Big L, Livestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous (1995)
Note: I'm on a fuckin' roll. 4 reviews in 4 days or whatever the fuck. Check out my blog, I guess.
Big L. Big motherfuckin' L. Why did it take us so long to notice our generation's finest punchline rapper? Yes, Big L, not Chino, not Canibus.
From the beggining of this album, with the lighthearted xylophones of "Put It On" produced by Buckwild and featuring Kid Capri on the chorus, you not only hear a very radio-friendly record, but you hear an incredible multi-syllabic flow, smooth voice, and clever punchlines that have made us miss him so much, n/h.
The Lord Finesse-produced "MVP" continues this trend with a sample some might recognize from Biggie's "One More Chance" remix. Big L kills it - and I won't quote him every time I should because then this review will never end.
On the self-explanatory "No Endz, No Skinz" we get a funkier beat from Showbiz and some talk about not gettin chicks with no dough. On the posse cut "8 Iz Enuff" featuring the 8 Iz Enuff Crew (notable members: Big L, McGruff, Killa Kam) we get a bare-bones beat reminiscent of "Halftime" by Nas. I should probably say that the song is best with Big L's short verse and then its a buncha other kids who arent a fourth as talented.
The oddly funky beat to "All Black" isn't the highlight - its Big L's incredibly clever "gangsta" bragging - not the trite shit you hear everday - that really makes this album great. This continues on "Dangerzone" till we get to the "social consciousness" of "Street Struck" - the beats are minimalistic - which is very appropiate to L's rhyme style.
Then we get to the hard posse cut "Da Graveyard" featuring Jay-Z, Lord Finesse, Mic Nut, YU and Party Arty. This has Big L spitting more angry and with still a great array of punchlines.
The title track has a eerie bass line and chimes and extremely dark rhymes with a really dark ending. "I Don't Understand It" is about fake MC's and its great lyrically as well as "Fed Up With The Bullsh*t," which is about racist police - both not exactly the freshest topics but both executed incredibly well. Btw, I know I've heard that bassline before on "Fed Up..." Oh shit! "Big Poppa"! The album ends on a high note with "Let 'Em Have It L" in another lyrical attack combined with a fairly bare-bones beat.
This album is one of the greatest albums in terms of punchlines, so if that's your thing this album is mos def a must-have. The beats are alot of times not the radio-friendly of the first 2 songs but are very dark and based on samples that sound...weird, really. At times you wonder if Pete Rock and Premier couldve shown up on this album and not only the other album and made this even better. I dont like criticizing Buckwild or Finesse, or none of them, but some beats just work because of L and hardly are masterpieces by themselves. ultimeatly this album has enough in terms of beats to hang with the lyrics, and it's definetly and enjoyable listen.
Rating: 9.5 Mr. T chains
Buy or Copy: Buy, especially if punchlines are your thing.
Big L. Big motherfuckin' L. Why did it take us so long to notice our generation's finest punchline rapper? Yes, Big L, not Chino, not Canibus.
From the beggining of this album, with the lighthearted xylophones of "Put It On" produced by Buckwild and featuring Kid Capri on the chorus, you not only hear a very radio-friendly record, but you hear an incredible multi-syllabic flow, smooth voice, and clever punchlines that have made us miss him so much, n/h.
The Lord Finesse-produced "MVP" continues this trend with a sample some might recognize from Biggie's "One More Chance" remix. Big L kills it - and I won't quote him every time I should because then this review will never end.
On the self-explanatory "No Endz, No Skinz" we get a funkier beat from Showbiz and some talk about not gettin chicks with no dough. On the posse cut "8 Iz Enuff" featuring the 8 Iz Enuff Crew (notable members: Big L, McGruff, Killa Kam) we get a bare-bones beat reminiscent of "Halftime" by Nas. I should probably say that the song is best with Big L's short verse and then its a buncha other kids who arent a fourth as talented.
The oddly funky beat to "All Black" isn't the highlight - its Big L's incredibly clever "gangsta" bragging - not the trite shit you hear everday - that really makes this album great. This continues on "Dangerzone" till we get to the "social consciousness" of "Street Struck" - the beats are minimalistic - which is very appropiate to L's rhyme style.
Then we get to the hard posse cut "Da Graveyard" featuring Jay-Z, Lord Finesse, Mic Nut, YU and Party Arty. This has Big L spitting more angry and with still a great array of punchlines.
The title track has a eerie bass line and chimes and extremely dark rhymes with a really dark ending. "I Don't Understand It" is about fake MC's and its great lyrically as well as "Fed Up With The Bullsh*t," which is about racist police - both not exactly the freshest topics but both executed incredibly well. Btw, I know I've heard that bassline before on "Fed Up..." Oh shit! "Big Poppa"! The album ends on a high note with "Let 'Em Have It L" in another lyrical attack combined with a fairly bare-bones beat.
This album is one of the greatest albums in terms of punchlines, so if that's your thing this album is mos def a must-have. The beats are alot of times not the radio-friendly of the first 2 songs but are very dark and based on samples that sound...weird, really. At times you wonder if Pete Rock and Premier couldve shown up on this album and not only the other album and made this even better. I dont like criticizing Buckwild or Finesse, or none of them, but some beats just work because of L and hardly are masterpieces by themselves. ultimeatly this album has enough in terms of beats to hang with the lyrics, and it's definetly and enjoyable listen.
Rating: 9.5 Mr. T chains
Buy or Copy: Buy, especially if punchlines are your thing.
posted by Zodiac Digital at 7:20 PM
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