How good was Big L.

[tHuG $TyLe]

I was browsing other forums and theres been a discussion on how good Big L was, many said hes better than Biggie while others said he was just a punchline rapper that couldn't make songs.

As an overall rapper/artist how good was Big L?

 

[Casey]

Big L was brilliant. "Lifestylez Of Da Poor & Dangerous" and "Big Picture" are awesome albums.

It's really a case of "What might have been".

As for not being able to write songs, untrue at all. He was an adept commercial artist "Put It On", "MVP", "Holdin It Down", with good storytelling ability - "Casualties of A Dice Game", "Devil's Son", and he was good as making positive songs too, and coming up with original concepts, like "Ebonics".

I firmly believe he would have had a hit record, had he lived.

 

[2Pax]

Big L was brilliant. "Lifestylez Of Da Poor & Dangerous" and "Big Picture" are awesome albums.

It's really a case of "What might have been".

As for not being able to write songs, untrue at all. He was an adept commercial artist "Put It On", "MVP", "Holdin It Down", with good storytelling ability - "Casualties of A Dice Game", "Devil's Son", and he was good as making positive songs too, and coming up with original concepts, like "Ebonics".

I firmly believe he would have had a hit record, had he lived.

I echo this post.

He was a very talented rapper that had an unfortunate early demise. The old "he was only a punchline rapper" card gets played all the time, he is remembered by some for his punchlines but that's only because they were very intelligent and witty. But Big L had so much more to his credit, his lyrics and flow were top notch and his storytelling ability was very good.

I have no doubt he would've accomplished great things and cemented himself as one of the all time greats had his life no so tragically been taken away.

As for being better than Biggie, raw talent wise I would say he was, but this factor is often overlooked due to the mainstream success endured by Biggie.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

and i echo those two posts.

 

[masta247]

In my book his songs were pretty average but he was talented as an MC. He knew how to write good rhymes.

 

[yak pac fatal]

i think people tend to rank big l and biggie off potential

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

^I agree with that actually. We never got the chance to see if they would have any longevity in rap.

 

[UK_Thug]

i recently found an old copy of Hip Hop Connection (UK rap mag) and it was from around '98. it had an interview with Big L talking about coming to the UK and how well everything was going, it was quite sad really. it also had a poll putting Big L as the best rapper around at the time.

 

[Rukas]

Big Pun > Big L.

Big L birthed the whole punchline style though.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

Does anyone have a good quality version of "Big L - Most Valuable Poet Volume 1"?

thanks.

 

[dilla]

I never got into Big Pun as much. People said he was this and that, but I just saw him as another Fat Joe. And Fat Joe is ok in my books.

As for Big L, I liked his stuff. I wasn't into rap when he was big and I think being into rap back then would give me a lot more context to speak from, but I thought he was good.

 

[DPG iz all I C]

I never got into Big Pun as much. People said he was this and that, but I just saw him as another Fat Joe. And Fat Joe is ok in my books.

As for Big L, I liked his stuff. I wasn't into rap when he was big and I think being into rap back then would give me a lot more context to speak from, but I thought he was good.

Surely it would be the other way around, i.e Fat Joe being another Big Pun ?

 

[Khalistani Soldier]

Me and my buddies argue about this all the time...argument being Big L or Nas?

Both rappers have heavy punch lines, and both can write a rap that has a consistent story. But it always ends up as a "what could've been" argument...Big L in my opinion was a legend in the making. His style was so raw, and I think what we got from L was just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently he was in talks with Jigga to sign on to rock-a-fella records. Big L would’ve blew up even larger, and would’ve been jamming with Jigga on stage instead of maybe Kanye? lol