Part of the reason that people are so attracted to Big L's life is the mystery that surrounded him. His debut album, Livestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous was released in 1995, four years before his death. Albums take while to complete, we all know that, but it's still strange that he only managed to release one in his life time. Whether he was benefiting from being a rap icon (sort of) or perfecting his craft, we'll never know, but he also managed to do very little interviews during his life. As a result, no one really knows much about him and one can only wonder what was going through his mind while writing down some of the most complex and groundbreaking lyrics in hip hop history.
Me personally, I've always had a fascination with the man. Out of all the great and legendary rappers that have passed away, none of them have grabbed my attention like Big L. If my memory serves me correct, I didn't really get into his music until I stumbled across The Big Picture, L's posthumous release. "Ebonics" got it's fair share of rotations in the up coming weeks, but by that time I was fully immersed in the album that is currently of topic. Of course I loved it, but I'll be the first one to admit that he was given some instrumentals that were nothing more than some damn horseshit. Some would argue that they add to the grimy, hardcore feel of the songs, but that's not true. Just because something is bass heavy and has horrible audio quality doesn't mean that it's grimy It's quite unfortunate that Big L suffered from Ras Kass syndrome. (that kids, is when you're incredibly lyrical and talented, but are force to rhyme upon beats synonymous with Vinnie Paz's voice) His debut carried enough one liners and compound rhymes to keep me coming back for more, though.
Livestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous may have served as his debut, but he had already made a bit of a name for himself from his guest appearances. Well, at least a name in Harlem. In fact, he was already a member of two groups. The one most notable would be D.I.T.C. (acronym for Digging In The Crates), who actually had some rappers that you all might even know today. His second would be names, Children Of The Corn, a Harlem group consisting of his buddies Murda Mase, Killa Cam, Digga, Herb McGruff, and Bloodshed. A lot of his lyrics may tell you otherwise, but Lamont was a considerate guy. He tasted success, but he never forgot about his friends, as a large majority of them find their way onto his debut disc. Notice how they actually flow into the album as well and don't just come across as his weed carriers.
I could go on and on about his life, but we've got an album to review, so let's get it started...
Myself not included, this was the first Big L song that most people ever heard. It was released as the first single and actually got some decent radio play, which I find hilarious. There's no way in hell some thing like this would fly today, but 1995 was a different time. That being said, I know the label had to pick something to be a single and I guess this was the least violent. The video was pretty popular as well but all I can remember is L walking around town in a fully zipped raincoat during the middle of the summer. Adding to that, it appears that the only reason he got himself up at 7:00 was to walk around the streets and rhyme. This healthy habit may attribute to his rapping skills as well. Well yes, there is a song here and it's fucking awesome.
Stealing lines from Big Daddy Kane is not a way to get on my good side, but I guess I'll let it slide. This was actually the albums second single that didnt do nearly as well as "Put It On". You're all familiar with Biggie, right? If that's the case then you'll notice the same loop from the "One More Chance Remix". I have no idea which one came first, but I will say that Biggie used it better. Not my favorite track but a lot of that could be attributed to, again, the video. Where as the last song had some quality visual effects, this one blows. No one wants to see Lamont being massage for the entire song, even if it is in black and white. All in all, I never cared for this all that much. I'm sure we could have found a much better track to promote him with.
This is certainly a song that they wouldn't want to use to promote him to the public, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. The third song is essentially Big L's guide to picking up bitches and how they relate to his money. Kinda generic, but L throws in his style of humor, making the song more enjoyable. Like other rappers, though, Lamont don't love these hoes. He appreciates the effection, but good lord don't work up the nerve to ask him for a ring. He won't hesitate to pop a cap in your ass. (You can read those last couple of lines in a public service announcement voice, similar to Eminem's earlier intros) At least that's what he claims. I'd be shocked if one twenty fifth of his lyrics are true. Sensitive people beware, there talk of AIDS and raping bitches galore.
Big L makes sure to spell this title ignorant as humanly possible. Seriously man, was that even needed? Anyways, this is the first of two posse cuts in the album, but this features the most rappers. Obviously eight rappers is going to make it difficult to make a good song. That's true as a majority of them aren't any thing special. The only interesting feature would be Killa Cam, who would actually go on to have a quite successful career. You know him today as Cam'Ron. That doesn't mean he sounds great one here, though, Big L destroys all his friends. The best thing about this track is that Buckshot managed to produce his first great instrumental of the album. With a booming bass and snare serving as the main instrument, this beat is flat out nasty and provides the crew with a great surface to start rapping. I enjoy this track but I can see where someone would be turned off.
