Emerging from Harlem, New York in the early to mid-1990s, Coleman became well known amongst underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ability, and was eventually signed to Columbia Records, where he released his debut album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous in 1995 and is now considered by many fans as a classic album. On February 15, 1999, Coleman was shot nine times and killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in his hometown of Harlem.
Noted for his use of wordplay, multiple writers at AllMusic, HipHopDX and The Source have praised Coleman for his lyrical ability, and he has also been described as "one of the most auspicious storytellers in hip hop history." Regarding Coleman's legacy, Nas said on MTV, “He scared me to death. When I heard that on tape, I was scared to death. I said, ’Yo, it’s no way I can compete if this is what I gotta compete with.'
Lamont Coleman was born in Harlem, New York City, on May 30, 1974, the third and youngest child of Gilda Terry (d. 2008) and Charles Davis. Davis left the family while Coleman was a child. His two older siblings, Donald Coleman and Leroy Phinazee (d.2002), were the children of Gilda and a man named Mr. Phinazee. Coleman received the nicknames "Little L" and "'mont 'mont" as a child. At the age of 12, Coleman became a big hip hop fan and started freestyling with other people in his neighborhood. He founded a group known as Three the Hard Way in 1990, but it was quickly broken up due to a lack of enthusiasm amongst the members. It consisted of Coleman, Doc Reem, and Rodney. No projects were released, and after Rodney left, the group was renamed Two Hard Motherfuckers. Around this time, people started to refer to Coleman as "Big L". In the summer of 1990, Coleman met Lord Finesse at an autograph session in a record shop on 125th Street. After he did a freestyle, Finesse and Coleman exchanged numbers.
Coleman attended Julia Richman High School. While in high school, Coleman freestyle battled in his hometown; in his last interview, he stated, "in the beginning, all I ever saw me doing was battling everybody on the street corners, rhyming in the hallways, beating on the wall, rhyming to my friends. Every now and then, a house party, grab the mic, a block party, grab the mic." He graduated in 1992.
On February 15, 1999, Big L was killed at 45 West 139th Street in his native Harlem after being shot nine times in the face and chest in a drive-by shooting. Gerard Woodley, one of Big L's childhood friends, was arrested three months later for the crime. "It's a good possibility it was retaliation for something Big L's brother did, or Woodley believed he had done," said a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department. Woodley was later controversially released, and the murder case remains unsolved.
Big L is buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.
On June 24, 2016 at 139th St. and Lenox Avenue, Woodley, 46, was shot in the head and later died at Harlem Hospital.
Coleman is often credited in helping to create the horrorcore genre of hip hop with his 1992 song "Devil Son." However, not all his songs fall into this genre, for example, in the song "Street Struck" Coleman discusses the difficulties of growing up in the ghetto and describes the consequences of living a life of crime. Idris Goodwin of The Boston Globe wrote that "[Big L had an] impressive command of the English language", with his song "Ebonics" being the best example of this.
He was notable for using a rap style called "compounding". Coleman also used metaphors in his rhymes. M.F. DiBella of Allmusic stated Coleman was "a master of the lyrical stickup undressing his competition with kinetic metaphors and a brash comedic repertoire". On the review of The Big Picture, she adds "the Harlem MC as a master of the punch line and a vicious storyteller with a razor blade-under-the-tongue flow." Trent Fitzgerald of Allmusic said "a lyrically ferocious MC with raps deadlier than a snakebite and mannerisms cooler than the uptown pimp he claimed to be on records.
Casualties Of A Dice Game
Big L Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, yeah yeah, Corleone y'all
Me and my man was cruisin through the streets and everything was flowin nice
The corner's crowded, niggaz must be rollin dice
I parked the ride so my nigga Iroc can crash the lye spot
and I'ma gamble until he come back - why not?
Click-clack, cock the gat back, gotta be strapped
They playin cee-lo, my dick get hard when I see dough
I bets nothin less than a G yo, you know my steelo
First I was losin then I started throwin headcrack
after headcrack, got my bread back, jumped in my red Ac'
I'm waitin for my nigga to come out of the spot
I see niggaz startin to plot, and I'm far from my block
Finally he walked out, told him, "Hop the fuck in"
On my face he saw the grin and said, "How much did you win?"
