Tag Archives: Big L

Music

Ten years ago today, a young man named Lamont Coleman was shot dead on the corner of 139th Street and Lenox Avenue in New York City. Lamont, known to most of the world by his rap moniker “Big L,” stood on this same corner in the cover photo of his debut album, Lifestyles ov da Poor and Dangerous. He was only 24 years old when he died, but by then, he was already a Harlem hip-hop legend.

Those familiar with the East Coast hip-hop scene know that Big L is widely regarded as one of its titans — an originator, one that raised the bar to a level that few have been able to touch since. Although L was one of the most talented rappers in New York, he had nowhere near the fame of household names like Tupac Shakur of the Notorious B.I.G.* The biggest break of his career, a deal with Jay-Z’s Rock-a-Fella record label, was set to happen less than a week after he died.**

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