Lamont "Big L" Coleman got his start doing freestyle battles at his NYC high school, honing a talent for lyricism that would forever go criminally under-recognized. The rapper was fiercely true to himself and his craft, with record deals with major labels like Columbia falling apart amid creative differences. That's probably why he was extra loyal to the friends and contemporaries who understood his art. According to rapper Herb McGruff's 2010 interview with Mikey T the Movie Star, the rapper was working on a deal to sign with Roc-A-Fella Records — but only if his crew could come along. Along with McGruff, that crew reportedly included another rapper you may have heard of: JAY-Z. Tragically, Big L was killed in a shooting in February 1999, shortly before the deal was finalized.
