Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous

by Big L

Overview

Having made a name for himself as a guest MC on D.I.T.C. (Diggin' in the Crates) projects such as Diamond D.'s Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop and Showbiz & A.G.'s Runaway Slave, the flamboyantly gifted Lamont Coleman (aka Big L) dropped his debut in early 1995. A product of the mean streets of Harlem, L made his bones in the rap game with his rapid fire freestyle delivery and clever punchline-peppered rhymes. A patchwork album with a few outstanding cuts, Lifestylez fails to package the lightning-in-a-bottle talent of this cut-above MC. The album showcases L as a master of the lyrical stickup undressing his competition with kinetic metaphors and a brash comedic repertoire. The lead track, "Put It On" produced by Kid Capri, is a party cut with a criminal attitude. "M.V.P." snatches a brief segment from DeBarge's "Stay With Me" (later aggrandized on the Notorious B.I.G.'s popular remix of "One More Chance"). "Da Graveyard" features a young Cam'ron (here Killa Kam) and most notably a superb verse from a pre-Jigga Jay-Z (at the outset of his solo career). With better production and marketing, 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. ~ M.F. DiBella

Product Details

Release Date:	03/28/1995
Label:	Bmg / Sony Music
UPC:	0889853334124
Rank:	1853

Tracks

1. Put It On
2. Mvp
3. No Endz, No Skinz
4. 8 Is Enuff
5. All Black
6. Danger Zone
7. Street Struck
8. Da Graveyard
9. Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous
10. I Don't Understand It
11. Fed Up Wit the Bullshit
12. Let 'Em Have It "L"

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Big L   Primary Artist
Lord Finesse   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Jay-Z   Featured Artist
Buddah Bless   Featured Artist
Show   Featured Artist
Grand Daddy I.U.   Featured Artist
Party Arty   Featured Artist
Herb McGruff   Featured Artist
Trooper J.   Featured Artist
Microphone Nut   Featured Artist
Terra   Featured Artist
Killa Kam   Featured Artist
Big Twan   Featured Artist
Mike Boogie   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

L. Coleman   Composer
Tony Smalios   Engineer
Robert Hall   Composer
Buddah Bless   Composer
Dino Zervos   Assistant Engineer
Show   Producer
Malcolm X   Introduction
Lord Finesse   Producer
Mark DeBarge   Composer
Ricky Powell   Photography
Herb McGruff   Composer
Trooper J.   Composer
Mike Boogie   Composer
Buckwild   Producer
Chris Irish   Assistant Engineer
Rich July   Mixing Engineer
Twan   Composer
Terra   Composer
Rodney Lemay   Composer
Killa Kam   Composer
Herbert Brown   Composer
Etterlene Jordan   Composer
Craig Boogie   Producer
E. Jordan   Composer
Cameron Giles   Composer
Paul Williams   Project Supervisor
Chris Conway   Engineer
Anthony Best   Composer
John Shriver   Assistant Engineer
Doug Katz   Design
Lamont Coleman   Composer
Evan Amos   Photography
Chris Farone   Liner Notes
Mack Robinson   Assistant Engineer
Craig Rollins   Composer
Tony Dawsey   Mastering Engineer