Big L . . . Big Deal?

2

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  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts

    BIG pulled Faith Evans before he even had rap dough.

    yeah that one boggled my mind.

    he is a big walleyed lookin muhfucka

    Everyone I've ever met who knew the dude said he had maaaaaaad game with the ladies. Same with Too Short...

    Game will make a woman forget/ignore that you are a "big walleyed" (or, in Short's case, bucktoofed) "lookin muhfucka".


  • BIG pulled Faith Evans before he even had rap dough.

    yeah that one boggled my mind.

    he is a big walleyed lookin muhfucka

    Everyone I've ever met who knew the dude said he had maaaaaaad game with the ladies. Same with Too Short...

    Game will make a woman forget/ignore that you are a "big walleyed" (or, in Short's case, bucktoofed) "lookin muhfucka".

    I read an interview with Primo about the day they recorded "Unbelievable," and he said that when he went in to the lounge at D&D there was BIG ass nekkid and two chicks was going down on him. I thought that shit was hilarious.

  • DJBombjackDJBombjack Miami 1,665 Posts
    "Peace to DITC, Show & AG, Fat J.O.E., Diamond D, Lord Finesse and me."

    That line in Day One kills it for me.

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts

    I am so mushy today.

    co-sign

  • paulnicepaulnice 924 Posts
    Everyone I've ever met who knew the dude said he had maaaaaaad game with the ladies. Same with Too Short...



    Game will make a woman forget/ignore that you are a "big walleyed" (or, in Short's case, bucktoofed) "lookin muhfucka".


















    EDIT: EXCUSE THE REPEAT STORY







    True.

    I remember the story recalled by Primo where him & BIG were recording "Unbelievable" at D&D (in other words, when Biggie was still a nobody). At one point Preem goes looking for Big and finds him in some room getting served by two chicks! Big was apparently like, "You want some of this?"

    Game, bra.







    Re: Big L...



    His verse on "Day One" ranks as my favorte all time.



    I had the fortune to play him some beats at my apt. on the West Side around '94/'95.

    He was labelmates with my roomate (Jamalski) and at one point L, 8 Off, Sadat X and Jamal all started this chiper that I wish I had the foresight to record.

    He ended up wanting to use a beat I had that flipped Anita Baker's "Been So Long".

    He sounded PERFECT over that shit. Of course, his people at Columbia at the time who shall remain nameless, weren't trying to pay for no Anita Baker sample. And that was that.

    Wouldn't have mattered anyway since he was dropped only about a month later.



    I did reach out to him a couple weeks before he passed and he agreed to get on a record I was doing.

    It would've been him and AG. Then I got the call that he had been killed.

    I came to NY (from Oakland) the next week and recorded AG's part. You could tell dude was defeated.

    I ended up having my friend from the Bay, Genessee, do the part Big L was originally supposed to do.



    It's hard to say, really. Lamont Coleman was definitely one of those people taken way too soon.

    Way before they had a chance to show the world what he was capable of.

    I really do feel he was on the verge though.





    There's obviosly not the wealth of material from him ala Tupac, but IMO the best stiff Big L did were always the odd freestlyes. That's where he shined most.


  • coselmedcoselmed 1,114 Posts


    BIG pulled Faith Evans before he even had rap dough.




    yeah that one boggled my mind.



    he is a big walleyed lookin muhfucka



    Um, no offense, but I think Faith has come a loooong way in terms of physical appearance since her Biggie days.






  • volumenvolumen 2,532 Posts
    All I can say is that I liked Big L a lot. He was really creative and could just flow on and on. He's freestyles are great. They only reason i can think that you might see him "over hyped" is because he died young. When your frist record is RIP ever one is going to go on and on about how great you WOULD HAVE BEEN. Who knows what his future would have been, but he ripped it while he was here.

  • mordecaimordecai 2,204 Posts
    I think it also is the feeling that he had so much more to offer. It felt like just the beginning for someone so exciting and dynamic.

    when he rhymed you oculdn't help but listen. Incredibly word play, amazing delivery and a distinct voice to boot.

    ^^^this is how I see it.
    see also: O.C. & Big L - Dangerous

    when Big L starts rapping everything just kind of stops because he's got such charisma.
    I think he'd be among the biggest (if not the biggest) right now because his style certainly had mad commercial appeal and its very catchy.

