“Pronto llegará el día de mi suerte,Te lo juro por mi gente Te juro que un día llegará” – Big Pun
Corruption, how do you define it? To quote an old cliche, if you look up the definition of Corruption you will find a picture of Amaurys Grullon aka The Bronx Native next to it. Corruption in the Bronx feels inescapable, it is smothering like the chemical-filled gravy from KFC that just sits thick and heavy on those scoops of white potatoes. Even the culture, Hip-Hop, that was created as a response to government neglect and institutional racism has been corrupted by money-hungry pimps looking to exploit communities and gain investments only for themselves. Last October 2024, we began an investigation, originally fueled by suspicious activity reported by customers who had made purchases via the Bronx Native’s online shop. Our aim was and is simple: to present information focusing on the key issue plaguing the Bronx: Corruption. The Corruption in our local businesses, government offices, and social institutions. This led us to a deep dive into the shop’s owner and Co-Founder Amaurys Grullon.
We have uncovered allegations of theft ranging from services not rendered; and alleged intellectual and artistic property theft to allegedly creating a bogus non-profit organization supposedly called “Change the Narrative Today”. There are also repeated examples of plagiarism by the brand; reports from contributors of their “BX Writers” anthology claiming lack of compensation. We’ve reported on Amaurys Grullon’s coercive GoFundMe campaign that blamed the shop’s financial struggles directly on the coronavirus disease in 2020 stating “Because of unprecedented circumstances this iconic shop is at risk of closing. We recently had to close our shop for about 2 months now because of COVID19 cutting our profits 50%” but nowhere mentions the fact that [he] owed the Brooklyn’s First Screen Printing Shop a total of $20, 000 in fees and merch as of February of 2019. After collecting approximately $11,000 in community dollars, The Bronx Native allegedly used the GoFundMe donations for two trips to Mexico, one to California, and then one to Puerto Rico in the latter half of 2021.
Our most recent article reported on plagiarism by the Bronx Native in regard to Bad Bunny’s latest album “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” and the Brand’s blatant unlicensed use of the reggeaton’s star’s logo and phrasing. This led us to note a very upsetting pattern which is further emphasized by his consistent use of “Big Pun.” imagery. If you are unfamiliar, Big Pun aka Christopher Lee Rios, is a Puerto Rican rapper from the South Bronx. Born in 1971, Big Punisher rose to fame in the underground Hip Hop Scene and quickly became a household name by the early to mid 1990’s.
Grullon has not only proliferated Big Pun’s image on his social media without the permission of his family but has photoshopped “El Bronx” onto a picture of Big Pun. The photo of Big Pun, essentially using Pun’s likeness to promote the brand’s t-shirts. This “El Bronx” design is reportedly one of Grullon’s top-selling products, and we see it time and time again plastered across Pun’s chest (R.I.P) all for the sake of sales. This is exploitation. Big Pun not only represents Boricuas in rap (a group often dismissed within the community), he stands as an honored lyricist, one of the best of his time, a true artist that embodied Hip Hop Culture and yet again we have Amaurys appropriating, commodifying and capitalizing on someone else’s name, fame and hard work. Needless to say, we can assume the financially strapped shop has not compensated the family of the iconic rapper.
Our community’s efforts to seek justice and accountability have been undermined as local representatives and leaders continue to reward Amaurys Grullon, whose business was formed by copying and plagiarizing other artists’ work. Grullon’s bootleg copies of other artists’ creations have caused harm to the community, yet he continues to gain recognition and support from key figures like Ruben Diaz Jr., Fat Joe, Rafael Salamanca, Lisa Sorin, Robert Walsh, Amanda Septimo, Ritchie Torres, Amanda Farias and Michael Brady, who have upheld his business as a model example in the Bronx. Is this what we have to look up to? A mismanaged business originated from the theft of artists’ work? The political and local leaders are the reason we have poor leadership and problems in the Bronx. This is all about nepotism, corruption, and profits… Te lo juro por mi gente, Te juro que un día llegará.
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