Lamont Coleman better known as ‘Big L’ the punch line killing rap assassin from Harlem, New York celebrates 28 years since he left us ‘street struck’ on ‘Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous’ released March 28, 1995, the debut album that put Big L on the map and widely regarded as a hip hop connoisseurs classic.
‘Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous’ introduced the world to Big L’s cadence and raw barbwire wrapped eloquent bars capable of destroying any emcee, the skills Harlem natives became accustomed to and recognized as the next big thing , with ‘L’ dominating rap battles in the borough.
“People can get mad at me for saying this, but he was the best lyricist at the time. He was a better lyricist than Biggie and Jay-Z. He just didn’t have the marketing and promotion. Let me go on the record and say that. It’s the truth.” – Hot 97 Funkmaster Flex
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of BIG L’s Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous a new special deluxe edition album is available on all streaming platforms, and Mass Appeal released a trailer on a new mini-documentary titled Foul Child: The Legend Of Big L scheduled for June 2020, based on the life of the Harlem rapper.
However, this is not the first time a Big L documentary had been in the woodwork’s. I remember getting excited after seeing a documentary trailer about ‘L’ on YouTube titled ‘Street Struck’ but the project never materialised, so this definitely caught my attention.
However, the new documentary on Big L had not been well received by everybody, especially by Fat Joe’s D.I.T.C (Diggin InThe Crates) crew, a hip hop group BIG L had been a member of, based on none of them nor his family being featured in it.
An interesting fact, ‘Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous’ was the last album he released alive and it saw ‘L’ feature a young unknown Jay- Z, the emcee who many at the time couldn’t understand why ‘L’ would associate with, based on Jay Z not being on the same skill level.
To add to this statement, I remember listening to Big L and Jay-Z’s epic freestyle on The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show, and Big L dominated Jay-z as if he never existed, and that was all I needed to confirm Big L’s rap status as one of New York’s rap greats.
BIG L & JAY – Z Freestyle on The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show
Big L was just getting started after the success of his debut album, when he tragically got killed at the age of 24. The loss of Harlem’s brightest star left many wondering what was still to come from the explosive rapper. Despite ‘L’s untimely death at a very early stage in his career, he did more than enough by cementing his name as one of the greats of New York Hip Hop and Harlem royalty.
Get ‘Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous’ on the platforms below:
Spotify
Apple Music
Tidal
Google Play Music
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