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Big L is a beloved figure in Hip-Hop, and now the late rapper will be immortalized in the Harlem neighborhood he grew up in as a street will be named after him.
The news of the street naming was reported through a social media account run by the family of Lamont Coleman, who the world knew as Big L on Sunday (May 8). The Instagram page, which is also devoted to an upcoming documentary about the rapper revealed that the junction of West 140th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem will be renamed “Lamont ‘Big L’ Coleman Way” on May 28th. The ceremony will take place at 12 P.M. The caption of the post read: “It took a whole lot of effort and Support to get to this great point but as an collective we made it happen, The Biggest Thank you’s go out to the Dope 500 plus people who signed and passed the petition around so we could get this street renamed,” the caption read. “There are entirely tooo many good people that gave this their Support, so with all my Heart I personally want to say THANK YOU!!!!”
Big L broke onto the scene as a part of the collective known as Children of the Corn in 1990. This group also featured fellow Harlem rappers Herb McGruff, Bloodshed, Mase, and Cam’ron. His witty lyricism and persona, amplified by appearances on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show garnered him a recording deal which led to the release of his only album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous in 1995. through Columbia Records. The album would boast the classic hits “Put It On” and “M.V.P.,” cementing him in the legion of great MCs and setting the stage for possible collaborations with The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and Jay-Z. Tragically, Big L would be killed just four years later in his Harlem neighborhood, shot nine times in the face and chest in a drive-by shooting.
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