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                              Big L

   "Ayo, everywhere I go, brothers know my fuckin name/ I'm flooring niggas and I only weigh a buck and change/I gave a lot of black eyes in my extorting days/ fuckin with me, a lotta niggas was sportin shades..." The opening lines of Big L's 1992 recorded debut, on Lord Finesse' "Yes you may" remix, still echo through Hip Hop to this very day. Born, May 30 1974, Lamont Coleman would go on to leave a definitive mark on our kulture's music, as well as introduce us to several of the biggest known MC's of the past 10 years.

Set it off, a highly impressed Lord Finesse, after hearing Lamont's freestyling in a record shop, landed L on the remix of "Yes You May", off Finesse's second album, in '92. This would lead to appearances on Finesse's DITC cohorts Diamond D's "Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop" album, Showbiz & AG's "Runaway Slave" album all in '92, as well as Showbiz producing Big L's first demo, which would go on to become the controversial, even banned, "Devil's Son" in '93, which landed Big L on the Columbia label.

Once signed to Columbia Records, the debut album, "Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous" would be released in 1995. This would be the album to introduce his longtime crew, Chidren of the Corn, and Jay-Z to the entire world. Children of the Corn started out as a way for Big L to get longtime friends Murder Mase, Killah Cam, Herb McGruff, and Cam's cousin Bloodshed out of the streets. Eventually, Mase and Cam would leave the crew to pursue possible college athletic careers, instead. After athletics didn't pan out, the crew joined L on his debut album in '95. '96 would bring Bloodshed's death as well as solo deals for Mase (Bad Boy), Cam'ron (Untertainment), and McGruff. Jay-Z's debut would be on the track, "Da Graveyard", after having appeared on Stetch & Bobbito's radio show with Big L, a year earlier.

Coleman's career would continue as a full member of DITC, along with Finesse, Diamond, Buckwild, OC, Show, AG, and Fat Joe, releasing some of his greatest verses ever. Big L would then start his own label, Flamboyant Records and release the classic, "Ebonics" single. Sadly enough as this single was blowing up, on February 15th 1999, Big L was shot 7 times, on the exact same block, in Harlem's "Dangerzone" (139th & Lenox), as the picture for his debut album's cover was taken.

There have been many posthumous releases since Big L's death, including the DITC group album, and the Rawkus Records/Flamboyant Entertainment compilation of L's previous work. Currently, DJ Premier and Lord Finesse are putting together another album of unrelased Big L sessions, from reels both have had in storage over the years.