Big L (rapper)
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Big L (born May 30, 1974 , † February 15, 1999 ; real life Lamont Coleman ) was an American rapper from Harlem , New York .
biography
His career began in an amateur competition at the Apollo Theater on 125th Street , where he won the trophy one day. He won more freestyle contests than any other MC from Harlem in the 1990s , but was also the only one in his high school who toyed with the idea of pursuing a professional career as a musician.
He founded the group COC (Children of The Corn) with Killa Cam , Murder Mase and Bloodshed, a cousin of Cam'ron . The legendary Lord Finesse was the first to become aware of Big L and in 1992 got him a place on the remix for "Yes You May".
In the same year L signed a contract with Columbia Records , where he released a Promo-12 " Devil's Son in 1993, which was put on the index because of violent and sexist texts.
In 1995 his debut album Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous came on the market. This album was Big L's only major LP, but was a total flop commercially at number 149 in the United States and led to the separation from Columbia Records. He toyed with the idea of giving up his rap career and released further solo material until his death, but continued to appear as a producer.
Before founding his own label, Flamboyant Entertainment, Lamont was a member of Diggin 'in the Crates , an association of New York DJs , rappers and producers . In addition to L, the group consisted of AG , Buck Wild , Diamond D , Fat Joe , Lord Finesse , OC and Showbiz.
It seemed like Big L had regained enthusiasm for rapping in 1997. Damon Dash is said to have offered the rapper a contract with Roc-A-Fella Records , Jay-Z's label . Lamont allegedly turned it down because Dash didn't want to sign the two Flamboyant Entertainment MCs McGruff and C-Town.
On February 15, 1999, Lamont Coleman was shot dead on 139th Street in Harlem, and he was shot nine times in the chest and face. The suspected murderer was Gerard Woodley, who was arrested shortly after the murder of Lamont in the Bronx but had to be released due to a lack of evidence. Big L's mother, Gilda Terry, believes it has been proven that Woodley was involved in the murder. To date, however, no one has been convicted of the murder.
Woodley himself suffered a similar fate. He was shot on June 24, 2016 on 139th Street and Lenox Avenue. Woodley, who was 46 at the time, died a little later in the hospital.
A year after Big L's death, his second album The Big Picture was released , which reached number 13 in the US charts and was awarded a gold record for more than 500,000 copies sold . There is a tribute track for him on DITC's first album from 2000. In 2010 the album Return of the Devils Son was released with some previously unreleased tracks and freestyles, and in 2011 another album with unreleased tracks, freestyles and live performances called The Danger Zone .
In 2008 it was announced that a documentary about the rapper's life entitled The Big L Story: Street Struck was planned. A trailer was released in summer 2009 and the film was last announced for 2012. In June 2013, the BigLOnline online forum announced that the documentation was still being worked on and that it was not clear when it would appear. It was later reported that it was due to be released in May 2016, but has not yet happened. [outdated]
Discography (selection)
- Official albums
- 1995: Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
- 2000: The Big Picture
- 2010: Return of the Devils Son
- 2011: The Danger Zone
- Unofficial albums
- Harlem's Finest - A Freestyle History
- Harlem's Finest - A Freestyle History 2
- Live in Amsterdam
- The Unseen Picture
- The Archives 1996-2000
- 139 & Lenox
Individual evidence
- ↑ Charts: US
- ↑ Awards: US
- ↑ Chris Sommerfeldt, Thomas Tracy: Man suspected of killing hip-hop star Big L in 1999 shot, killed in Harlem; one of two men gunned down Thursday. June 24, 2016, accessed September 4, 2017 .
- ↑ Cyrus Langhorne: Big L To Show Fans Big Picture In New Doc, "They'll Get To See A Different Side Of Him". (No longer available online.) SOHH.com, August 31, 2009, archived from the original on September 18, 2011 ; accessed on August 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Slava Kuperstein: Big L Documentary To Hit Stores Soon. HiphopDX, August 31, 2009, accessed August 24, 2013 .
- ↑ This Day In Hip Hop and Rap History. (No longer available online.) RAPStation, archived from the original on June 17, 2012 ; accessed on August 31, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ OFFICIAL Street Struck Documentary Live On Forever Music Video Pre-Release Viewing. (No longer available online.) BigLOnline, June 28, 2013, archived from the original on August 22, 2013 ; accessed on August 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://thesource.com/2016/02/15/today-in-hip-hop-history-big-l-was-shot-and-killed-17-years-ago/
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Big L at Allmusic (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Big L |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Coleman, Lamont (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American rapper |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 30, 1974 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Harlem , New York, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 15, 1999 |
| Place of death | Harlem , New York, USA |