Analog Rewind #2: Throw Your L’s Up
The way I view hip hop songs can generally be broken down into 3 simple equations:
1) hot beat + hot rhymes = hot track
2) hot beat + wack rhymes = hot track, but disposable
3) wack beat + hot/wack rhymes = generally unlistenable
My hip hop joint of the winter is The Game’s “Wouldn’t Get Far” (mp3 at A Different Kitchen). It’s “Dreams of Fuckin’ an R&B Bitch” circa 2006, name dropping rap video honeys with a cutting recklessness. The Kanye beat is hot, but it’s The Game’s punchlines that really sell this track. If this were Tony Yayo spitting his empty braggadocio, this track would be listenable but nothing special. So my point is: beats > rhymes, but rhymes still matter, and punchlines are still relevant in the state of hip hop 2006.
This edition of Rewind brings me back to Big L. Before getting cut down in ’99, I truly believe that L was the most legit contender out of a pack of challengers (Jadakiss, Prodigy, Raekwon, etc.) to the Holy Trinity. L flowed with the smoothness of Jay-Z, with rhymes laced with the punchlines and shock value of a young Redman.
L made his entry into the rap world in ’92, repping D.I.T.C. on two classic posse cuts: Showbiz & AG’s “Represent” and Lord Finesse’s “Yes You May” remix. Batting lead-off on “Represent”, L’s sheer enthusiasm on the mic placed him a cut above his counterparts with a similar metaphor style:
I flip fast on foes with fabulous fantastic flows
L is the rebel type, I'm rough as a metal pipe
Fuck a Benz, cause I could pull skins on a pedal-bike!
L’s first LP and his only properly recorded LP, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor and Dangerous, was released in ‘95 to little promotion and fanfare. By the time I went digging for it in ’98, it had already gone out of print. According to Wikipedia, Lifestylez is widely regarded as an “underrated hip hop classic”. I don't know about that. Lifestylez leads off with two classic joints, “Put It On” and “MVP”, but progressively gets dragged down by some throwaway beats from Buckwild and Lord Finesse. And Buck is one of my fave producers from the mid to late '90s, but clearly he was saving his Grade A material for the likes of Biggie ("I Got a Story To Tell") and AZ ("Ho Happy Jackie").
As much as D.I.T.C. has meant to the art of hip hop, the truth is they may have been L’s downfall. L seemed destined to rise into the world of above-ground rap, and always seemed contained by D.I.T.C.-style sparse, jazz-influenced beats. I’ll always wonder: What if Dre had recognized L as his first East Coast protege? What if The Neptunes or Timbaland had lended L a track that matched his fire on the mic?
Following a spat with Industry Rule #4080, L really started to emerge during a span in the late ‘90s, shining on a self-released 12” (“Ebonics"), numerous D.I.T.C. guest appearances, recurring freestyles on the Stretch & Bobbito Show. All set to blow, and according to Jay-Z, on the verge of a deal with Roc-A-Fella. We’ll never know what would’ve become of L, but we still have these gems he left us with…
From Lifestylez Ov Da Poor and Dangerous:
Big L – Put It On (mp3)
Big L – MVP (mp3)
From The Big Picture:
Big L – Ebonics (mp3)
Big L – Flamboyant (mp3)