It is hard to believe that D.I.T.C. emcee and Harlem native Big L died over 10 years ago. Listening to The Big Picture, his flow, his wordplay, his delivery, all sound fresh and brand new, not dated whatsoever. His reputation as one of the greatest emcees in hip hop history has never been argued and with good reason; it's the truth and cannot be debated. He always held his own with anyone he rhymed with (from his mentor Lord Finesse to Jay-Z, who he brought to Stretch And Bobbito's radio show before he became the Jay-Z the masses are familiar with today). Memorable verses? He has them. How many emcees today have the guts to say that they "pistol whip a Priest every Sunday" ("Devil's Son") or have exceptional wordplay to create lines like "they wanna know why I'm so fly/a girl asked me for a ring and I put one around her whole eye" ("No Endz, No Skinz")? Although his life was taken at the age of 24, his music lives on--and there is no better way to celebrate his life then to listen to what he did best. Here are a few of my favorite songs from Harlem's finest emcee.
Hello world!
4 years ago
