Rappers and comic book characters have some clear similarities: they both require a compelling origin story, they often answer to several aliases, and (ideally) they've got a special skill that sets them apart from mere mortals. So it's no wonder the two have been feeding off of each other for decades.
Hip hop is an endless battle of pop cultural one-upmanship, and comic book references crop up in songs by everyone from The Sugarhill Gang to Eminem. In honor of San Diego Comic-Con, we highlight 9 artists who took it one step further, assuming the names of characters the others just talk about.
When Bronx native Christopher Rios rapped, “Hop in your Hummer, the Punisher's ready / meet me at Vito's with noodles, we'll do this dude while he's slurping spaghetti,” he was referring to himself, the man we know as Big Pun. But it’s just as easy to imagine Marvel antihero Frank Castle—aka The Punisher—on his way to dish out some vigilante justice in the New York City streets.
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