Big L

**Big L**
	Big L
	;
Info
Birth name	Lamont Coleman
Also known as	L Corleone, Harlem's Finest, The Devil's son, Big L, New York Legend, G.O.A.T.
Date of birth	May 30, 1974
Date of death	February 15, 1999
Origin	Harlem, New York City, NY, USA
Genres	Hip Hop music, Horrorcore, East Coast hip hop, Hardcore hip hop, Gangsta Rap, Underground rap,
Labels	Columbia. Sony. Rawkus. Priority. Flamboyant
Groups
	Children of the Corn, Diggin' in the Crates Crew

Street Life[]

Lamont Eric Anderson Coleman^[1] was born in Harlem, New York City, NY, on May 30, 1974, as the third and youngest child of Gilda Terry and Charles Davis. Davis left and abandoned the family when Lamont was a child. His two older siblings, Donald Coleman and Leroy Phinazee were the children of Gilda and a man name Mr. Phinazee. Lamont would receive nicknames like "Little L" and " Mont Mont" as a child.

At the age of 12, Lamont became a big fan of Hip Hop and started freestyling with other people in the Harlem Neighborhood. As an adolescent, Lamont listened to the talents of Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. He studied to rhyme in the park near his house at 104th West 139th Street where he would spend hours trading rhymes with friends to pass the time.

While attending Julia Richmond High School he was given the nickname "Big L" in contrast to his childhood nickname. He described his lyrical growth, "I started writing rhymes in 1990 and was in a group called Three The Hard Way. Then after Rodney left the group it became Two Hard Motherfuckers. Then I started winning rap contests and battling everybody in my 'hood. Big L's career took flight after winning first place in a freestyle contest of 2,000 contestants. His lyrics described the world around him, covering Harlem shootouts and street life.

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While still in high school, he caught the attention of Finesse, Joe "Diamond D" Kirkland, and Rodney "Showbiz" Lemay, the founders of the D.I.T.C. clique. L’s first professional appearance came on the B-side of "Party Over Here" by Lord Finesse in 1992, the song was the remix of "Yes, You May". Soon after this Big L made appearances on the classic debut albums from Diamond D and Showbiz & A.G. which were both released in 1992.

Soon L officially became a part of the DITC crew which featured numerous New York producers, deejays, and emcees on the mic. The members of DITC included; O.C., Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Showbiz, A.G., Fat Joe, Buckwild, and Big L. His early successes in DITC lead to his signing with Columbia in 1992. A four-song demo tape showcasing tracks such as the horror-core establisher "Devil’s Son" and the "Yes, You May" remix. He regularly appeared on the fellow DITC members albums, and also contributed to the works of Success - N - Effect. He appeared with the group regularly, notably on their single "Dignified Soldiers" and their later self-titled LP release, sometimes known as Worldwide.

Later Career[]

From 1997 to 1999, Big L worked on his second album The Big Picture. Forty-five singles, "Ebonics" and "Flamboyant", both reached number one in the charts. The album featured cameos from Fat Joe, Tupac Shakur, and Big Daddy Kane among other emcees. The Big Picture was certified platinum in 2001. Jay-Z has said that Big L was set to sign with his Roc-A-Fella label, but died the week before. on February 15,1999 while in his neighborhood big l was gunned down by one of his friends in a drive by shooting. months later his friend was arrested for his murder but was aquitted. He was shot and killed in 2016 17 years after big l killing.

The Big Picture[]

His last recorded release, The Big Picture, was released posthumously on August 2, 2000, and was put together by his manager and partner in Flamboyant Entertainment, Rich King. It contains songs that L had recorded and a cappella recordings that were never used, completed by producers, and guest emcees that Big L respected or had worked with previously. The album was certified gold a month later. On the album, he has guest features from hip-hop heavyweights such as Fat Joe, Kool G Rap, Tupac Shakur, and Big Daddy Kane along with production by DJ Premier. Big L Rest In Peace. You'll be missed by all.

Discography[]

Main article: Big L discography

1995: Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous

1998:Live From Amsterdam
2000:The Big Picture
2003:Harlem's Finest
2006:The Archives
2010: 139 & Lenox
2010: Return Of The Devil's Son
2011:The Danger Zone

Video's/Music on Youtube or Others[]

Ebonics [1]

Street Struck [2]

No Endz, No Skinz [3]

External links[]

Myspace

References[]

↑ Google Groups: New York Area rapper list

[1] Google Groups: New York Area rapper list

[1]