Big L

One of the fiercest emcees to ever grip a mic, Harlem's Big L got his start in Three The Hard Way before hooking up with Lord Finesse in the early 1990s. He spit ill rhymes on Showbiz & A.G.'s classic 1992 debut Runaway Slave before dropping his own LP Lifestyles Ov Da Poor and Dangerous three years later. Blessed with a unique voice and advanced writing skills, L captured the essence of street life with a singular flair that most rappers only dream of. Tired of sheisty label issues, he created Flamboyant Records and, in 1998, released the blazing single "Ebonics." Also a full-fledged member of the Diggin' In The Crates crew, Big L was on the track to well-deserved hip-hop superstardom when he was shot to death in February of 1999. His long-awaited sophomore album The Big Picture was released in the summer of 2000.