May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999
Huddy Combs, Nas and Big L
Diamond D and Big L
Big L, Lord Finesse and Kid Capri
Big L, Diamond D and Fat Joe
Big L, Diamond D, Lord Finesse and Fat Joe
Canibus, Big L and Fat Joe
Big L and Ras Kass
Big L, Lord Finesse, Fat Joe and AG
Big L, Damon Dash and Jay-Z
DJ Khaled and Vado
Big L and Joey Crack
Mac Miller's "Street Struck" tattoo
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Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous - 1995
The Big Picture - 2000
139 & Lenox - 2010
Return of the Devil's Son - 2010
The Danger Zone - 2011
Big L was born Lamont Coleman on May 30, 1974 in Harlem, New York. He was born and raised in a section of Harlem encompassing 139th St. and Lenox Avenue nicknamed "The Danger Zone". Ironically, one of Coleman's own childhood nicknames was "Little L" (another, which followed him into adulthood was Mont Mont). He attended Julia Richman High School which boasts several other celebrity alumni including Lisa Velez of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and actresses Judy Holliday and Lauren Bacall. Coleman attended Julia Richman High at the same time as Jade Trini of the hip hop group Mantronix.
The youngest child of Charles Davis and Gilda "Pinky" Terry, he made his first foray as a participant in hip hop at age 12 when he began freestylying and battling his peers. At 16, he co-founded the short-lived rap group Three the Hard Way with two friends. Later that year, following the dissolution of his group Coleman met Bronx rapper and leader of the Bronx-based Diggin' in the Crates (D.I.T.C.) collective, Lord Finesse. Impressed by the teenager's on-the-spot freestyle, Finesse agreed to take him under his wing. In early 1991, Coleman made his first television appearance, on an episode of Yo! MTV Raps alongside his new mentor. His first recording was released the following year, on the remix to Finesse's "Yes You May" - the B-side of the single "Party Over Here". Soon after, he appeared on the song "Represent" from D.I.T.C. duo Showbiz & A.G.'s highly acclaimed debut album Runaway Slave. In 1992, Coleman was signed to Columbia Records and a year later became an official member of D.I.T.C.
Coleman's debut album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, which wa initially slated to be titled Murder Inc., was released March 28, 1995. The album featured appearances by a few then unknown rappers, including Jay-Z. The bulk of the production was handled by D.I.T.C. members Lord Finesse (who also provides vocals on "Da Graveyard" alongside Jay-Z), Showbiz and Buckwild. In fact, Craig Boogie who contributed production on the final track, "Let 'Em Have it L" is the only non-D.I.T.C. producer credited on the album. Other notable appearances include legendary mixtape DJ Kid Capri, frequent D.I.T.C. collaborator Party Arty and former Juice Crew associate Granddaddy I.U. A then unknown and teenaged Cam'ron also appears on the album on the track "8 Iz Enuff" under the name Killa Cam. At the time, Cam'ron was a member of Children of the Corn (named after a Stephen King movie about a town of demon-worshipping children), a group of Harlem youngsters assemble by Coleman in 1991. Mase, who does not appear on the album, was also a member of the group and rapped under the name Murda Mase. McGruff, who was also a member of COC appears on "8 Iz Enuff" alongside Cam'ron. The track "MVP", which samples DeBarge's "Stay with Me" inspired the creation of Biggie's mega-hit remix of "One More Chance". Lifestylez has the distinction of being the only Big L album released while he was still alive.
While recording his second album, The Big Picture, throughout 1997 and 1998, Coleman embarked on a European tour opening for headliner and fellow D.I.T.C. member O.C. as well as a promotional campaign in the States where he performed numerous freestyles during radio interviews and on mixtapes. He also contributed verses to several tracks on the upcoming D.I.T.C. album, D.I.T.C., which was released in 2000. Coleman appears on the tracks "Thick", "Get Yours", "Way of Life", "Day One", "Da Enemy" and "Stand Strong". The album also contains a remix to the Big L solo song "Ebonics" as well as a tribute song dedicated to Coleman, fittingly titled, "Tribute". One of his most memorable appearances recorded during this period is his contribution to O.C.'s "Dangerous" from his 1997 album Jewelz. Coleman also provided features for other rappers including Wu-Tang affiliate Shyheim, on the track "Furious Anger" - the sole single from his 1999 album, Manchild. During this time, Roc-A-Fella Records CEO and fellow Harlem native Damon Dash attempted to recruit Coleman and his newly formed company, Flamboyant Entertainment, to join his label. It's worth noting that Jay-Z, who by this time had become a major star in his own right, was a co-founder and co-owner of Roc-A-Fella.
Coleman was murdered near his mother's West 139th St. brownstone in Harlem on February 25, 1999. He was shot 9 times in the head and chest in what many local residents believe to be a revenge killing directed at his brother, Leroy "Big Lee" Phinazee, who was later killed in 2002. On May 13, 1999, 29-year-old Gerard Woodley, the only suspect, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the shooting but the charges were later drooped due to insufficient evidence. No one has ever been prosecuted for the murder.
