Standing Next to Your Killer (On Your Own Album Cover) - Big L’s Lifestylez Ov da Poor & Dangerous
The life and times of Big L and why he’s a rapper you should be checking for today.
Lamont “Big L” Coleman was a quintessential East Coast rapper whose style, bravado and charisma was unmatched.
Big L was also a member of the group ‘Children of The Corn’ with rappers Ma$e and Cam’ron et al. but disbanded after the death of member Bloodshed.
Coleman later signed to Columbia Records and released his debut album ‘Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous’ in 1995.
The album spawned two popular singles ‘MVP’ and ‘Put It On’. Unfortunately, the album failed to sell over 200,000 copies and the initial reviews were lukewarm. Over time, the album slowly gained the attention it deserved, superseding a cult audience to being hailed as a classic.
The album is a tight 12-track lyrical onslaught with lots of variety. A bulk of the album’s production was handled by Buckwild, Lord Finesse and Showbiz which proved to be the perfect complement to L’s cartoonish yet rough lyrics.
The album notably featured guest appearances from a young Jay-Z and Cam’ron on two songs. Battle rapping and his witty punchlines were among some of the things Big L were known for best with L and Jay-Z infamously going back and forth for a 10 minute-radio freestyle.
Big L delivered on the tough task of making his music age incredibly well without his songs sounding dated by today’s standards. Sadly, Big L was shot nine times in the face and chest on February 15, 1999, in a drive-by shooting.
Coleman was pronounced dead on the scene. He was 24. In a tragic turn of fate, it was revealed the murderer was Big L’s childhood friend Gerard Woodley who ironically appears on the back cover of his first album.
The NYPD said: “It's a good possibility it was retaliation for something Big L's brother did, or Woodley believed he had done." In 2000, Big L’s second and final album ‘The Big Picture’ was released and L finally received his long overdue Gold plaque selling over 500,000 copies.
Big L left behind incredible music and a legacy that has gone on to inspire the likes of Mac Miller, Nas and A$AP Rocky among countless others.
Listen to Big L on Spotify and Apple Music here.
