Big L
A Harlem wordsmith whose sharp wit and brutal honesty painted a vivid, unflinching portrait of street life, leaving a blueprint for lyrical hip-hop.
1974–1999 (age 25)·American rapper·Birthday: May 30·Generation X
Biography
Lamont Coleman, known as Big L, emerged from Harlem in the early 1990s with a flow that was both technically dazzling and lethally direct. His 1995 debut, 'Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous,' wasn't just an album; it was a stark, cinematic dispatch from the corners he knew, delivered with a punchline-heavy style that balanced menace with dark humor. As a founding member of the Diggin' in the Crates crew, he helped shape the sound of New York's underground. His murder in 1999, just as he was preparing a major comeback, froze his legacy in its explosive prime. In death, his posthumous releases and the sheer force of his wordplay cemented his status as a foundational influence for a generation of rappers who valued complex rhyme schemes and narrative grit.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Big was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Big Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Big's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1999Died at 25
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
Key Achievements
- Released the influential debut album 'Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous' in 1995 on Columbia Records.
- Co-founded the influential hip-hop collective Diggin' in the Crates (D.I.T.C.).
- His posthumous album 'The Big Picture' debuted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 chart.
- Widely credited with pioneering a complex, multisyllabic rhyme style that influenced countless East Coast MCs.
Did You Know?
He was childhood friends with fellow Harlem rapper Cam'ron.
His verse on the 1998 track "Da Graveyard" is often cited as one of the greatest guest verses in hip-hop.
He was shot and killed just months after filming a cameo for the movie "Belly."
He famously freestyled on the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia radio show, a legendary platform for underground talent.
“I'm so ahead of my time, my parents haven't met yet.”
