Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
Studio album by Big L
Released	March 28, 1995 (1995-03-28) (see release history)
Recorded	1994-1995 Powerplay Studios (Queens, New York) Unique Studios (New York City, New York) Chung King Studios (New York City, New York)
Genre	East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop, horrorcore, underground hip hop
Length	48:42
Label	Columbia
Producer	Buckwild, Craig Boogie, Kid Capri, Lord Finesse, Showbiz
Big L chronology
Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995) The Big Picture (1974-1999) (2000)
Singles from Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
"Put It On" Released: November 13, 1994 "M.V.P." Released: 1995 "Street Struck" Released: 1995 "No Endz, No Skinz" Released: 1995

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous is the debut album of American hip hop artist Big L, released March 28, 1995 on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place primarily at Powerplay Studios in Queens, New York during 1994 to 1995. The title originates from the television series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Buckwild, Craig Boogie, Kid Capri, Lord Finesse, as well as Showbiz produced the album. The album produced four singles, but only two charted on Billboard's charts. Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous had slight success upon release, peaking at 149 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album initially received moderate reviews from critics. The album was the only studio album to be released during Big L's lifetime.

Background

Born in Harlem, New York, Big L grew up with Cam'ron. With Lord Finesse he recorded a number of tracks.^[1] Big L began rhyming in 1990 and his first professional appearance came on the B-side of "Party Over Here" by Lord Finesse in 1992. Around this time, L joined Lord Finesse's Bronx-based hip hop collective Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.). The group consisted of Lord Finesse, Diamond D, O.C., Fat Joe, Buckwild, Showbiz and A.G. He founded Harlem rap group Children of the Corn with fellow aspiring MC's Killa Cam, Murda Mase, and Killa Cam's cousin Bloodshed; when the latter died in a car accident in 1997, the group folded.

In 1993, Big L submitted a four track cassette tape to Columbia Records, which signed him later on. The album title is a play on the 1984-95 Television series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

Recording, production

Recording for Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous took place mainly at Powerplay Studios (Queens, New York);^[2] the songs "Put It On" and "Danger Zone" were recorded at Unique Studios (New York City, New York)^[2] and the songs "M.V.P." and "Street Struck" were recorded at Chung King Studios (New York City, New York).^[2] James Niedermeyer worked with Big L on the album, heavily influencing lyrics on songs such as "Danger Zone" and "All Black".

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous was produced by mainly members of Big L's group, Diggin' in the Crates Crew: Buckwild, Lord Finesse (who produced most of the album), and Showbiz. Craig Boogie as well as Kid Capri (who was often referred to as an honorary member of D.I.T.C.^[3]) also helped with the production of the album.

Release, promotion, marketing

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous was released on March 28, 1995. Prior to the release, Big L, under Columbia, released a promotional cassette tape in 1994 consisting of four tracks. These tracks did not make the final album though.

Composition

In a 2010 interview with HipHop DX to commemorate the album's 15th year anniversary and its re-issue by Traffic Entertainment, Lord Finesse discussed the making of the album.^[3]

Concerning "Put It On", he stated:

[Columbia Records] wanted something with a hook that would be kinda catchy, and something they could get radio play with. Like, everything [L] did was dark, and it was gangsta, and it was . . . what was the [popular style at the time]? Horror-core. So they needed something bright, something friendly. And "Put It On" just matched everything perfect."

Concerning "M.V.P.", he stated:

That song came about because L wanted a commercial, R&B loop that everybody could recognize. And me remembering that [DeBarge] record, and also remembering how Kid Capri used it way back when he did – I forgot which record he did, but he had that [song], and I’m like, "Damn, well maybe we could reinvent that right there." And L heard the loop and was like, "Yeah, that’s it!" But, [with] Diggin’, we had to have the right drums, the right everything [to go with a sample], and we dressed it up in a way where we tried to keep it Hip Hop.

Concerning "8 Iz Enuff", he said:

With that [song] L just thought he had to do a track with the rappers from his hood. And he definitely wanted to put on [those particular emcees]… We looking like, "How you gonna put eight niggas on one track?" [And he was like], "Don’t worry, I got this."

Speaking about "Danger Zone", he said:

At the time it was somebody by the name of David Kahne [working as L’s A&R at Columbia]. He was like the person who was responsible for getting L signed, and he loved all that devil’s son shit. [Says in nasally white-guy voice] "Oh wow, this is great!" It’s like, "Are you serious?" Because we had to make [L] change a line in "Devil’s Son" because it was [like], "You’re too out-of-order." What was the line . . . "I’m killin’ chumps for the cheapest price / I’m rollin’ with Satan," [and instead of then saying "not Jesus Christ"] it was "F Jesus Christ." But we made him change it to "Not Jesus Christ." [We were] like, "Yo, what the fuck are you doing?!"

Commenting on "Street Struck", he said:

That was Sony [that wanted him to make something more positive]. [They were like], "You so dark on this album, we need something positive we can push. This album is too dark: you got "All Black", you got "Danger Zone", you done came out with "Devil’s Son". We really don’t wanna push that as your image. You have to do something that’s gonna balance it." And that’s [when] we started doing more conceptual, conscious songs like "Fed Up Wit The Bullshit", "Street Struck", and "M.V.P." and "Put It On."

