Big L – Happy Born Day Brethren

Lamont Coleman, better known as Big L, was an American Rapper.  Born on May 30, 1974, and raised in Harlem New York.  Big L began his hip hop career with Three The Hard Way.  His first pro appearance was on Lord Finesse’s “Yes You May (Remix)”.  He started his own indie label, Flamboyant Entertainment.  Lamont died in 1999 when an unidentified assailant shot him up in a drive by shooting in Harlem.  Due to the unfortunate circumstances, his manager Rich King finished his album, The Big Picture in 2000 for him.  Since then he has been released on multiple tapes which is filled with his unreleased material.

Big L started working his material in 1991 approximately, where he had a group Three The Hard Way.  This soon became Two Hard M**thaf**kas when one of the members left.  He also had a group with Mase and Cam’ron called Children of the Corn.  After having his first appearance with Lord Finesse, Big L also had his first album appearance on Showbiz & AG’s Runaway Slave on the song “Represent”.  In that same year of 1992, Big L won a huge rap battle with over 2000 contestants and was held by Nubian Productions.

The year after in 1993 Big L was signed to Columbia and became a member of DITC (Diggin In The Crates).  Big L dropped his first promotional single “Devil’s Son” who Big L claims started the horrorcore rap movement.  Big L based it on his love for horror flicks and the scary things he seen growing up in Harlem.  Big L then dropped his second promotional single “Clinic” in 1994 and then “Put It On”, with which a video was made.  Big L then dropped “No Endz, No Skinz” in 1995.

Big L hit it big in 1995 with his debut album, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous.  He was dropped by Columbia and then he started his own label Flamboyant.  Big L stated it was due to creative differences that he left and was dropped.  In 1997 Children Of The Corn was stopped due to the death of one of their close friends of the group, Bloodshed.  In 1998 Big L dropped “Ebonics” on his indie label which got sizable following and love.  In 1999 he was about to be signed to Rocafella with Jay Z, until he was killed in the same year.  A documentary is supposed to be released in 2012 “Street Stuck” in honor of Big L.

RIP Big L