Happy 25th Anniversary to Big L’s debut album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, originally released March 28, 1995.
Hip-Hop is usually fun when it takes us for a joyride through the historic neighborhood of Harlem, NY. A lot of the call-and-response crowd interaction that became signature within the culture was created and popularized in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s by legendary personalities like DJ Hollywood and Love Bug Starski at world famous Harlem venues like the Apollo Theater and the Roof Top Roller Skating and Disco.
Years later, the Harlem duo of Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock would create the party classic “It Takes Two” to continue the legacy and almost a decade later, Ma$e would release his ode to the neighborhood, Harlem World (1997), with player anthems like “Feel So Good” and “Lookin’ at Me.” In between the parties, Harlemite Lamont “Big L” Coleman emerged to represent the entire borough of Manhattan with a more introspective narration of the everyday happenings in the heart of the Big Apple.
1995 is remembered as being perhaps the most competitive year in all of hip-hop. The two previous years introduced a new generation of hip-hop artists, many releasing groundbreaking LPs that forever changed the musical landscape. Wu-Tang Clan released Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, Nas released Illmatic in 1994 along with The Notorious B.I.G.‘s Ready to Die that same year. A big part of ’95 was the continuation of these new musical legacies. Raekwon, GZA, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard each released acclaimed solo projects to further the Wu-Tang saga. Mobb Deep unleashed The Infamous as the newest installment of the Queensbridge chronicles. Even The Notorious B.I.G. was championing a project for his protégés Junior Mafia, entitled Conspiracy. These were just some of the prospects that would compile hip-hop’s draft class of 1995, of which Big L would emerge to compete as a Rookie of the Year candidate.
Big L represented the Harlem chapter of the mostly Bronx based Diggin’ in the Crates (D.I.T.C.) collective, who had established themselves as respected emcees and producers who helped elevate the culture with projects like Lord Finesse’s Funky Technician (1990), Showbiz & A.G.’s Runaway Slave (1992), and O.C.’s Word…Life (1994). For his freshman project, Big L would have the mentorship of some of the game’s most formidable emcees and access to stellar production from D.I.T.C. members Buckwild, Showbiz, and Lord Finesse. It would be L’s subject matter, however, that would indisputably propel him to stand out amongst such a crowded field of talented rappers.
Like the album’s cover depicts, L would transport us directly into his block of 139th St. and Lennox Ave. for a nighttime tour of what he helped dub “the danger zone” to show how violence can cast a wide shadow across a neighborhood that is forced to exist with generational economic disparity. Songs like the LP’s title track land as the heart and soul of the mostly somber detailing of the particularly harsh section of Harlem. L uses the Lord Finesse produced track to formally introduce himself within the context of how he was shaped by the grim environment, reflecting “My name is L, and I’m from a part of town where clowns get beat down, and all you hear are gunshot sounds / On 139 and Lenox Ave. there’s a big park / and if you’re soft don’t go through it when it gets dark.”
“Street Struck,” again produced by Lord Finesse, is another song that speaks to the core of Big L’s artistry but allows him to switch tones to offer caution about the dead ends of street life. L warns his listeners, “It ain't a dumb joke, listen to this young folk / Cause where I'm from, you can choke from the gun smoke / Stay off the corners; that might be your best plan / Before you catch a bullet that was meant for the next man / Or end up with a deep cut / Or relaxin’ on a hospital bed, from bein’ street struck.”
Even on the LP’s darkest moments where we see L teeter on the line of the hip-hop subgenre horrorcore, Lifestylez still remains entertaining. On songs like “All Black” and “Danger Zone,” L narrates his dark fantasies of murderous rampages and briefly visits uncomfortable subjects of domestic violence and Satanism.
Lifestylez checks off a few other boxes on its conquest to immortality, like serving as a rare pre-Reasonable Doubt appearance for Jay-Z. The motley crew posse cut “Da Graveyard” features Jay-Z alongside Lord Finesse, Microphone Nut, D.I.T.C. affiliate Party Arty & Grand Daddy I.U., and of course Big L who leads the adrenaline-charged underground street anthem produced by Buckwild. The LP’s other posse cut “8 Iz Enuff” featuring the mostly neighborhood rap crew Children of the Corn which included Herb McGruff for his second appearance on the album, Terra, Buddah Bless, Big Twan, Trooper J, Mike Boogie, and Killa Cam (Cam’Ron) years before he would release his debut Confessions of Fire (1998) on Untertainment/Epic Records.
The anger that L expresses helps give perspective to the neighborhood which had been mostly known for its fly guys, pretty girls and party life, so not surprisingly it was these very topics that land as the album’s lyrical and commercial apex. The album opener and lead single “Put It On” has endured as perhaps L’s signature song. Produced by Buckwild and assisted by the legendary Kid Capri, L appeared to find his absolute comfort zone in contending for Lord Finesse’s crown as hip-hop’s punchline king with well delivered bars like, “And when it comes to gettin' nookie I'm not a rookie / I got girls that make that chick Toni Braxton look like whoopee / I run with sturdy clicks I'm never hittin' dirty chicks / Got thirty-five bodies, buddy don't make it thirty-six.”
L’s follow-up single “M.V.P.,” where Lord Finesse uses the same DeBarge sample (“Stay With Me”) as The Notorious B.I.G’s remix for “One More Chance,” sets a seductive pace for L to offset with his clever battle rhymes, “In a street brawl, I strike men quicker than lightning / You seen what happened in my last fight friend, aight then / L's a clever threat, a lyricist who never sweat / Comparing yourself to me is like a Benz to a Chevrolet.”
With its two successful singles, Lifestylez was solidified as one of the best albums in a highly competitive year. Further, it proved effective in introducing a highly skilled lyricist who seemed to effortlessly traverse various emcee styles including storytelling, horrorcore, hitmaking, and battle bars. With time, Lifestylez has ascended to the reserved status of classic fare, some including me would even rate it within the 50 greatest albums in hip-hop history. Its honesty and dexterity created a blueprint for almost every Harlem rapper that followed, which helped give us projects like G.Dep’s Child of the Ghetto (2001) and Cam’Ron’s Come Home With Me (2002). Industry titans like Jay-Z and Nas both attest to Big L’s impact on their careers during his short time.
Sadly, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous is the only album that Big L recorded and released before his life was tragically taken in February of 1999 at the young age of 24. Still, his debut was strong enough to cement his name amongst the immortals for offering a nearly indisputable crown jewel of historic Harlem’s hip-hop catalog.
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