Big L Biography:

Born Lamont Coleman in 1975, Big L was a big hip hop fan ever since he could remember listening to old Run DMC and Cold Crush tapes and always rhyming around the way in Harlem but there was one emcee who inspired him to take it seriously. After he heard Big Daddy Kane rapping he became part of a group called Three the hard way in 1990 and also claimed to be the first emcee to invent the short lived fad ‘Horror core’ hip hop with his track ‘The devils son’. As the group wasn’t as serious as him about making it he went for delf and started winning rap contests and battling other emcees. His break came when he met a member of Ice T’s Rhyme Syndicate and long time respected emcee, Lord Finesse. This hook up led to Big L opening shows for Lord Finesse and would eventually lead to bigger things.

The member of the clique, Children of the corn, Big L made his debut to all of us on vinyl way back in 1992 on the remix of Finesse’s ‘Yes you may’ from the album ‘Return of the funkyman’. This record alone was to showcase the nitty gritty skills of this street bred emcee. At the end of that year he unleashed one more rhyme on the classic Showbiz & AG album ‘Runaway slave’ on the posse cut ‘Represent’, this continued the buzz for solo material from L. This was also one of the first gatherings of the Diggin’ In The Crates (DITC), a collection of emcees, deejays and producers which includes Big L, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, AG, Diamond, Roc Raida plus more to join over the years.

In 1993 He Signed With Columbia Records And Released One Of The Illest Records Of Underground Hip-Hop. The Record Was The Vinyl, Promo-Only "Devil’s Son." That Song Was Quickly Banned From Radio, Due To Such Lyrics As: "I Pistol Whip The Priest Every Sunday." With Hardcore Lyrics Made For The Fans And Not Radio, Big L Proved Himself As One Of The Kings Of The Underground.

Between ’93 and ’94 Big L put together a 4 track demo which him and Lord Finesse made, they shopped it to Columbia and he was signed on the strength of the demo alone. It was case of real talent finally being signed to a major label but as always with this combination there were problems. In 1995 the album finally dropped “Lifestyle of the poor and dangerous” was an honest hardcore album that displayed both strong lyrical flows along with hardcore beats & rhymes courtesy of the DITC collective. Two singles were released in 1995 which gained L both substantial video and airplay. The first single ‘Put it on’ featured NY DJ Kid Capri while his second track showcased a more commercial edge with ‘MVP’ (Most Valuable Poet). Two years after his initial signing things began to strain between him and Columbia and he eventually left under an amicable agreement.

In the fickle world of hip hop, Big L kept his name alive over the years by doing shows and various cameos with the DITC. They released a slew of independent 12"s that included ‘day one’, ‘dignified soldiers’, ‘All luv’ and the incredible DJ Premier produced ‘The enemy’ in 1997 which vividly told of police harassment in a way which only L could break down along with Boogie Down Bronx Latino Fat Joe.

Creating a buzz in 1997 on OC’s ‘dangerous’ Big L started moving things along by himself by starting his own record label which would initially be distributed by Fat Beats in NY. Falmboyant records was the start of big things for him, in 1998 he released one 12" ‘Ebonics/Size em up’ which was a success in the underground. It even gained recognition from the Source magazine in its best independent ‘Albums’ of that year, despite only being a single, it was that good it had to be included. The A side gained most attention with its breakdown of criminal slang, it basically read as an audio hip hop dictionary.

In 1999 the DITC prepared to release their long awaited debut album on Tommy boy records tentatively scheduled for May. Just as things started to progress, tragedy struck and on 15th February Big L was murdered in Harlem by a gang who were after his brother for money. He was wounded badly in both the face and body and was dead before the police arrived. Details on the incident are still sketchy.

Big L’s posthomous album “The Big Picture” was released certified gold in the Summer of 2000. Collaberations On The Album Include Guru, D.I.T.C. And Rap Vets Like Big Daddy Kane And Kool G. Rap As Well As The Late Tupac Shakur.

RIP Big L