Lamont Coleman known professionally as Big L was an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most lyrical rappers of all time, and is known for helping to pioneer horrorcore. Emerging from Harlem, New York in the early to mid-1990s, Coleman became well known amongst underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ability, and was eventually signed to Columbia Records, where he released his debut album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous in 1995 and is now considered by many fans as a classic album. Noted for his use of wordplay, multiple writers at AllMusic, HipHopDX and The Source have praised Coleman for his top-notch lyrical ability and storytelling. He also won hundreds underground rap battles.