Big L

Infobox musical artist
Name = Big L


Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Lamont Coleman
Alias =
Born = birth date|1974|5|30|mf=y [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3xfrxqegldke Big L biography ] (HTML) Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-08-07]
Died = death date and age|1999|2|15|1974|5|30|
Origin = Harlem, New York City, USA
Genre = Hip hop
Underground hip hop
Occupation =
Years_active = 1992-1999
Label = Columbia, Sony, Rawkus, Flamboyant Records
URL =

Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974 - February 15, 1999), also known by his stage name Big L, was an American rapper.

Biography

Early life

Lamont Coleman was born to Gilda Terry on May 30, 1974, in Harlem, New York. As an adolescent, Lamont listened to the talents of Run-D.M.C., The Cold Crush Brothers, and Big Daddy Kane. He learned to rhyme in the park near his house at 104th West 139th Street where he would spend hours trading rhymes with friends to pass the time. While attending Julia Richmond High School he was given the nickname Big L in contrast to his childhood nickname, Little Lamont. He described his lyrical growth, "I started writing rhymes in 1990 and was in a group called Three The Hard Way, but they wasn't serious so I went solo. Then I started winning rap contests and battling everybody in my 'hood and roastin' em." [ [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials/id.722/title.remembering-lamont-big-l-coleman Remembering Lamont "Big L" Coleman | Columns & Editorials > HipHopDX.com ] ] His lyrics described the world around him, covering Harlem shootouts and street life.

D.I.T.C.

While still in high school, he caught the attention of Finesse, Joe "Diamond D" Kirkland and Rodney "Showbiz" Lemay, the founders of the D.I.T.C. clique. L’s first professional appearance came on the B-side of "Party Over Here" by Lord Finesse in 1992, the song was called "Yes, You May" remix. Soon L officially became a part of the DITC crew which featured numerous New York producers, deejays, and emcees on the mic. The members of DITC included; O.C., Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Showbiz, A.G., Fat Joe, Buckwild, and Big L. His early successes in DITC lead to his signing with Columbia in 1992. A four song demo tape showcasing tracks such as the horror-core establisher "Devil’s Son" and the "Yes, You May" remix. He regularly appeared on the fellow DITC members albums, and also contributed to the works of Success - N - Effect. He appeared with the group regularly, notably on their single "Dignified Soldiers" and their later self-titled LP release, sometimes known as "Worldwide".

Later career

From 1997 to 1999, Big L worked on his second album "The Big Picture". It was released worldwide at the summer of 2000 to critical acclaim.Fact|date=September 2008 Two singles, "Ebonics" and "Flamboyant", both reached number one in the charts.Fact|date=September 2008 The album featured cameos from Fat Joe, Tupac Shakur, and Big Daddy Kane among other emcees. "The Big Picture" was certified platinum in 2001.Fact|date=September 2008 Jay-Z has said that Big L was set to sign with his Roc-A-Fella label, but died the week before. [http://rocafella.com/News.aspx?item=102200&sectionid=137 Jay-Z Chat Transcript] . Roc-A-Fella News. Retrieved on November 30 2006.]

Murder

On the evening of February 15, 1999, Big L was shot multiple times in the head and chest near his Harlem home.

The Big Picture

His last recorded release, "The Big Picture", was released posthumously on August 2 2000, and was put together by his manager and partner in Flamboyant Entertainment, Rich King. It contains songs that L had recorded and a cappella recordings that were never used, completed by producers and guest emcees that Big L respected or had worked with previously. The album was certified gold a month later. On the album he has guest features from hip-hop heavyweights such as Fat Joe, Kool G Rap, Tupac Shakur, and Big Daddy Kane along with production by DJ Premier. The album was eventually certified platinum and was critically acclaimed by most reviews.Fact|date=September 2008

Discography

*1995: "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous"
*2000: "The Big Picture"

References

External links

* [http://www.biglonline.com Big L Online]
* [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/big_l/artist.jhtml Big L on MTV]
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Big+L Discogs entry]

Persondata
NAME=Big L
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Coleman, Lamont
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Hip-hop artist
DATE OF BIRTH=May 30, 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH=New York City, United States
DATE OF DEATH=February 15, 1999
PLACE OF DEATH=New York City, United States