    'A smooth kid that'll run up in your baby mother'


    Make sure my mic is loud and my production is tight
    Better watch me round your girl if you ain't f**king her right
    You damn playa haters never want to see me blow
    Flamboyant Entertainment CEO
    Yo the spotlight is mine, it ain't his no more
    When Lee come home, niggas can't live no more
    And ... I'm straight, keep a Harlem World mindstate
    I never lounge where you find Jake
    Suprise niggas like a blind date, L rhyme great
    And I'm a increase the crime rate for old time's sake
    Run with me and I'm a make you a star
    When me and my crew hit the clubs, we go straight to the bar
    Leave 'em empty, I cruise through Harlem in an M3
    Never pay for parties, say my name and I'm in free
    I'm on some 100-G car shit, superstar shit
    Selling niggas that wet shit right out the jar shit
    I'm dumb hot, I'll wreck you and your young flock
    Keep the gun cock, represent one block
    139 nigga, the Danger Zone
    We quick to put a bullet in a stranger's dome
    I'm known to kick a rough rhyme and rock much shine
    Yo I'm out, I done took up enough time

    ...

    Popping the chrome, always dropping a poem
    I can write it or recite it off the top of the dome
    However you want it is how I'm gonna give it to you, Big L style
    They brought it back to the streets cause that shit sell now
    So pal back up a bit, give me elbow space
    I represent Harlem World, not Melrose Place
    So I'm a lace the jewels up with nice brigettes
    Flamboyent is the label that writes the checks
    ...

  • Pistol_PetePistol_Pete 1,289 Posts

    BIG pulled Faith Evans before he even had rap dough.

    yeah that one boggled my mind.

    he is a big walleyed lookin muhfucka

    Everyone I've ever met who knew the dude said he had maaaaaaad game with the ladies. Same with Too Short...

    Game will make a woman forget/ignore that you are a "big walleyed" (or, in Short's case, bucktoofed) "lookin muhfucka".

    I read an interview with Primo about the day they recorded "Unbelievable," and he said that when he went in to the lounge at D&D there was BIG ass nekkid and two chicks was going down on him. I thought that shit was hilarious.


    Haha...and Primo was like "oh shit" and started to leave and BIG told him to stay and chill and get everything ready. Kinda awkward.

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts

    I read an interview with Primo about the day they recorded "Unbelievable," and he said that when he went in to the lounge at D&D there was BIG ass nekkid and two chicks was going down on him. I thought that shit was hilarious.

    what publication is this from (and when)?

    i often wish biggie and i were best friends.

  • OlskiOlski 355 Posts

  • emyndemynd 830 Posts
    Big L was like the combination of all the good parts of Kool G Rap and all of the good parts of Lord Finesse (except slightly more clever/less cheesy than Finesse). Now, I'm not convinced he would've ever gone platinum or anything, but lyrically, he was hilarious and, at times, insightful. And, he had a very capable flow.

    I always found his overblown comedic misogyny to be so dope. I don't mean to get uber-nerdy and project a bunch of shit on the dude, but part of what I liked so much about the dude was that you didn't really believe him when he said overtly misogynistic shit like "Then if I got AIDS, then every bitch got it." It just sort've felt like some reactionary way of dealing with getting dissed by broads or something like that. Like a dude dealing with pain through humor or insecure boasting or something--something we all do, but not nearly as funny as the boy.

    I dunno. I'm being melodramatic about it, but there was something deeply human about his really dark humor.

    Anyway, I've always said he's the dead rapper I miss the most, but mostly (and this might sound obvious) because his music is just so enjoyable. Which is to say that I don't know if I would call his music "important" rap music and, like I said, I don't know if he was set to blow like people are suggesting he would've, but the gist of it is that he made some damn good rap music that I really really liked.

    I'd love to hear the dude on some Just Blaze.

    -e

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Anyway, I've always said he's the dead rapper I miss the most, but mostly (and this might sound obvious) because his music is just so enjoyable. Which is to say that I don't know if I would call his music "important" rap music and, like I said, I don't know if he was set to blow like people are suggesting he would've, but the gist of it is that he made some damn good rap music that I really really liked.

    BIG L probably would've had to water his content down in order to go platinum. Check pre-DR.DRE. SLIM SHADY and notice the difference. "...H..E...Double hockey sticks...." wouldnt pass on the radio.

  • Big L was the fucking man..i never get tired of hearing dude..


    that stretch and bobbito verse/freestyle(written).."i was fucking chicks in the ass when I was six and half" or some shit like that. i loved dudes shit.

  • "...H..E...Double hockey sticks...." wouldnt pass on the radio.

    I heard Carla off of Cheers use that line first.

  • Mr. CasualMr. Casual 953 Posts
    Anyone have that freestyle with Big L and Jay-Z together? L definately outshined Jay on that night. He was taken away too early, I can't help but wonder what he'd be today if he were still alive.
    Don't get me started...................... salty?


  • yuichiyuichi Urban sprawl 11,331 Posts
    Big L is one of my favorite rappers, dead or alive.

