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.
Street Struck
Big L Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comin at you once again, in nine-five
And I dedicate this one
To all my peoples from Uptown and everywhere
Check it!
Yo where I'm from it ain't cookies and cream
There's a lot of peer pressure growin up as a young teen
Cause mad clowns be catchin wreck with a tec just to get a rep
Instead of cool friends, they'd rather hang with male thugs
Instead of goin to school, they'd rather sell drugs
It's best to go the right route and not the wrong one
Because it's gonna catch up with you in the long run
Brothers be on the corners, actin stupid, gettin lifted
They life is twisted, and most of them are quite gifted
In other words, they got talent; but they'd rather sell cracks
And bust gats and run the streets actin violent
To them it's all about hittin skins and makin some easy green
Cause that's all they show you on the TV screen
All they care about is a buck or bustin a sweet nut
They don't give a (WHAT?) cause they street struck
You betta listen when L rhyme; cause bein street struck'll
Get you nuttin but a bullet or jail time
So pay attention when L rhyme; cause bein street struck'll
Get you nuttin but a bullet or jail time
Before the rap contract, I was sellin crack
Stay strapped with a Mac, I was into all of that
I started rappin and got nice as hell
If it wasn't for this I might be doin life in jail
And some of my peeps are still in the game sellin 'caine
If that's what you gotta do to maintain, go 'head and do your thang
But with the cash profit make an investment
And try not to go to the grave like the rest went
Cause you can be rich with crazy loot, own a house and nine cars
What good is that, if you're dead, or behind bars?
And yo it's not even funny
I've seen a lot of my peers give up their careers for some fast money
They could've been boxers, ballplayers or rap singers
Instead they bank robbers and crack slingers
Aiyyo they used to be legit kids, now they corrupt
They had dreams but gave em up cause they street struck
I still chill with my peeps in the streets; but most of the time
I'm in the crib, writin rhymes to some dope beats
Or either callin up some freaks to bone
But word up, I try to leave the streets alone
But it's crazy hard kid, in other words, it's spooky
The streets be callin me, like the crack be callin Pookie
It ain't a dumb joke, listen to this young folk
Cause where I'm from -- you can choke from the gunsmoke
Stay off the corners; that might be your best plan
Before you catch a bullet that was meant for the next man
Or end up with a deep cut
Or relaxin on a hospital bed, from bein street struck
Word up!
Aiyyo take it from me, the Big L
Cause I been through it all, you know what I'm sayin?
Stay off them corners you'll stay out of trouble
And I gotta say rest in peace to all the casualties of the streets
I'm outta here
In Big L's song "Street Struck," the artist touches on the dangers and hardships of growing up in a rough neighborhood, particularly in his native Uptown. He emphasizes the peer pressure and allure of quick money through drugs and violence that many young people face, often leading them down a destructive path. While acknowledging that he himself was involved in selling drugs before becoming a rapper, he encourages listeners to try not to go down that same road and to stay away from the corners where violence and trouble tend to occur.
The lyrics contain a powerful message of caution and protection, warning that being "street struck" will ultimately lead to nothing but negative consequences like jail time or injury. Through his firsthand experiences, Big L highlights the importance of making constructive choices for one's future and not giving in to the negative influences that can so easily lead young people astray.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, it's the Big L
Big L is introducing himself as the rapper of the song
Comin at you once again, in nine-five
The song was released in 1995 and Big L is acknowledging it
And I dedicate this one
Big L is dedicating the song to his friends from Uptown and other places
Yo where I'm from it ain't cookies and cream
Where Big L comes from, life isn't easy and sweet
There's a lot of peer pressure growin up as a young teen
Young people in that area of New York are under a lot of pressure from their peers
You never know when you gonna get wet
Gun violence is prevalent and anyone could get shot
Cause mad clowns be catchin wreck with a tec just to get a rep
Criminals commit gun violence to gain reputation or street credit
Instead of cool friends, they'd rather hang with male thugs
People in Big L's area often choose to hang around with lawless, violent men
Instead of goin to school, they'd rather sell drugs
Many people in his area of New York drop out of school and turn to selling drugs
It's best to go the right route and not the wrong one
It's better to take the right path in life and not choose a life of crime
Because it's gonna catch up with you in the long run
Eventually, the consequences of a life of crime will catch up with you
Brothers be on the corners, actin stupid, gettin lifted
People are often found loitering on the street, acting foolishly and getting high
They life is twisted, and most of them are quite gifted
Many talented people choose to lead a life of crime
In other words, they got talent; but they'd rather sell cracks
Even though they have talent, many people choose to sell drugs instead of using their skills productively
And bust gats and run the streets actin violent
Some people commit violent acts with guns and run the streets
To them it's all about hittin skins and makin some easy green
For them, it's all about having sex and earning money easily by selling drugs
Cause that's all they show you on the TV screen
The media only shows a positive image of the streets, often ignoring the negative aspects
All they care about is a buck or bustin a sweet nut
They only care about making money or having sex
They don't give a (WHAT?) cause they street struck
They don't care about anything else because they are obsessed with the streets
You betta listen when L rhyme; cause bein street struck'll
Big L is warning listeners to heed his words and avoid getting in trouble in the streets
Get you nuttin but a bullet or jail time
Being street struck could lead you to getting shot or ending up in jail
Before the rap contract, I was sellin crack
Before becoming a rapper, Big L sold drugs
Stay strapped with a Mac, I was into all of that
He used to carry a gun and was fully immersed in the drug-dealing lifestyle
I started rappin and got nice as hell
Big L started rapping and got really good at it
If it wasn't for this I might be doin life in jail
Big L is grateful for rap because it saved him from a life of crime and jail time
And some of my peeps are still in the game sellin 'caine
Some of Big L's friends are still selling cocaine
If that's what you gotta do to maintain, go 'head and do your thang
Big L understands that some people feel they have no choice but to sell drugs to make ends meet
But with the cash profit make an investment
If you do make money selling drugs, use it to invest in something that will benefit you in the long run
And try not to go to the grave like the rest went
Don't let a life of crime lead to an early death
Cause you can be rich with crazy loot, own a house and nine cars
By investing the money earned the right way, you can become wealthy and enjoy owning assets like houses and cars
What good is that, if you're dead, or behind bars?
