Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper and record producer. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Big L became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ability. He was eventually signed to Columbia Records, where, in 1995, he released his debut studio album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous. He was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Harlem in 1999.
Big L was noted for his use of wordplay, and writers at AllMusic, HipHopDX, and The Source have praised him for his lyrical ability. Henry Adaso described him as "one of the most talented poets in hip-hop history." He was the third and youngest child of Gilda Terry (died 2008) and Charles Davis. He had two older half-siblings: Donald and Leroy Phinazee (d. 2002). His elder brother, Donald Phinazee, took Coleman to a Run-DMC concert at the Beacon Theatre when Coleman was about 7 years old. According to Phinazee, Coleman was awed by the performance which sparked his interest in rapping. By age 12, Coleman became a big hip-hop fan and started freestyling with other people in his neighborhood. No projects were released, and after Rodney left, the group was renamed Two Hard Motherfuckers. In the summer of 1990, Coleman met Lord Finesse at an autograph session in a record shop on 125th Street. In 1991, Coleman joined Lord Finesse's Bronx-based hip hop collective Diggin' in the Crates Crew.
Coleman attended Julia Richman High School and graduated in 1992.
Career
1992–1995: First recordings and record deal
In 1992, Coleman recorded various demos, some of which were featured on his debut album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous. On February 11, Coleman appeared on Yo! MTV Raps with Lord Finesse to help promote Finesse's studio album Return of the Funky Man.
During this time, he won an amateur freestyle battle hosted by Nubian Productions which consisted of about 2,000 contestants.
His debut studio album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, was released in March 1995. The album debuted at number 149 on the Billboard 200 and number 22 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Lifestylez would go on to sell over 200,000 copies as of 2000.
1996–1999: Independent releases
In early 1996, Big L was dropped from Columbia mainly because of a dispute with the label over artistic differences and he signed with D.I.T.C. to Tommy Boy Records. He stated, "I was there with a bunch of strangers that didn't really know my music."
In 1997, he started working on his second studio album, The Big Picture. COC folded when Bloodshed died in a car accident in New York on March 2, 1997. Later that year, DITC appeared in the July issue of On The Go Magazine. That November, he was the opening act for O.C.'s European Jewlez Tour. According to The Village Voice, it "planned to distribute the kind of hip-hop that sold without top 40 samples or R & B hooks." That same year, Coleman released the single "Ebonics". The song, based on African-American Vernacular English, was called one of the top five independent singles of the year by The Source. On February 8, 1999, Coleman, Herb McGruff, C-Town, and Stan Spit started the process to sign with Roc-A-Fella as a group called "The Wolfpack".
Murder and aftermath
On February 15, 1999, Coleman was killed in a drive-by shooting at 45 West 139th Street in his native Harlem. He was hit nine times in the face and chest. Gerard Woodley, one of Coleman'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 released due to lack of evidence, and the murder case remains a cold case.
Woodley was fatally shot in the head on June 24, 2016. Woodley's family maintains his innocence in Coleman's killing. Rapper Cam'ron, who was a close friend of Coleman and Woodley, posted a video to Instagram claiming Coleman had attempted to kill Woodley a week before his death.
In June 2017, Woodley's cousin Lou Black self-published a book titled Ethylene: The Rise and Fall of The 139th St. NFL Crew, which detailed his firsthand interactions with Coleman and the Harlem street gang The NFL Crew. Black claimed that Leroy "Big Lee" Phinazee, the gang's leader and Coleman's eldest half-brother, was imprisoned for a probation violation when he contracted a Brooklyn-based hitman for the murder of three gang members, including Woodley. Phinazee then tasked Coleman with identifying the targets to the hitman. On the planned day of the murder, Woodley noticed the hitman following him and scared him off. As Coleman had been seen multiple times with the alleged hitman days prior, Woodley assumed Coleman had taken part in the failed shooting attempt. One week later, Coleman was killed, but his assailant was not specified in the book.
Coleman is buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.
Posthumous releases
The tracks "Get Yours", "Way of Life", and "Shyheim's Manchild" b/w "Furious Anger" were released as singles in 1999 for DITC's self-titled album (2000) on Tommy Boy Records. The album peaked at number 31 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 141 on the Billboard 200. Coleman's first posthumous single was "Flamboyant" b/w "On the Mic", which arrived on May 30, 2000. The single peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and topped the Hot Rap Tracks, The album was certified gold a month later for shipments of 500,000 copies by the RIAA. The Big Picture was the only music by Big L to appear on a music chart outside of the United States, peaking at number 122 on the UK Albums Chart.
Children of the Corn: The Collector's Edition, a compilation album containing COC songs, was released in 2003. Big L's next posthumous album, 139 & Lenox, was released on August 31, 2010. Issued by Rich King on Flamboyant Entertainment, it contained previously unreleased and rare tracks. The follow-up album, Return of the Devil's Son (2010), peaked at number 73 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Coleman's next release was The Danger Zone (2011).
On April 16, 2025, rapper Nas announced the Legend Has It seven-album series, including Coleman alongside peer rappers Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, and Slick Rick, as well as Nas on his collaboration album with DJ Premier. The following day, Coleman's family confirmed his final album with the title, Harlem's Finest: Return of the King, and was released on October 31, 2025. They've also stated that various posthumous Big L songs have been removed from streaming services in the past few years due to being unmixed, containing uncleared samples, and producers not being credited. HipHopDX called Coleman "the most underrated lyricist ever". and then in March 2002.
XXL also did a tribute to Coleman in March 2003. On February 16, 2005, at SOB's restaurant and nightclub in Manhattan, a commemoration was held for him. It included special guests such as DITC, Herb McGruff, and Kid Capri. Rapper Nas also 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.'" In 2019, Funkmaster Flex said "People can get mad at me for saying this, but he was the best lyricist at the time. He was a better lyricist than Biggie and Jay-Z. He just didn't have the marketing and promotion. Let me go on the record and say that. It's the truth." In 2022, the 140th Street and Lennox Avenue intersection in Harlem was co-named Lamont "Big L" Coleman Way.
Style
Coleman is often credited in helping to create the horrorcore genre of hip hop with his 1992 song "Devil's Son."
Coleman was notable for using a rap style called "compounding". He 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".
Documentary
A documentary Street Struck: The Big L Story was set to be released in 2017. Directed by a childhood friend and independent film director, Jewlz, the first trailer detailed that Street Struck would contain interviews from his mother Gilda Terry; his brother Donald; childhood friends E-Cash, D.O.C., McGruff, and Stan Spit; artists Mysonne and Doug E. Fresh; producers Showbiz and Premier; and recording DJs Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg. As of 2024, both the documentary and soundtrack have yet to be released.
Discography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Official Album(s)
|-
| 1995
| Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
|-
| 2000
|The Big Picture (posthumous)
|-
| 2010
| 139 & Lenox (posthumous)
|-
| 2011
| The Danger Zone (posthumous)
|-
| 2025
| Harlem's Finest: Return of the King (posthumous)
|}
See also
- List of murdered hip hop musicians
- List of unsolved murders (1980–1999)