Mase talks about the time Big L tried to get him robbed "It Is What It Is"

[Tommy Gibbs]

Honestly You can make the case he wasn’t one of the 10 biggest rappers in NYC the month before he died

He simply wasn't. He didn't even have a deal yet. I can name least 10 rappers that were bigger than Big L at the time of his death

Meth (just released 1st album months prior)
ODB (prepping 2nd album)
Gza (prepping 3rd album)
Deck (prepping 1st album)
Mos Def (hot off of the Black Star album and prepping 1st solo album)
DMX
Jay Z
Nas
Mase
Big Pun
Busta
Noreaga(touring off of his first album)
Fat Joe(just released 3rd album a few months prior)


I can keep going. L wasn't that popular until he was killed. I knew him, but I'm not the entire population. That's only touching the surface. I haven't even inlcuded guys like Rza, Q Tip, and even Bleek. Yes Bleek was a bigger rapper than Big L, not better, but more known.

 

[jensyao]

This is much watch to get an understanding of the big picture of the Big L situation. No pun intended

damn, i was subscribed to this channel, they had heat...they just stopped posting one day

 

[True Blue Moon]

He simply wasn't. He didn't even have a deal yet. I can name least 10 rappers that were bigger than Big L at the time of his death

Meth (just released 1st album months prior)
ODB (prepping 2nd album)
Gza (prepping 3rd album)
Deck (prepping 1st album)
Mos Def (hot off of the Black Star album and prepping 1st solo album)
DMX
Jay Z
Nas
Mase
Big Pun
Busta
Noreaga(touring off of his first album)
Fat Joe(just released 3rd album a few months prior)


I can keep going. L wasn't that popular until he was killed. I knew him, but I'm not the entire population. That's only touching the surface. I haven't even inlcuded guys like Rza, Q Tip, and even Bleek. Yes Bleek was a bigger rapper than Big L, not better, but more known.

Tical came out in 94 breh

 

[King Sun]

First time I really heard big L was on that ebonics shyt then I remember that MVP song that used to play on the box. In the late 90s he buzz as the next younger guy out of NY.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Tical came out in 94 breh

I meant by 2nd album. Cmon man. You got to know that I know tical came out in 94. U can’t be serious lol. Tical 2000 came out in late 98. I was 17 on one release and 21 on the other.

 

[nieman]

First time I really heard big L was on that ebonics shyt then I remember that MVP song that used to play on the box. In the late 90s he buzz as the next younger guy out of NY.

MVP and Put It on were regular rotation cuts on Rap City. But he still was just another rapper. I'd say Mic Geronimo, OC, Smif & Wessun, type level. Neither of his single were move-the-needle types, but just dope tracks by a dope rapper. His album fell through the cracks because it was a '93 sounding album in '95, but still had some great songs. But then he did nothing for years...very few guest appearances, no follow-ups, no soundtracks...he was the least active member of DITC.

All of the 3 I mentioned had a follow-up album 2 years later, as the climate changed.

 

[FreshAIG]

MVP and Put It on were regular rotation cuts on Rap City. But he still was just another rapper. I'd say Mic Geronimo, OC, Smif & Wessun, type level. Neither of his single were move-the-needle types, but just dope tracks by a dope rapper. His album fell through the cracks because it was a '93 sounding album in '95, but still had some great songs. But then he did nothing for years...very few guest appearances, no follow-ups, no soundtracks...he was the least active member of DITC.

All of the 3 I mentioned had a follow-up album 2 years later, as the climate changed.

Hell, Big L wasn't on Smif N Wessun or OC's level of popularity either honestly. Times Up and Bucktown was literally played all the time. None of L's records impacted like that during that era.

Definitely not in NY, so I imagine the same was true out of state.

Mic G is a good comp.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hell, Big L wasn't on Smif N Wessun or OC's level of popularity either honestly. Times Up and Bucktown was literally played all the time. None of L's records impacted like that during that era.

Definitely not in NY, so I imagine the same was true out of state.

Mic G is a good comp.

I was a fan of L cuz I was a fan of Stretch and Bob and he used to be on there a lot. But, he was underground. I wouldn't even put him on the level of Mic G cuz Geronimo had little hits and joints with Puff and shyt.

 

[FreshAIG]

I was a fan of L cuz I was a fan of Stretch and Bob and he used to be on there a lot. But, he was underground. I wouldn't even put him on the level of Mic G cuz Geronimo had little hits and joints with Puff and shyt.

Yeah by time 97 came around, Mic G was definitely a bigger deal. I was thinking more 94-95 era, but you right.

 

[Awesome Wells]

I was a fan of L cuz I was a fan of Stretch and Bob and he used to be on there a lot. But, he was underground. I wouldn't even put him on the level of Mic G cuz Geronimo had little hits and joints with Puff and shyt.

L was way more underground.

But so was Mic Geronimo. In '97, his move to start working with Puff and doing those records for radio were the end of his career. I remember him saying the album did so bad, the label told him they weren't even going to repress any of it because they lost much money on it. So it's still out of print today.

But when both of their first albums dropped, L and Mic G were both college underground radio level type of rappers. Stretch and Bob loved them.

 

[True Blue Moon]

I meant by 2nd album. Cmon man. You got to know that I know tical came out in 94. U can’t be serious lol. Tical 2000 came out in late 98. I was 17 on one release and 21 on the other.

Breh, I'm going by what you said. I don't know you, your age, or anything about you to assume anything. You said 1st album so I offered a friendly correction. Don't get mad at me for it

 

[Awesome Wells]

His album fell through the cracks because it was a '93 sounding album in '95, but still had some great songs.

Funny you say that, because the majority of the album was done in '92-'93, but Columbia held on to it forever and wouldn't give L the budget to record anything new. So by the time it dropped, all of the songs were mad old. The singles were the newest songs on there.

Half of the album had already been played on underground radio shows in '93, and they kept those same songs on the album years later. It was crazy. We already had all of those tracks, but the label wasn't trying to throw any more money at it.

 

[Barney Rubble]

L was way more underground.

But so was Mic Geronimo. In '97, his move to start working with Puff and doing those records for radio were the end of his career. I remember him saying the album did so bad, the label told him they weren't even going to repress any of it because they lost much money on it. So it's still out of print today.

But when both of their first albums dropped, L and Mic G were both college underground radio level type of rappers. Stretch and Bob loved them.

I guess, I just mean BET played that wack ass Geronimo and Puff song A LOT. I don't know if it was payola or what but that shyt was in rotation. So, he was definitely more of a household name than L was.

 

[Metal Face]

 

[Awesome Wells]

I guess, I just mean BET played that wack ass Geronimo and Puff song A LOT. I don't know if it was payola or what but that shyt was in rotation. So, he was definitely more of a household name than L was.

Yeah, I bought this damn album because I was kinda into the single, but it was trash, lol.

His first album was a personal classic for me though. But he f*cked up when he hopped on that wave that a lot of rappers were doing at the time, with trying to do what Puff was doing. He looked wild awkward and uncomfortable in the video. Like someone was making him do sh*t he really didn't want to do.