How did Big L die?
Big L‘s life was cut short at 24 when he still had so much talent to give to the world. The Harlem rapper, renowned for his freestyling ability, only released one album during his lifetime. Still, it was enough for people to consider him one of the best lyricists of all time.
Born on May 30th, 1974 as Lamont Coleman, L grew up in Harlem, New York City and was the youngest of three siblings. His stage name comes from something people would call him as a child, deriving from the first letter of his name. L’s interest in rapping began when he was seven after his older brother, Donald, took him to a Run-DMC concert at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan.
L started freestyling with others in his neighbourhood when he was 12 and wrote his first bars in 1990. He attended Julia Richman High School, where he regularly had rap battles, and graduated in 1992. “In the beginning, all I ever saw me doing was battling everybody on the street corners, rhyming in the hallways, beating on the wall, rhyming to my friends,” he admitted during his final interview. “Every now and then, a house party, grab the mic, a block party, grab the mic.”
He dropped his debut album Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous in 1995, which was produced by Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Showbiz and Craig Boogie. Released on Columbia Records, the title was inspired by the television show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and featured the singles ‘Put It On’ and ‘MVP’.
Many posthumous albums have been released since his death, including 139 & Lenox, Return of the Devil’s Son and The Danger Zone, but The Big Picture is by far the most prominent. The album was set to be released in 1999 before his death, but ended up dropping in 2000. Released on Rawkus Records, the album wasn’t finished when he passed away, so his manager, Rich King, got to work completing it. Rappers such as 2Pac, Fat Joe, Big Daddy Kane, Guru, Remy Ma and Kool G Rap all appeared on the project.
Nas was once so impressed with L that he told Funkmaster Flex that he “scared me to death. When I heard [his performance at the Apollo Theater] on tape, I was scared to death. I said, ‘Yo, it’s no way I can compete if this is what I gotta compete with.'” High praise from a fellow New York City MC and one of the best to ever do it.
So, how did Big L die?
L was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting at 45 West 139th Street in his hometown of Harlem on February 15th 1999, where he was struck nine times in the face and chest. One of his childhood friends, Gerard Woodley, was arrested for his death months later, but he was released due to lack of evidence. “It’s a good possibility it was retaliation for something Big L’s brother did, or Woodley believed he had done,” said a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department. The case is still unresolved to this day.
L is buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey. A few years ago, the 140th Street and Lennox Avenue intersection in Harlem was co-named Lamont ‘Big L’ Coleman Way.
He predicted his death in the song ‘Casualties of a Dice Game’, in which he raps, “I watched all of them, run for they share/ And all I can do was stare/ I got weak and fell on my rear/ Now I can hear the sirens, that means here comes the Jakes/ But it’s too late, I’m knockin’ on the pearly gates.”