It doesn't matter how many material possessions you have if you're dead or in jail
And yo it's not even funny
The situation isn't entertaining or amusing
I've seen a lot of my peers give up their careers for some fast money
Big L has seen many people give up careers and opportunities for quick cash by selling drugs
They could've been boxers, ballplayers or rap singers
Those people could have pursued boxing, playing sports, or rapping instead of getting into drugs
Instead they bank robbers and crack slingers
However, they chose to rob banks and sell drugs instead
Aiyyo they used to be legit kids, now they corrupt
Those individuals used to be good people, but now they are corrupt
They had dreams but gave em up cause they street struck
While they had dreams and aspirations, they gave them up for the lure of the streets
I still chill with my peeps in the streets; but most of the time
Big L still hangs out with his friends, but he tries to avoid the streets and danger
I'm in the crib, writin rhymes to some dope beats
Most of the time, Big L is in his home writing raps
Or either callin up some freaks to bone
Big L either calls women over to have sex or is working on his music
But word up, I try to leave the streets alone
Big L recognizes the dangers of the streets and tries avoid them
But it's crazy hard kid, in other words, it's spooky
It's difficult to leave the streets, and the dangers are often overwhelming
The streets be callin me, like the crack be callin Pookie
The allure of the streets is as irresistible as addiction is to a drug addict
It ain't a dumb joke, listen to this young folk
The dangers of the streets are not a joke, and the listeners should pay attention
Cause where I'm from -- you can choke from the gunsmoke
Gun violence is often fatal, and people can die from being shot
Stay off the corners; that might be your best plan
Avoiding loitering on the streets is the best way to stay out of trouble
Before you catch a bullet that was meant for the next man
Avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting hurt from a stray bullet or target meant for someone else
Or end up with a deep cut
You could also be hurt in a knife fight
Or relaxin on a hospital bed, from bein street struck
You could end up in the hospital because of a street-related injury
Word up!
Big L is emphasizing how important his message is
Aiyyo take it from me, the Big L
Big L wants listeners to take his warning seriously
Cause I been through it all, you know what I'm sayin?
Big L has been through the temptations and dangers of the streets firsthand, and he is speaking from experience
Stay off them corners you'll stay out of trouble
By avoiding loitering on the corners, you can stay out of trouble
And I gotta say rest in peace to all the casualties of the streets
Big L is paying his respects to all those who died because of the streets
I'm outta here
Big L is ending his song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Lamont Coleman, Robert A Hall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dyami gerhold
Back in the day when rappers like Big L used to make songs dedicated to getting the youths in the right mind set and keeping them away from trouble, unfortunately, that’s extremely rare now a days.
Seeker Un-Dude
dyami gerhold underground rappers got it right tho
K Rino
Locksmith
RA The Rugged Man
I react to everything everything
Actually, Sony wanted him to write some more positive songs because all of the songs in the album were too dark.
dyami gerhold
@I react to everything everything Damn I didnt know that, probably why it's one of my favs from him lol
Hackledown
L was the truth. weirdly prophetic and extremely poetic man i wish i was alive when he was 😭
MetamophisisBeats
Facts 🎯 this is my favorite Big L song ever! 😎🕊🙏🎤🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 I remember when I bought this tape 📼
Steve's the name
Big L's raps will be immortal in time. The way artists like Pac, Biggie, L, Pun left a mark on the game is insane. Very few MC's to this day if any who could contest this dude in a battle, Big L just too cold 🥶
Nobody cares
I feel like he is getting slept on by many people and doesn't get the recognition he deserves. His lyrical ability is absolutely crazy.
zachabsent
raps like meek
John Q
no curse words in this song and he still made it sound tough lol