I was meant to post this months ago but totally forgot about but better late than never for those who might not have seen it, right. Top DJ Mag presents a complete taped performance by Big L and OC ripping the shit out in Croatia back in 1998 which means it wasn't too long before the tragic passing of Lamont Coleman. I often wonder how L's career would have turned out if he hadn't been so tragically taken away from this life. He had the charisma of a true rap hero and while his one, complete album "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" was and is a classic and his best, the dark, agressive but jazzy DITC beats sounded dated from a sellpoint in 1995 resulting in low sales. However the stuff he worked for on "The Big Picture" and "Worldwide" maintained his hardcore appeal and raw humour over beats that was more polished but still real banging. His last single "Ebonics"/"Size 'Em Up" caught a super hype and he was supposed to sign to Roc-A-Fella Records right before his death as ou surely now. Unlike Fat Joe, I think Big L would've been able to become an absolute superstar without forgetting his roots and refuse to sell ("You can't pay me to rhyme if the beat trash").
OC is a criminally slept on MC, even after all the classic albums and 12"s he's done or been involved in I rarely see people talk about him in the same regards as someone like Big Daddy Kane or even Sean Price. To me D.I.T.C. was the best crew (together with Wu-Tang Clan) to ever emerge on to the scene and one of the main reasons is that all the producers were pretty much equally dope (we're talking about DJ Premier/Pete Rock skilled) and all the main rappers were equally dope - Lord Finesse, OC, Big L and AG. Diamond D was great on the mic but I prefer him much more as a producer although he held down "Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop" earning himself the title 'By far the best producer on the mic' for many listeners.
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