The Big Picture [PA] (CD - 2000)

Producers include: DJ Premier, Ron Browz, Ron G, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock.

Engineers include: Dejuann "DK" Richardson, Max Vargas, Erik Lynch.

Personnel includes: Big L, Tupac Shakur, Sadat X, Guru, Kool G. Rap, Fat Joe, Stan Spit, A.G., Miss Jones, Big Daddy Kane, OC, Remy Martin (vocals); DJ Sebb (cuts).

Producers include: DJ Premier, Ron Browz, Ron G, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock.

Engineers include: Dejuann "DK" Richardson, Max Vargas, Erik Lynch.

Considering the mortality rate of rappers, which often seems slightly higher than that of kamikaze pilots, Big L's tragically early passing isn't such a shock. What brings the listener up short on the posthumous BIG PICTURE (released over a year after Big L's death) is the way L's descriptions of violence seem like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The great acclaim he's earned isn't based on the graphic quality of his gangsta tales, though. As THE BIG PICTURE makes clear, L's worldview extends beyond street crime to a broader sociological scope.

He even displays a fair amount of humor, as on "Ebonics," a virtual glossary of street slang terms. Even his proclamations of sexual prowess on "Size 'em Up" have an air of fun about them, as though he knows how far over the top he's going in his statements of machismo. Though he may allow himself a degree of ironic detachment, it's clear that Big L firmly believed everything that came out of his mouth, and it's that combination of commitment and sarcasm that makes THE BIG PICTURE work. minimize