The Big Picture (1974-1999) [Reissue] (2000)

Considering the mortality rate of rappers, which often seems slightly higher than that of kamikaze pilots, Big L's tragically early passing isn't such a shock. What brings the listener up short on the posthumous The Big Picture (released over a year after Big L's death) is the way L's descriptions of violence seem like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The great acclaim he earned wasn't based on the graphic quality of his gangsta tales, though. As The Big Picture makes clear, L's worldview extended beyond street crime to a ... Read More

Considering the mortality rate of rappers, which often seems slightly higher than that of kamikaze pilots, Big L's tragically early passing isn't such a shock. What brings the listener up short on the posthumous The Big Picture (released over a year after Big L's death) is the way L's descriptions of violence seem like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The great acclaim he earned wasn't based on the graphic quality of his gangsta tales, though. As The Big Picture makes clear, L's worldview extended beyond street crime to a broader sociological scope. He even displays a fair amount of humor, as on "Ebonics," a virtual glossary of street slang terms. Even his proclamations of sexual prowess on "Size 'Em Up" have an air of fun about them, as though he knows how far over the top he's going in his statements of machismo. Though he may allow himself a degree of ironic detachment, it's clear that Big L firmly believed everything that came out of his mouth, and it's that combination of commitment and sarcasm that makes The Big Picture work. [The Big Picture was reissued in 2017.] ~ TiVo Staff, Rovi Read Less

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2017, RBC UPC: 853499007124 CD See All