Big L, The Big Picture (2000)

In The Big Picture, one of hip hop's most talented is at his absolute peak displaying his different styles on the mic. L comes off on an explosive freetstyle, from 1998 and shows us how storytelling is done on The Heist and Casualties of a Dice Game. The all star line-up also reminds us of exactly how revered L is (Big L passed on in 1999). This album features verses and work from C-Town, Tupac Shakur, Fat Joe, Stan Spit, Guru, Miss Jones, Sadat X, Remy Martin, et al.

On Ebonics, L breaks down hip-hop slang shouting "My weed smoke is my lye/ a key of coke is a pie/ when I'm lifted I'm high/ with new clothes on I'm fly/ cars is whips and sneakers is kicks/ money is chips, movies is flicks/ also cribs is homes, jacks is pay phones/ cocaine is nose candy, cigarettes is bones, uh!" From these lines alone, one can tell exactly what kind of master of rhetoric L was.

On Deadly Combination featuring Tupac, these two belated mc's kick some hard rhymes to a real hard Ron G track. Flambouyant is a smooth, catchy track where L defines his lifestyle. Platinum Plus has L taking us back with Big Daddy Kane dropping a sharp verse. This whole album, put together posthumously, is sharp and done big. The only tracks that give my skip button a workout are Who You Slidin' Wit' featuring Stan Spit and Games with Sadat X and Guru.

This album was a instant classic when it hit the store shelves in 2000, and it is still on constant rotation in my collection.

Rating: 9 Platinum Teefs
Buy or Copy: Buy!