  • izm707izm707 1,107 Posts
    same here...specially since he was skinny like i am ,and he had the nerves to call himself Big. He was a helluvadude. I'm still stuck on "The Enemy" verse...

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,471 Posts
    "Peace to DITC, Show & AG, Fat J.O.E., Diamond D, Lord Finesse and me."

    That line in Day One kills it for me.

    That whole verse is fuckin' muderous.

    I went from standing on the corner selling cocaine
    To ripping shows live on stage, the hoes yelling my name
    To be precise
    Ripping mics
    Is the light of my life
    You frontin' like you trife
    And never pulled a heist in your life
    The price of my ice is sky high
    I'm a fly guy
    That's every thug's dream
    I really love cream
    It's in my bloodstream
    You mad cuz I got more chicks than you
    More bricks than you
    More nines with extra clips than you
    Where I live it ain't a nice town
    You can't walk around iced down
    Some clown's probably getting stuck right now
    Peace to DITC
    Show and AG
    Fat J-O-E
    Diamond D
    Lord Finesse and me
    I'm from the east coast, this is how we roll in New York
    A buncha rowdy n*ggas holding the fort
    Jackin' creeps
    Packin' heat
    These Harlem streets is for keeps
    Much love to all my peeps who got covered with sheets



  • "Peace to DITC, Show & AG, Fat J.O.E., Diamond D, Lord Finesse and me."

    That line in Day One kills it for me.

    That whole verse is fuckin' muderous.

    I went from standing on the corner selling cocaine
    To ripping shows live on stage, the hoes yelling my name
    To be precise
    Ripping mics
    Is the light of my life
    You frontin' like you trife
    And never pulled a heist in your life
    The price of my ice is sky high
    I'm a fly guy
    That's every thug's dream
    I really love cream
    It's in my bloodstream
    You mad cuz I got more chicks than you
    More bricks than you
    More nines with extra clips than you
    Where I live it ain't a nice town
    You can't walk around iced down
    Some clown's probably getting stuck right now
    Peace to DITC
    Show and AG
    Fat J-O-E
    Diamond D
    Lord Finesse and me
    I'm from the east coast, this is how we roll in New York
    A buncha rowdy n*ggas holding the fort
    Jackin' creeps
    Packin' heat
    These Harlem streets is for keeps
    Much love to all my peeps who got covered with sheets




    YESSSSSSSS! thats my shit!

  • magneticmagnetic 2,678 Posts
    I liked him from the very first time i heard him on "Represent"

    Verse One: Big L

    Yo, on the mic is Big L, that brother who kicks flavs, God.
    Known for sendin' garbage MCs to the graveyard.
    I pack a gat, not a slingshot;
    step to this and get an ass-whoopin' like Rodney King got.
    Or get beat to your death like Cochise,
    my laws is no peace, fuck the police.
    MCs get braggin' about cash they collect,
    but them chumps is like Ray Charles,
    cuz they ain't seen no money yet.
    Trash rappers I tax and spark,
    I be wettin' niggas up like water rides at Action Park.
    A nigga stuck me, and that ain't funny son,
    so I got money gun, they wet him and his honey bun.
    Cuz phony faggots I froze, it's a fact,
    I flip fast on foes with fabulous fantastic flows.
    L is the rebel type, I'm rough as a metal pipe,
    fuck a Benz, cuz I could pull skins on a pedal-bike.
    Props, I got the most, no MC comes close,coast-to-coast,
    shows I host, foes I roast, adios, I'm ghost...

  • DWGDWG 334 Posts
    Big L... one of my all-time faves.



    I first heard 'Devil's Son' on the radio years and years ago. I believe it was Westwood playing it weekly, but as there was no radio version I'm pretty sure the cusses were backspinned out or something. Anyway, EVERY Saturday after the friday radio session, I'd go back to the same old stores in London and ask them again and again, 'Yo... have you got the Big L 12"? And every week was the same answer, 'Nope - it's not coming out'.

    It was doing my head in, because I *had* to own this record: one of my favourite Showbiz productions ever and Big L's energy-packed verses had me hitting rewind on the tapes I'd recorded.

    I didn't cop the official promo until maybe 1997 or so, making-do with the bootleg that I'd managed to get.



    In 2001 I interviewed Finesse and we talked a lot about Big L. Finesse was saying that out of all the people he knew, he thought L was going to be 'the one' to really make an impact. Columbia pulled the official release of 'Devil's Son' as they felt there were too many 'horrorcore' groups around at the time (I'm guessing Gravediggaz etc.) and the record would have got lost in the flood.