I estimated about, 45 maybe 50 G's
My man was hungry so I dropped him off at Mickey D's
Now I'm alone, headin home to rest my dome
Spotted some niggaz trailin so I picked up the phone
Called Bones, I said, "Yo son, I'm on the run
Need your help before I get done
Meet me downstairs, bring your big gun"
I don't believe this, this nigga said he can't make it
cause some bitch is in his house butt-naked
and then he hung up
And this supposed to be my man and he don't give a fuck
That duck sold me out just to get a nut, what?
I'm cruisin fast and they still behind me
The same nigga who I won the money from, and his grimy crimey
It's about to get, real hasty
Grabbed the steel, took it off safety
cause I refuse to let these niggaz waste me
I started to cruise fast, then stopped short and made 'em crash
And now them fags is all bloody from the shattered glass
And one of them had passed, when his face smashed the dash
I was injured too, leakin with a deep gash
I ain't panicked, I was quite calm
Couldn't use the right arm, so I grabbed the gat with the left
Walked up to the car the creep was stuck in the seat
Looked at him, shook my head then started buckin my heat
It's over now, cause both of these motherfuckers asleep
I think I'm dyin, I'm feelin weak out on my feet
but before I got some medical help, I had to catch a cab first
to one-forty-first and Bradhurst
That's where Bones live, walked in the buildin, staggerin
Lookin tore down, shot his door down and beat his whore down
From the look in my eye, he knew he would die
Started to cry, stuck the gat to his head and said, "Why?"
Then he offered me, all of his cheese
then dropped to his knees and begged me please not to squeeze
Then his brains got blast out, he's ass-out, then I dashed out
into the streets covered with blood, about to pass out
The hospital's up, a couple of blocks, I'm on my way but
damn, here comes a couple of cops; I pulled out
and started blowin they started blowin back I'm goin all out
I ain't holdin back, I been to jail once and I ain't goin back
I kept shootin, one shot caught a cop dead in his top
The other pig ducked behind a big truck
I was bleedin real bad, and couldn't stop it
but still had the fifty thou' profit in my pockets
The coast was clear, so I jetted to a park that was near
Seen kids playin everywhere then threw the cash in the air
I watched all of them, run for they share
and all I can do was stare
I got weak and fell on my rear
Now I can hear the sirens, that means here comes the Jakes
but it's too late, I'm knockin on the pearly gates
Yeah, casualties of a dice game
Never gamble with snakes
Let that be a lesson to ya
Yeah, it's Corleone y'all
Yeah, it's Flamboyant y'all
Big L y'all, Flamboyant baby, yeah
Big L uh
Big L yeah, it's Flamboyant y'all, yeah
In the song "Casualties Of A Dice Game," Big L tells a story about gambling in the streets with his friend Iroc. As they play cee-lo, Big L starts off losing but eventually wins 45-50 G's. As he heads home, he realizes that he's being followed and calls his friend Bones for help, but Bones sells him out. Big L crashes his car, kills his pursuers with a gun, beats down Bones's girlfriend, and finally gives away the money before dying from his wounds.
The song is a gritty portrayal of street life and the dangers of gambling in the wrong parts of the city. Big L's vivid storytelling and use of slang gives the listener a glimpse into his world, where violence and betrayal are a constant threat. The song's title, "Casualties Of A Dice Game," serves as a warning to anyone who might take the risks that Big L did.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and my man was cruisin through the streets and everything was flowin nice
I was driving with my friend and everything was peaceful.
The corner's crowded, niggaz must be rollin dice
There were a lot of people on the corner, probably rolling dice.
I parked the ride so my nigga Iroc can crash the lye spot
I parked the car so my friend Iroc could go to the weed spot and get high.
and I'ma gamble until he come back - why not?
I decided to gamble until Iroc came back because I had nothing better to do.
Click-clack, cock the gat back, gotta be strapped
I loaded my gun because I had to protect myself.
The game was mad packed, mad cats pockets was fat
There were a lot of people playing the dice game, and many of them had a lot of money.
They playin cee-lo, my dick get hard when I see dough
I get excited when I see money being played in a game of cee-lo.
I bets nothin less than a G yo, you know my steelo
I always bet at least $1,000 because that's how I roll.
First I was losin then I started throwin headcrack
At first I was losing, but then I started rolling winning combinations.
after headcrack, got my bread back, jumped in my red Ac'
After I kept rolling winning combinations, I got all my money back and left in my red Acura.