Reception

Commercial performance

The album peaked at number 149 on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number 22 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.^[4] Lifestylez did not chart internationally.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]
RapReviews	[6]

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous received mixed to favorable by music critics. It gained a 4 mics rating from The Source, claiming "[Big L] comes with ill animated lyrics, combined with metaphors that stun; a combo sure to have suckas on the run".^[7]

M.F. DiBella of Allmusic compliments "L as a master of the lyrical stickup undressing his competition with kinetic metaphors and a brash comedic repertoire," but claimed that production and marketing should have been better.^[5]

Steve Juon of RapReviews liked how the album was "jam packed with treats" and complimented how some songs were viewed as "underground hip hop".^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Put It On" (featuring Kid Capri)	Best, Coleman	Buckwild	3:39
2.	"M.V.P."	Coleman, Hall, Jordan, M.D. DeBarge	Lord Finesse	3:40
3.	"No Endz, No Skinz"	Coleman, Lemay	Showbiz	3:30
4.	"8 Iz Enuff" (featuring Buddah Bless, Herb McGruff, Killa Cam, Mike Boogie, Terra, Big Twan, & Trooper J)	Best, Buddah Bless, Coleman, Kam, McGruff, Mik, Terra, Trooper J., Twan	Buckwild	4:59
5.	"All Black"	Coleman, Hall	Lord Finesse	4:21
6.	"Danger Zone"	Best, Coleman	Buckwild	3:38
7.	"Street Struck"	Coleman, Hall	Lord Finesse	4:10
8.	"Da Graveyard" (featuring Lord Finesse, Microphone Nut, Jay-Z, Party Arty & Grand Daddy I.U.)	Best, Coleman	Buckwild	5:24
9.	"Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous"	Coleman, Hall	Lord Finesse	3:22
10.	"I Don't Understand It"	Coleman, Lemay	Showbiz	4:21
11.	"Fed Up with the Bullshit"	Coleman, Hall	Lord Finesse	3:53
12.	"Let 'Em Have It "L""	C.Rollins, Coleman	Craig Boogie	3:58

Note

• A promotional cassette tape that was released by Sony in 1994 features four songs that did not make the retail version: "Devil's Son", "Times Iz Hard", "I Shoulda Used a Rubba", and "School Dayz".

Samples

• "Put It On" — "Vibrations" by Buster Williams

• "M.V.P." — "Stay with Me" by DeBarge; "On the Bugged Tip" by Big Daddy Kane

• "No Endz, No Skinz" — "Rubber Jam" by The Rubber Band; "Four Aces" by Paul Humphrey, Shelly Manne, Willie Bobo, & Louis Bellson

• "8 Iz Enuff" — "Soul Travelin" by Gary Byrd; "UFO" by ESG; "Fuck Compton" by Tim Dog

• "Da Graveyard" — "Represent" by Showbiz and A.G.

• "Times Iz Hard" — "In The Ghetto" by Eric B. & Rakim

• "Fed Up with the Bullshit" — "Between The Sheets" by Isley Brothers; "Ain't No Half Steppin'" by Big Daddy Kane

• "Let 'Em Have It "L" — "Nautilus" by Bob James

Personnel

Credits for Lifestylez of da Poor & Dangerous adapted from Allmusic.^[8]

• Buckwild - producer
• Dino Zervous - engineer
• Big L - vocals
• Craig Boogie - producer
• Mike Boogie - vocals
• Buddah Bless - vocals
• Herb McGruff - vocals
• Showbiz - producer
• Trooper J. - vocals
• Twan - vocals
• Jay-Z - vocals
• Tony Dawsey - mastering
• Danny Clinch - photography
• Michelle Willems - art direction, design
• Cam'ron - vocals
• John Shrive - engineer
• Party Arty - vocals
• Terra - vocals
• Kid Capri - producer
• Chris Conway - engineer
• Lord Finesse - vocals, producer

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[4]	149
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4]	22

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Ref.
United States	March 28, 1995	Columbia	[9]
France	March 28, 1995	Sony	[10]
Canada	June 18, 2001	Sony	[11]
United Kingdom	October 6, 2009	Sony	[12]

References

1. ^ "Big L Biography". Sing 365. http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Big-L-Biography/6AC83DFD0618696E4825698C002EA5CD. Retrieved June 25, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Big L - Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. Zinc Media. http://www.discogs.com/Big-L-Lifestylez-Ov-Da-Poor-Dangerous/release/1145483. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Arnold, Paul (July 30, 2010). "Lord Finesse Breaks Down Big L's "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous"". Hip Hop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/editorials/id.1577/title.lord-finesse-breaks-down-big-ls-lifestylez-ov-da-poor-dangerous. Retrieved April 25 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Charts & Awards: Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/lifestylez-ov-da-poor-and-dangerous-r217577/charts-awards/billboard-album. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} DiBella, M.F.. Review: Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous at Allmusic. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
6. ^ ^{a b} Juon, Steve (February 18, 2003). "Big L :: Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous :: Columbia Records". RapReviews. http://rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_bigl.html. Retrieved April 25 2011. 
7. ^ "Big L - Lifestylez Ov Da Poor And Dangerous CD". The Source. Hip Hop Connection. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1087727. Retrieved April 25 2011. 
8. ^ Credits: Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous at Allmusic. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
9. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000294R
10. ^ http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00000294R
11. ^ http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00000294R
12. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002IUBFPE

External links

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous at Allmusic