The Big Picture, which was never completed by Coleman was released August 1, 2000 on Rawkus Records and became his biggest selling album. Like his previous album, Picture contains production by fellow D.I.T.C. members Lord Finesse and Showbiz. Production duties were also handled by DJ Premier, Ron G, Pete Rock, Ron Browz, Shomari, Mike Heron and Ysae. Several guest artists make appearances, including: Big Daddy Kane, Kool G. Rap, Sadat X (who'd previously toured with Coleman), Guru, Flamboyant Entertainment artist Stan Spit (who portrayed the character Wise in the 1998 film Belly), Remy Ma, Miss Jones and fellow D.I.T.C. members Fat Joe, O.C. and A.G. Jay-Z was initially slated to appear on the track "Platinum Plus" but the collaboration never materialized. The track "Deadly Combination", which began as a mixtape track for DJ Ron G, features the posthumous trio of Big L, Biggie and Tupac Shakur. Within two months of it's release The Big Picture was certified gold and cracked the Top 20, debuting at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Six more Big L albums have been released between 2003 and 2012, including: Children of the Corn: Collector's Edition (with Children of the Corn), 139 & Lenox, Return of the Devil's Son, The Danger Zone and L Corleone.
Chart-topping Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, who was 7 years old when Coleman was murdered, cites Big L as his biggest influence and bears an arm tattoo of the words "Street Struck" in homage to the deceased Harlemite.
Coleman possessed a distinctive, high-pitched, youthful sounding voice that stood in stark contrast to his peers. He is widely credited with pioneering the Horrorcore genre of hip hop, a style later popularized by Ganksta N-I-P, The Gravediggaz, Brotha Lynch Hung, Three 6 Mafia, Flatlinerz, Tyler, the Creator and Tech N9ne with his song, "Devil's Son". Coleman's lyrical style was characterized by a complex, multi-syllabic, rapid-fire delivery filled with punch lines and heavily laden with clever metaphors and intricate wordplay. He was also held in high esteem for his storytelling abilities that many critics compare to Slick Rick, Nas, Biggie and Scarface.
Originally Published: 2/13/12 8:18pm
Coleman was murdered near his mother's West 139th St. brownstone in Harlem on February 25, 1999. He was shot 9 times in the head and chest in what many local residents believe to be a revenge killing directed at his brother, Leroy "Big Lee" Phinazee, who was later killed in 2002. On May 13, 1999, 29-year-old Gerard Woodley, the only suspect, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the shooting but the charges were later drooped due to insufficient evidence. No one has ever been prosecuted for the murder.
The Big Picture, which was never completed by Coleman was released August 1, 2000 on Rawkus Records and became his biggest selling album. Like his previous album, Picture contains production by fellow D.I.T.C. members Lord Finesse and Showbiz. Production duties were also handled by DJ Premier, Ron G, Pete Rock, Ron Browz, Shomari, Mike Heron and Ysae. Several guest artists make appearances, including: Big Daddy Kane, Kool G. Rap, Sadat X (who'd previously toured with Coleman), Guru, Flamboyant Entertainment artist Stan Spit (who portrayed the character Wise in the 1998 film Belly), Remy Ma, Miss Jones and fellow D.I.T.C. members Fat Joe, O.C. and A.G. Jay-Z was initially slated to appear on the track "Platinum Plus" but the collaboration never materialized. The track "Deadly Combination", which began as a mixtape track for DJ Ron G, features the posthumous trio of Big L, Biggie and Tupac Shakur. Within two months of it's release The Big Picture was certified gold and cracked the Top 20, debuting at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Six more Big L albums have been released between 2003 and 2012, including: Children of the Corn: Collector's Edition (with Children of the Corn), 139 & Lenox, Return of the Devil's Son, The Danger Zone and L Corleone.
Chart-topping Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, who was 7 years old when Coleman was murdered, cites Big L as his biggest influence and bears an arm tattoo of the words "Street Struck" in homage to the deceased Harlemite.
Coleman possessed a distinctive, high-pitched, youthful sounding voice that stood in stark contrast to his peers. He is widely credited with pioneering the Horrorcore genre of hip hop, a style later popularized by Ganksta N-I-P, The Gravediggaz, Brotha Lynch Hung, Three 6 Mafia, Flatlinerz, Tyler, the Creator and Tech N9ne with his song, "Devil's Son". Coleman's lyrical style was characterized by a complex, multi-syllabic, rapid-fire delivery filled with punch lines and heavily laden with clever metaphors and intricate wordplay. He was also held in high esteem for his storytelling abilities that many critics compare to Slick Rick, Nas, Biggie and Scarface.
Originally Published: 2/13/12 8:18pm
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