This is what they should have used to get L noticed. Noticed by the New York state police, that is. Big L tells some of the most vivid ways he can kill you, throwing in some classic one liners. I'd be lying if I said this didn't scare the shit out of me. There comes a point when listening to Big L that you sit back and say to yourself, "Man, this guy has actually killed several hundred people". I'll believe that when I see it, though. I'm holding on to the belief that Big L was a great guy. This instrumental kind of blow, though and I'm fairly indifferent on the track as a whole. Long story short: L can easily get all of your family together in the color that matches the title. And he's not talking about a motherfucking reunion.
As previously stated, Big L grew up on 139th St. and Lenox Avenue. That's where the cover of this album was shot and eventually where he would be killed. Lamont and his buddies gave this the moniker of "The Danger Zone". This song serves as a fair warning of all the crazy ass shit that appears to be happening on a daily basis. These actions include, but are not limited to, shooting people in the face for giving L a bad look, mugging people for no reason, brutal rape, house invasion, and, yes, necrophilia. Keep in mind that all this shit is supposedly happening right in the middle of the street. Doubt I'll be making any stops by Harlem any time soon. Big L's performance is great but it doesn't take away from the boring as instrumental.
Large Lamont decides to take a total U-Turn in terms of feelings. After that last track about robbing people and giving bitches AIDS, he decides to go over to the opposite side of the spectrum and show what it's like for a kid growing up in this area. I really like this song but I don't see it as the classic that others seem to. I think the reason for peoples attraction towards "Street Struck" is that this is the only case in L's life where we could see him be introspective. Still a pretty cool ass song, though. As of today, I also believe that there is a documentary in the works that carries the same name as this track.
Something tells me that the last song may have been a little contrived, as L gets right back to business on the albums second posse cut. The first one was decent enough but this one is undeniably better. L seems to work in his D.I.T.C. crew for this once, with another certain guest feature that you could say is notable. Buckshot actually produces a damn good instrumental, but Lord Finesse surprised me the most here. Since he was kind of L's mentor, he shows everyone where he got his style from and actually outshines our host. This song also has an appearance from the deceased Party Arty. The big elephant in the room is that you may have seen Jay-Z in the features list. Yes, this is one of the earliest cases of Jay being outshined by everyone else in the song. Not that anyone was expecting anything much from him at this point but he was also just coming off being destroyed in Big Daddy Kane's "Show N Prove". Yes, that's how you work in a song from "Daddy's Home" on a Big L review
God dammit Big L, you made me type out the name of the song again. That title is a play off of the show Life Styles Of The Rich And Famous. Notice how that's spelled correctly. L would later make a song addressing the fact that he couldn't spell at all, and chooses to use criminal slang. Anyways, we take leap to the socially conscience side. Not that memorable, but L shows how you can look smart but not lose your credibility. I want to like this song, but Lord Finesse's beat isnt doing a damn thing for me.
Neither do I Lamont. L uses this song as an all out diatribe against the way hip hop works. He mostly questions why people tend to sell out after making such good music. When he was shot, Big L was one week away from signing with Roc-A-Fella. I wouldn't call that selling out but it would be very interesting to see how that would have turned out. Honestly, he probably would have quit rapping fairly early. If he was that confused about during 1995, he would be disgusted with today's product. We've all heard this story before, though and this one fails to engage me.
Unfortunately, this is another story thay we've all heard countless times. We know you don't like cops, but neither does anyone else in the hood. I'm on your side Big L, I really am, but you can't be surprised with the law after you've just been talking about killing hundreds of people, purposefully giving out aids, and necrophilia. (that's gotta be the one that got him) Ehh, not completely feeling this track, as this album is starting to reach the point of overkill. Im sure this would have been better if I was just listening to this, but in the context of the album, its not doing much for me.
After some of those meaningful and conceptual tracks, Big L ends the album with a classic battle rap song. In case you thought he had gotten soft, he come really hard on this one, as he shoots down sucka MCs. He's just flowing along with ease, and doesn't make the song all that serious. He lets us know that he would never be caught wearing polka dot clothing, he throws martial arts to the side, as he develops he own new art of gun-fu, and perhaps his most famous line: if we were to engage in a fight with him, it would be like fighting a gorilla in a phone booth. The beat is also fucking excellent, which was surprising to say the least. Fantastic way to end your debut album
Livestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous was the only album released in Big L's life time, but it was enough to showcase that he was one if the better lyricists in hip hop history. Unfortunately, this album displays to perfection why rapping is only half the battle. While Big L is close to flawless, most of these beats are just terrible. Don't get me wrong, there's a few gems in there but for the most part, it takes a lot away from the album. Still, this is a great example of how underground rap sounded in 1995, with the exclusion on Puff Daddy. He follows the formula to perfection end it ended up doing its job, which was getting Big L noticed. There's some pretty big missteps, but aside from that, this shit is damn good. You should definitely go pick this up. I can't imagine it cost very much, especially if you're into used copies. At the very least, I guarantee you will enjoy some of his wordplay.