I'm waitin for my nigga to come out of the spot
I'm waiting for Iroc to come out of the weed spot.
I see niggaz startin to plot, and I'm far from my block
I see some guys getting together to conspire against me, and I'm not close to my home turf.
My man was hungry so I dropped him off at Mickey D's
Iroc was hungry, so I dropped him off at McDonald's.
Now I'm alone, headin home to rest my dome
I'm on my way home to relax.
Spotted some niggaz trailin so I picked up the phone
I saw some guys following me, so I called my friend Bones.
Called Bones, I said, "Yo son, I'm on the run
I called Bones, and told him I'm being chased by some guys.
Need your help before I get done
I need Bones' help to avoid getting caught by my pursuers.
Meet me downstairs, bring your big gun"
I ask Bones to bring his gun when he comes down to meet me.
That duck sold me out just to get a nut, what?
I'm disappointed that Bones betrayed me just to have sex with a girl.
I started to cruise fast, then stopped short and made 'em crash
I drove quickly, then braked suddenly which caused my pursuers to crash their car.
And now them fags is all bloody from the shattered glass
My pursuers are injured and bleeding from being in an accident.
I was injured too, leakin with a deep gash
I got injured in the accident and I'm bleeding badly.
I ain't panicked, I was quite calm
Despite being hurt, I remained calm.
Couldn't use the right arm, so I grabbed the gat with the left
Because my right arm was injured, I had to use my left hand to hold my gun.
Walked up to the car the creep was stuck in the seat
I walked up to the car where my injured pursuer was still trapped.
Looked at him, shook my head then started buckin my heat
I shot him with my gun, because he was my enemy.
I think I'm dyin, I'm feelin weak out on my feet
I believe I might be dying, I feel very weak and can't stand up straight.
Into the streets covered with blood, about to pass out
I walked out into the street bleeding profusely, and I feel like I'm about to pass out.
damn, here comes a couple of cops; I pulled out
Two cops were approaching me, so I drew my gun.
and started blowin they started blowin back I'm goin all out
The cops shot at me, and I returned fire.
I ain't holdin back, I been to jail once and I ain't goin back
I'm not holding back because I've been to jail before and I refuse to go back.
I kept shootin, one shot caught a cop dead in his top
I kept firing my gun, and one of my shots killed a police officer.
The other pig ducked behind a big truck
The other police officer hid behind a large truck.
I kept shootin, he must've wet his pants when he got grazed
I kept firing at the police officer and he got hit but was not seriously injured.
The coast was clear, so I jetted to a park that was near
I ran to a nearby park because there was no one around.
Seen kids playin everywhere then threw the cash in the air
When I saw kids playing nearby, I threw the money I had won into the air.
I got weak and fell on my rear
I felt weak and fell to the ground.
Now I can hear the sirens, that means here comes the Jakes
I can hear the police sirens approaching, which means they are coming to get me.
but it's too late, I'm knockin on the pearly gates
It's too late for me because I'm about to die and face the afterlife.
Yeah, casualties of a dice game
This is the result of a gambling game gone bad.
Never gamble with snakes
Don't trust people who might betray you.
Let that be a lesson to ya
Learn from my mistakes.
Big L y'all, Flamboyant baby, yeah
Big L representing Flamboyant, you know how it is.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LESTER COLEMAN, RONDELL EDWIN TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SirBussAlott
this song is so good i can LITERALLY picture the whole story
@temptor7585
Picture this...Big L jumps out of a cab, arms bleeding out like crazy. he runs into a building runs up the stairs to his old friend, Bones place. Breaks the door down and blasts Bones.... and it all happened right here ---> https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8211819,-73.9448532,3a,90y,136.55h,97.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syq8OWykNqNCWimyU5vq2Gw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Big L ran into one of those door to kill Bones... so the story goes
@mojnemeni
@@temptor7585 imagine big l telling his man hop the fuck in!!!
@yani2499
New York lyricism 🔥
@klizzzy6114
2021 and I stil repeat this song, RIP big L
@86twin
Me too every time. There is no music video that would do this justice
@Lee-sf7nw
when i was 13 i memorized this entire song and pretended that I came up with it lol
@rekleezcorleone4771
Got em
@xxsuperproducerx
Wtf I did the same haha
@limajill9383
Lee so did i