Big L Articles

Elemental Magazine: (Excerpts from Lord Finesse Interview)
"In the summer of 1990, on a routine stop to Rock and Wills on 125th Street, Finesse would discover a legend. "I discovered Big L," he begins, "during a visit to Rock and Wills record store, where I normally came to distribute my mix tape masters. It was one of the original stores..." Read More

"Hype: Big L" By Tom McKeown
"He's a man obsessed with the skills of emcees. A man who allegedly dropped the very first horrorcore rap. And he's from a forgotten borough. He's Big L, who recently pricked up ears with his debut single "Put It On", complete with it's catchy Kid Capri-narrated lyrics." Read More

"The Crate & the Good" By Mike Lewis
"There are times when major labels unwittingly sign artists so good they don't quite know what to do with them. A prime example is Big L. His debut album for Columbia. "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor And Dangerous", was critically acclaimed both sides of the pond and reissues of his early singles are still.." Read More

"Big Loss" By Kem Poston
"New York's underground hip-hop community was shaken by the loss of a beloved figure last week. On the evening of February 15, Lamont Coleman, known to fans as Big L, was found murdered in his Harlem neighborhood. Police discovered his body in a West 139th Street building with fatal wounds.." Read More

"Casualties of a Rap Game" By Dave Ovalle
"Lenaisa Phinazee talks to her Uncle Mont often. Sometimes, the 4-year-old plays phantom games of basketball with him. Uncle Mont's name morphs to those who knew him. Big L to legions of hip-hop fans, Mont-Mont to his nine aunts and uncles. His tombstone bears his real name: Lamont Coleman. Lenaisa refuses to believe that death has taken her uncle, a popular rapper gunned down just blocks from the Harlem apartment where..." Read More

"Big Dreams" By Dave Ovalle
"Gilda Terry laughed when she first heard her son's rap moniker; Coleman was anything but big. He stood no more than five-foot-eight and was toothpick thin, although he would flex his biceps jokingly for his family. He rapped about street violence -- not unusual in this neighborhood -- but had never been in trouble..." Read More

"Dropped From Label" By Dave Ovalle
"Coleman was dropped from Columbia because his albums did not sell well -- they were not ''pop'' enough. Still, he stayed close to the park, sizing up talent and continuing to practice his verbal flow. It was, after all, the same park on the same block where his family and the block association would gather regularly. Once, a family reunion/barbecue drew so many.." Read More

"Fateful Night" By Dave Ovalle
"Feb. 14, 1999. That evening, Gilda Terry came home from work and half-jokingly chewed out her son, Coleman -- who had recently moved back into his mom's 140th Street apartment -- for not bringing her any Valentine's Day candy. So he ran down five flights of steps and to the corner store. When he returned, he handed her a packet of peanut-chew candies before leaving the apartment again..." Read More

"Hip-Hop Hero" By Dave Ovalle
"Coleman's fame within the hip-hop world did not sink in to his family until his passing. For eight hours, hundreds ofpeoplelined up around the block to view his body. When the viewing closed for the night, well-wishers had to be turned away. Police escorted the family to the George Washington Bridge for the burial..." Read More

"The Life and Rhymes of Lamont Coleman" By Erik Thomsen
"The story of Lamont Coleman started off one warm spring day in what is now referred to as the Danger Zone. On May 30th 1974, the last of three children was born to Gilda Terry in Harlem, New York. She would name him Lamont, but by the end he would come to be known as Big L, a name to go down..." Read More

"Of Mics and Men in Harlem"
"Only a select few noticed when a triggerman shot Lamont Coleman dead in front of the stooped brownstone apartment building where he grew up. His death was a blurb on MTV, a half-page obituary in a handful of hip-hop magazines. After all, Lamont Coleman was only Big L, the man who guided the first steps..." Read More

"The Danger Zone, 1999"
"The world of Hip-Hop and all of its adoring fans were seemingly still reeling from the aftershocks of the tragic and untimely deaths of two of its finest, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. Senseless acts of violence had run its course and the music world had suffered a mighty blow. Little did we know that.." Read More