10 Tragic Hip-Hop Deaths: Big L

Before A$AP Rocky claimed Harlem as his stomping grounds, there was Big L, a kid with a penchant for turning words into hot rhymes in a way that caught the ears of the masses. Songs like the Buckwild-produced 'Put It On' are a showing of his lyrical dexterity. Unfortunately, a gunman put an end to his promising career at 24 years old.

Big L, born Lamont Coleman, was shot nine times in the face and chest on Feb. 15, 1999, in a doorway in his native Harlem. At the time of his death, the MC had two brothers in prison, leading the NYPD to believe his death was in retaliation for something his brothers did. Several months after Big L was killed, a childhood friend was arrested in connection with the shooting but later released. His murder still remains unsolved.