BIG L
2015 was the 20th Anniversary of this undisputed New York classic from the late, great, Harlem MC, featuring production from D.I.T.C. legends Showbiz, Buckwild and Lord Finesse. As fans have come to expect, Get On Down gives this incredible record the respect it deserves with this unique reissue package.
The album itself was another shot across the bow of mid-90s pundits who were prophesizing the death of New York’s boom-bap dominance. Alongside recent classics from Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep and Smif N Wessun, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous laid out the ascendancy of another visionary MC who could throw down brags punchlines with the best of them, but who never veered away from truly thoughtful lyrical dialogue.
Most tracks on the album feature slower tempos, which gave the soon-to-be-immortalized MC the chance to fully explore a range of flows and approaches. Cases in point include the two commercial singles – “Put It On” and “MVP” – as well as the promo-only single “Street Struck,” the latter produced by Lord Finesse and containing perhaps L’s deepest rhymes on the album. There are also some great posse cuts here, starting with “8 Iz Enuff,” which was all about exposing L’s crew (including Herb McGruff, Mike Boogie and Buddah Bless); and the amazing “Da Graveyard,” which let established peers like Lord Finesse and Grand Daddy I.U. flow alongside another newcomer to the scene named Jay-Z.
Less-renowned but no less crucial album cuts like “All Black” and “I Don’t Understand It” help to tie it all up in a beautiful boom-bap package, with production by and from legends in the game that vaulted Big L into the national spotlight. L would be tragically taken from us in 1999, so this album – along with 2000’s posthumous The Big Picture – will always be special to fans. Big L was a huge talent with the world in front of him, and it’s only right to celebrate his life again on the 20th Anniversary of the album that started it all for him.
This unique set features an in-depth liner notes booklet written and compiled by journalist Chris Faraone. The CD configuration is housed in a deluxe box with original album artwork wrapped around the cover.
PRESS FOR LIFESTYLEZ OF THE POOR & DANGEROUS
“…Big L might have found himself with a platinum album but instead he settled for platinum respect. This album captures the dynamic potential of a street legend, a legend who would later be gunned down in his prime.”
“…I don’t understand why you never got the props you deserved. I don’t understand why your life was snuffed out so needlessly. I don’t understand why so many people were happy to big you up after your death who didn’t give you the time of day back in the day. I don’t understand at all. “Livestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous” though, I understand. It was a classic then, it’s still a classic now…”
“If there was anyone in the genre of hip-hop that was an actual “genius” in the truest sense, then look no further than Big L. Though this album is a bit rough around the edges, you’ll have no trouble understanding why Big L is considered one of the greats; Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous has its flaws, but it’s still an album that every fan of hip-hop should listen to, if not own.”
“L has taken the punchline craft from Big Daddy Kane and Redman before him to a new level, making himself one of those emcees who simply cannot be touched, specially in a battle. Besides that, Big L actually expands from his witty punches to give us a couple of conscious songs, but always goes back to that excellent humor which made him so damn good.”
“The one thing that this album does the most is introduce Big L as a force to be reckoned with – fresh out of high school. “Lifestylez ov da Poor And Dangerous” showcases his famous punchlines, his word play, his complex rhyme schemes but these were more a means to tell his story, to tell Harlem’s story – to tell the story of the city’s dark underbelly.”