    Finesse said that the first time he heard 'Devil's Son' was when they were in Showbiz's car and it was on a tape that they'd been working on - the original lyrics were slightly different: things like "I'm rollin' with Satan, fuck Jesus Christ" instead of the "not Jesus Christ" line... And everyone in the car lost it: 'You can't say that!'







    After the first album dropped, that was probably one of my most-played things ever. Too many great lines in that record... "Once a brother broke into my house - and I robbed him..." (Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous)... "They wanna know why I'm so fly/a girl asked me for a ring and I put around her whole eye" (No Endz, No Skinz)...

    I could go on and on. And, maybe controversially, I think those beats on the first LP are pretty incredible all the way through.





    R.I.P. Big L

  • DWGDWG 334 Posts
    Almost forgot:

    "I'm breakin' in cribs with a crowbar/I wasn't poor - I was 'po'... I couldn't afford the 'o', 'r'..." ('Lifestyles Ov Da Poor & Dangerous')



  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I share the same sentiment regarding Big L. Lyrically, I think he was mediocre at best. But I was also one the ones who thought just about everybody in DITC was overrated as lyricists. I mean Diamond D, AG, Fat Joe, and especially Lord Finesse were all mediocre, predictable rappers. The reason for the hype around Big L is probably because he got killed.

    He was an underground gem way before he passed. Out of all the DITC cats L was far from mediocre at best.

  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts


    what publication is this from (and when)?

    i often wish biggie and i were best friends.

    it's from pound magazine

  • raredaveraredave 205 Posts

    I share the same sentiment regarding Big L. Lyrically, I think he was mediocre at best. But I was also one the ones who thought just about everybody in DITC was overrated as lyricists. I mean Diamond D, AG, Fat Joe, and especially Lord Finesse were all mediocre, predictable rappers. The reason for the hype around Big L is probably because he got killed.
    ...you are mediocre my friend, Big L was a supremely gifted MC with a great sense of humour and an ill flow.

    RD

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Ok, well I wanted to bring this up because it has been on my mind for quite some time. I like(d) Big L, I think his rhymes were cool and his overall music was decent - but I really don't hear/see how "great" this guy really was? Many people hype him up like dude had ill flows for days - but seriously I don't get it. I've heard a lot of his music but I get the feeling people put him in a higher category than what he really deserves? I'm not trying to be disrepectful but just curious as to all the talk. His tracks Ebonics and Flambouyant were cool, and I liked him most on the Showbiz & AZ posse cut "Represent". I guess what I'm getting at is why the hypeness? Also, was he bigger in NY and the east coast and I just don't get it because of geographical distance (I'm on the west)? I don't know, I think I just like Finesse and AG when it comes to the rhymes in DITC..................................................


    DJ Cire

    I share the same sentiment regarding Big L. Lyrically, I think he was mediocre at best. But I was also one the ones who thought just about everybody in DITC was overrated as lyricists. I mean Diamond D, AG, Fat Joe, and especially Lord Finesse were all mediocre, predictable rappers. The reason for the hype around Big L is probably because he got killed.

    I would agree with you on Diamond D, Fat Joe, and Showbiz... AG was nasty IMO... but I think he got better over time... Finesse definitely got worse as time went on... but Big L was DEFINITELY nasty... did you hear his freestyles or are you basing this on his legitimate releases? I don't even think most of his records did him justice.

    Did someone post the Big L/Jay Z session? If not plaese to post...

  • bboyparkzbboyparkz 549 Posts
    The reason for the hype around Big L is probably because he got killed.



    As somebody who really enjoyed his music from the off I would say yes after Big L died he did suddenly gain a legion of fans.



  • Young_PhonicsYoung_Phonics 8,039 Posts
    (good thread y'all)

    Even though I never got into Big L's 2 albums much I can say the dude was definetly dope as fuck on the mic

    Would of he blown-the-fuck-up? I don't know, I think the time where he would would be a time where he would of eventually gotten outshined by 50, Snoop and Jay-Z (I don't know if BIG L could make as catchy-pop sounding tracks like them dudes). But he would definetly still have a career bubblin' hopefully.

    To make it go full circle, I clearly remember the day when KMEL played "Holding it Down" at like rush hour. They announced it and all of that. I totally was thinking "Damn, them dudes at Rawkus TOTALLY PAYED/HUSTLED to get that on the air". A hardcore New York-centric rap record on KMEL (post early-mid 90's)? Incredible. That herb Fran was like "yeah yeah son, new BIG L!".


    Yes, AG did get better as an emcee. I noticed it on the Full Scale EP, his flow and just cadence got really harder. He's got an album coming out that my man did with him. It's got production from like Dilla, Dave West and I think Jake One as well. Some of it's very point


    Paul Nice:

    Man, I still bump that "definition of nice" record! It just recently dawned on me that you flipped that Barry White record.



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