Figured I'd add another quick little review/recommendatin for this thread from my personal collection. This is one of those albums that I played endlessly back in the day. Guess I'm kind of going with an "Underrated Rappers" theme so far in my reviews.
Big L --- Lifestylez Ov da Poor and Dangerous
Another one of the most underrated MC's of his generation, this was tragically the only album he released while he was still alive (The Big Picture came out after he died and is another fantastic album). The man was also among the most feared freestylists of his time, and the perfect example of his creative and complex skills is the song "98 Freestyle" which was also on The Big Picture. But onto this album itself.
There are East Coast gangsta gems all over his first album. From the opening of the beat on the first track "Put It On" you know you're in for a good time. L showcases all of his skills right away, going from intelligent to menacing to hilarious within the same song with a smooth delivery that's among my favorites. Up next you've got "M.V.P." using a sample from his fellow New Yorker Biggie's "One More Chance". Instead of the romantic mood the original might bring up, Big L takes it the other direction and instead comes off menacing. He tells you he's the rap game's MVP, and god damnit you believe this man. I won't go off on every song, because literally every track on this album is classic stuff, but I will mention two of the crew songs on the album.
The first one is "8 Iz Enuff" and it's one of my favorite rap songs of all time, probably best known for featuring Killa Cam (Cam'ron) on one of his earliest tracks, y'know, when he was still good. Everybody on this song bring their A game and the beat hits you hard. Just when you think the first verse by Big L can't be topped, each following verse is more complex and ridiculious, just a fantastic song. 5 minutes cataloguing some of the best young talent from Harlem and New York at the time with some of their sickest verses.
The other one is just as good as 8 Iz Enuff, and that's "Da Graveyard". This one features a young Jay-Z on one of his very first recordings, and the verse he cuts in this song is probably my favorite verse from the man, ever. Everyone also brings their A-Game on this one, but Jay's verse really shines as the best on the song, check it out guys.
Overall, a fantastic album with a ton of other great songs like "No Endz, No Skinz", "Street Struck", and "Danger Zone" among others.
Rating --- 5/5
[youtube]iBrzEVJwYFg[/youtube]
[youtube]uFHkNRjSVpA[/youtube]
[youtube]soTya8ZB3VU[/youtube]
[youtube]Z_GRYbD0g1s[/youtube]