Albums Big L - Harlem’s Finest: RISE OF THE FORGOTTEN KING (Discussion Thread)
- Thread starter IronFist
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- big l legend has it mass appeal nas
T.he I.nformant
1st Ballot HOF Teller
Yo, the sheer idea of Forever is inspiring. In memory of, putting a white boy from PA on a track with the Harlem MC he was inspired by. What a tribute. From the grave, showing that rap will never die. We keep going, we keep creating. With one of our greatest teachers reminding us that hip-hop is forever. Return of the boom bap. The return of the forgotten king from a fading era. On the eve of Halloween. The symmetry of Big L being nice in life and death is not lost on me. The culture and the art being forever feels like quite a statement amid rap not being on the Top 40 of the Billboard 100 for the first time since 1990. Which, correct me if I’m wrong, was the first time Big L started rapping. And before hip hop ventured into a climate concerned too heavily about record sales. And even though I think the core of hip hop is not about that at all it’s been a testament to its staying power and cultural influence. Could be where I’m at in life or what’s going on in a world that is falling apart but this is a welcomed reminder that there’s something in this life that I care about that will always be even as we take one step closer to the inevitable. I typically feel some kind of way about posthumous releases but I think this is dope. Good to hear L rapping again even if nothing is new. Production sounds good to me. Dope collabs. Great installment in the Legend Has It campaign.
Some of these beats are tough. I wish they added more features to the really short joints.
This was put together well….. I will never listen to this again tho
Listening now.. Feels like a high level mixtape with a bunch of freestyles and short remixes.. I guess there's only so much they can do with a small pool of 30 year old mixtape / freestyle verses.. Still nice to hear L again. some bangers on here
Edit - Glad Budddens didnt have a verse.. was thinking i was gonna have to edit him out
Edit - Glad Budddens didnt have a verse.. was thinking i was gonna have to edit him out
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((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL
Hussle & Motivate
Damn 7 Minute Freestyle sounds so clean
I actually don't mind that they reworked the beat, makes it a bit fresher.
The beat switch is dope but they fukked up the main milkbone melody. They shortened the sample chops and increased the tempo or some shyt. It sounds kinda jarring after being so familiar with the original. Shoulda just kept it identical. The OG beat was classic because of its chillness, and L and Jay's flows matched the vibe perfectly. The beat switch alone woulda been enough to give it a fresh new feel. There was really no need to increase the energy of it. So for that reason, I'll stick with the OG.
They did Big L proud on this.
Only real critique is Mac Miller stands out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way. I know he was apparently a huge L fan but the verse they used didn’t fit in my opinion.
Nothing bad to say about anything else, the estate, Nas, and Mass Appeal did everything to make this as high quality as possible to honor the legacy of a rapper whose been gone almost 30 years and didn’t leave much new material behind.
Guest highlights are definitely Nas and Method Man. Meth came SUPER correct and Nas is the GOAT so we all knew he wasn’t going to slouch. I don’t count Jay-Z on the 7 Minute Freestyle as a “Guest” verse per say but its nice for a super hungry off the dome performance from a young Jay-Z to find a permanent home.
The album is a mixture of high-level time capsule-ish mixtape and a reintroduction of Big L’s timeless talent for a new generation. They did really good with the blends.
Only real critique is Mac Miller stands out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way. I know he was apparently a huge L fan but the verse they used didn’t fit in my opinion.
Nothing bad to say about anything else, the estate, Nas, and Mass Appeal did everything to make this as high quality as possible to honor the legacy of a rapper whose been gone almost 30 years and didn’t leave much new material behind.
Guest highlights are definitely Nas and Method Man. Meth came SUPER correct and Nas is the GOAT so we all knew he wasn’t going to slouch. I don’t count Jay-Z on the 7 Minute Freestyle as a “Guest” verse per say but its nice for a super hungry off the dome performance from a young Jay-Z to find a permanent home.
The album is a mixture of high-level time capsule-ish mixtape and a reintroduction of Big L’s timeless talent for a new generation. They did really good with the blends.
((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL
Hussle & Motivate
It's whatever. Prolly never listen to it again. RHN and the Meth Collab are solid. "All alone" is fire but it's so short it feels pointless. Shame they wasted such a beautiful beat on basically an interlude.
Nas also sounds out of his element trying to match Big L's style. Definitely not his best outing. Lots of cringey lines.
Nas also sounds out of his element trying to match Big L's style. Definitely not his best outing. Lots of cringey lines.
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