelope Rios Santiago, in Miami. After Santiago overheard her niece's bedtime prayer, she confronted her brother, Christopher Rios. His reaction? It wasn't true, he said.
Thoguh he had much in common with other abusers, Christopher Rios was also different: He was Big Pun, a famous rap star. He first met his wife, Liza, when she was 16, and over the course of their 10 year relationship, she claims he sent her to the hospital three times and prevented her from seeking needed medical attention on many other occasions. "One time he told me to change the batteries in his beeper," says Liza Rios, now 31. "I totally forgot about it, and he took this lead pipe and started swinging on me. I had my daughter in my arms, and I told Cuban [Link, who was there] to take the baby. After he finished beating me, my elbow was twisted out of place. I was limping for two months..."
Oh and speaking of Vibe and realness: welcome to blogville, Danyel. I'm sure you don't remember but we met at WNYU about 10 years ago.
