- This article is about the rapper. Big L is also offshore radio station Wonderful Radio London
Big L was born Lamont Coleman on May 30, 1974, originating from the predominantly black area of Harlem. He made his solo debut with 1995's "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous", scoring a series of underground hits including "Put it on", "No Endz, No Skinz," "Street Struck" and "Da Graveyard"; Big L's best-known effort, the single "Ebonics," followed on his own Flamboyant label in the summer of 1998. The single was often thought of as Big L's shining moment, as he defined slang terms used in rap. Sample lines:
- Check it, my weed smoke is my lye/A key of coke is a pie/When I'm lifted, I'm high/With new clothes on, I'm fly/Cars is whips and sneakers is kicks/Money is chips, movies is flicks/Also, cribs is homes, jacks is pay phones/Cocaine is nose candy, cigarettes is bones/A radio is a box, a razor blade is a ox/Fat diamonds is rocks and jakes is cops
Around the same time, he joined the Bronx-based hip-hop supergroup D.I.T.C. (Diggin' in the Crates), appearing on their single, "Dignified Soldiers" and later posthumously on D.I.T.C's LP. On the evening of February 15, 1999, Big L was shot nine times and killed just blocks away from his Harlem home; he was just 24 at the time of his death. The murderer was originally seeking revenge from Big L's brother Big Lee, but since Big Lee was in jail at that time, he decided to kill Big L instead. There were rumours that Big L was supposed to have signed to Jay-Z's successful Roc-a-fella label along with McGruff before he was killed. His early career also included a group with Ma$e (then going under the moniker of Murda Mase and eventually became the youngest rapper ever signed by Bad Boy Records and rapped alongside Notorious B.I.G in several songs, the most famous one being "Mo Money Mo Problems"), and Cam'ron (then calling himself Killa Kam) called Children of the Corn. His posthumous record, "The Big Picture" was released on August 1, 2000.
Big L's records didn't earn platinum sell, but what he did earn himself was platinum respect in the rap industry. He was one of the most technical rappers ever. Many rappers and rap magazines believed that if Big L wasn't killed in 1999 he would have made huge commercial success. Big L was named one of the 4 deadly emcees with the other 3 being Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, and Big Pun, who are all dead now.
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