In this interview with Montreality, Ron Browz speaks about: His relationship with fellow Harlem artist Big L (having produced “Ebonics” for him), producing “Ether” & “Last Real Nigga Alive” for Nas, wanting to work with Rihanna & Beyoncé.
And while we’re on the topic of Big L, Big L >>>
Lamont Coleman, RIP! Big L’s Put It On gets the remix treatment courtesy of them Cookin Soul bad bwoys. You know…
Lamont “Big L” Coleman. May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999.
BRING IT BACK: Big L & Jay-Z – Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle | Alt
Last month, DJ Eclipse blessed the dopehouse with an incredible and insightful editorial, building on the notion of the “instant artist” and how the game has become deplorably saturated. Today, E comes through with yet another dope article and reflects on “14 Years of Rap,” and in traditional Eclipse style, also comes bearing gifts. And trust me, this is a great gift! Peep his words:
DJ Eclipse: On March 7th, 2012 I will be celebrating the 14th anniversary of The Halftime Show on 89.1FM WNYU. As some of you know I usually recruit around 30 MCs, a couple DJs and 3 or 4 producers. The theme of the show is to capture Hip Hop in it’s purest form…live rhyming, DJ routines and beat making. It’s definitely a challenge each year trying to get that many people into one room all the while making sure it’s a different batch of people from whoever was up the year before. And being that next year (2013) will be my 15th anniversary and should be a monumental show I thought this year would be a good time to reflect. So this year’s theme will be “14 Years Of Rap.” A collection of some of the best past freestyles from guests we’ve had up on the show. Mainly focusing on the first few years.
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Mac Miller’s “Street Struck” Big L tattoo.
Today marks the 13th anniversary of Harlem legend Big L’s tragic passing (Hot 97 is currently doing a mix tribute right now), and Mac Miller – who was a huge fan of the rapper – spoke on his personal influence…
“My favorite record off that shit was “Street Struck.” It’s a complete next level shit. I have “Street Struck” tatted on my left arm. Musically, that beat is crazy. And you hear L kicking some knowledge.
…You talk to a hip-hop head and mention Big L, he’ll tell you he’s one of the greats. But I don’t think he gets as much acknowledgement from mainstream, commercial media. It’s hard to say, because there’s a lot, a lot of people who don’t get the acknowledgement from mainstream commercial media. My whole feeling is that L was on the verge of that crossover success—with what he was about to do with Jay-Z and his sound was advancing.”
You can read the entire thing right here. SHAKE UPDATE: Hit the jump for the official trailer to Mac’s upcoming video for Missed Calls.
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With the release of the Big L documentary Street Struck right around the corner, Jewlz (the film’s director) put together an official tribute video featuring Mike Boogie who was featured on 8 Iz Enuff. Big up to Big L Online, Jewlz, Mike Boogie and everyone else involved. Big L R.I.P.
Above is a vintage, never-before-seen video interview with Big L while he was on tour with Biggie, Puff and Craig Mack. For those who have been patiently waiting for any news on the upcoming Street Struck documentary, well, Big L Online and Jewelz, the director of the project has good news: the film is set to release in late August, early September. The main delays have obviously been the bad economic climate, setting up interviews and getting the proper equipment to film. Mind you, they have no big corporation backing them. You gotta give the entire crew behind the project some love and respect as they poured their all into this project. Check down bottom for a BTS look at the upcoming music video (which will appear on the soundtrack to the film), Me And Big L by Mike Boogie (you may remember him from 8 Iz Enuff).
Dealing with posthumous albums from a legendary artist is a shaky subject most times because you really don’t know the motives behind the person / group who is distributing the product. Judging by what history tells us, the majority of the time it’s simply to make a quick buck, which is a little unsettling considering that this could potentially tarnish said artist’s legacy. While I don’t exactly know what the motives were behind L’s second posthumous album, Return of the Devil’s Son, I do know that I was very upset to find out that at least 95% of that “album” which claimed to have unreleased and / or unheard material was quite the polar opposite; instead, they covered this up by “cleverly” renaming some of the songs.
The late Big L’s Return Of The Devils Son is now available both physically and digitally.
DOWNLOAD: Big L – Unexpected Flava (prod. Large Professor) | Usershare
PREVIOUS: Big L – Deadly Combination (Komplex Remix) f. 2Pac & Notorious B.I.G
In their third edition of their Halloween-themed series, the good folks of Cookin’ Soul mix and match some of the most memorable verses from the late great emcees and wrap their signature sounds around them. Tracklist and link down bottom.
Treacherous Records’ in-house producer updates the Big L classic.
DOWNLOAD: Big L – Deadly Combination (Komplex Remix) f. 2Pac & Notorious B.I.G | Mediafire
PREVIOUS: 2pac – If They Love Their Kidz [Unreleased]
“I got styles you can’t copy bitch, it’s the triple six // In the mix, straight from H-E-double-hockey sticks..”
Here goes the first leak off Big L’s Return of the Devil’s Son which is really just a remix of Danger Zone, but a definite contrast from the original, dark production. J-Love on the boards. Props to RCRDLBL.
DOWNLOAD: Big L – Zone of Danger (prod. J-Love) | Mediafire
PREVIOUS: Big L & Jay-Z – Stretch & Bobbito Freestyle [Full]
