Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous

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Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous
Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous cover
Studio album by Big L
Released March 28, 1995 (U.S.)
Recorded 1994–1995
Genre East Coast hip hop, Hardcore hip hop, Horrorcore
Length 48 min.
Label Columbia/SME Records
CK 53795
Professional reviews
Big L chronology
Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995) The Big Picture (2000)

Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous was Big L's debut album, which was released by Columbia Records on March 28, 1995.

Contents

[edit] Overview

It is regarded as a hip-hop classic that showcased L's clever, punchline-laden rhyming skills, accompanied by raw East Coast-style production. The disc was also notable for introducing up-and-coming emcees Cam'ron (then known as Killa Cam) and Jay-Z, on the posse cuts "8 iz Enuff" and "Da Graveyard", respectively. Its production was handled by Lord Finesse, Buckwild, Craig Boogie and Showbiz.

The album also gained a 4 mics rating from The Source.

[edit] Lyrics

Big L's unique lyrics and his outstanding rhyming technique were hailed by many reviewers. In Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, Big L covered a variety of topics.

  • "No Endz, No Skinz", was about how fame and money have changed the way women look at him, warning against gold diggers—women who only went after him for his money.
  • "Danger Zone" was a gloomy ode to his Harlem block.
  • On "Street Struck" he discussed people who, instead of using their potential, wasted it by taking the wrong route in life.
  • On "I Don't Understand It" he talked about wack emceess whom he felt did not deserve the credit they got.
  • "Fed Up with this Bullshit" dealt with police brutality.
  • The song "Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous" was about him and what he had to do to survive in Harlem, the song included him saying that he mugged, harmed, and murdered people for almost any amount of money.

There are other topics within other songs in the album, but those topics were not as focused on as much as the songs above.

[edit] Production

The production of the album was handled by members of the D.I.T.C. crew: Buckwild, Lord Finesse, and Showbiz. Lord Finesse used a sample of "Vibrations" by Buster Williams for the song "M.V.P." (the same sample was used on The Notorious B.I.G.'s song "One More Chance"); he also put horns on "Street Struck" and produced the majority of the album.

[edit] Album Sales

“The album sold pretty good. It did well, extremely well when you take into account that it didn't get much airplay or video play but peoples still sent out and supported it. If you took the promotion and video play away from some other artists, they couldn't sell what I sold. It sold just by word of mouth. People were like, ‘Big L is hot, we like him’, not because the label put me out there or supported me”, L vividly recalls in a Hip-Hop Connection interview.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Put It On" produced by Buckwild
  2. "M.V.P." produced by Lord Finesse
  3. "No Endz, No Skinz" produced by Showbiz
  4. "8 Iz Enuff" produced by Buckwild [Featuring Terra, Herb McGruff, Buddah Bless, Twan, Killa Cam (Cam'ron), Trooper J & Mike Boogie]
  5. "All Black" produced by Lord Finesse
  6. "Danger Zone" produced by Buckwild
  7. "Street Struck" produced by Lord Finesse
  8. "Da Graveyard" produced by Buckwild [Featuring Y.U., Lord Finesse, Microphone Nut, Party Arty, & Jay-Z]
  9. "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" produced by Lord Finesse
  10. "I Don't Understand It" produced by Showbiz
  11. "Fed Up Wit The Bullshit" produced by Lord Finesse
  12. "Let 'Em Have It "L" produced by Craig Boogie
  • Some early double vinyl releases contain "Times Iz Hard" (a.k.a. "Times Is Hard On The Boulevard") in between "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" and "I Don't Understand It" as well as Big L's very first single "Devil's Son" after "Let 'Em Have It 'L'".
  • The songs "Clinic (Shoulda Worn A Rubba)" and "School Days" were originally supposed to be on the album as well but were pulled at the last minute.
  • There is also another song on which Big L appeared named "Danger Zone", it is by Herb McGruff featuring Big L & Mase (should not be confused with the one from Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous as the one on this album is a solo song, and the other (Herb McGruff title) appears on the Children Of The Corn CD, "The Collector's Edition".
  • The street corner of the album cover can be seen on google maps street view.

[edit] Samples used

[edit] Singles

  • 1994: "Put It On"
  • 1995: "M.V.P."
  • 1995: "Street Struck"

[edit] Album chart positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top Heatseekers
1995 Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous 149 22 4

[edit] Singles chart positions

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1995 "M.V.P." - 56 15 25
"Put It On" - 81 23 12
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