Malcolm X's voice sampled from a speech kicks off the beginning of Big L's song "Danger Zone." As ominous music plays, Malcolm X says:
“Stealing runs rampant in Harlem. Gambling runs rampant in Harlem — All types of evils and vices that tear apart our community run rampant in Harlem.”
Lamont Coleman, aka Big L, is considered one of the best rappers of all time. He was a Harlem, New York City rapper in the early 90s. He is similar to Tupac (Pac) and The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie) because he was murdered in his prime. Tupac reached 25, and Biggie was 24. In the song "On The Mic," Big L raps:
“Peace to Biggie and Pac ’cause they really were hot, rap game heavy hitters, it’s a shame they no longer with us.”
On February 15, 1999, 24-year-old Big L was shot to death. He took nine bullets to the head and chest. No murderer was ever convicted for the crime, although it is widely believed his childhood friend killed him. I will lay out the facts; you decide if justice was served.
A Legend Lost
The accomplished rapper Nas recalled hearing Big L rap. He said:
“He scared me to death. When I heard that on tape, I was scared to death. I said, ‘Yo, it’s no way I can compete if this is what I gotta compete with.”
When I discovered Big L as a young teenager, he quickly became one of my favorite rappers. Like many young teenagers, I was frustrated with life, and rap music was an outlet. I listened to his first two solo albums on repeat; his raw talent, lyricism, and authenticity made me gravitate to him.
His only solo album released in his lifetime was Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995). Later, I found out that his second album, The Big Picture (2000), was released posthumously. There is no telling how high his ceiling was as a rapper. With his early death, the world will never know what he had in store.
Victims of the Danger Zone
Big L grew up in Harlem. One of his childhood friends growing up was Gerard Woodley. The two men's families were close. The two men met similar fates, 17 years apart. The chorus of Big L's song "Danger Zone" goes:
“’Cause one-three-nine and Lenox is the Danger Zone/Where no man can withstand or hold his own.”
The place he rapped about, 139th Street and Lenox Avenue (also known as Malcolm X Boulevard), is the place he was murdered in 1999. On June 23, 2016, Gerard Woodley was shot and killed on the same block. He was shot in the head and back.
Both men were killed outside their homes. Both men were victims of the danger zone.
Did Woodley Murder Big L?
In 1999, Gerard Woodley was arrested for the murder of Big L. Due to a lack of evidence, he was released by police and never charged with the crime.
Woodley was arrested in connection with three separate murders in the 90s but never formally charged. He served two prison sentences on illegal gun charges. He served a total of about nine years in prison. His latest release was about a year before his murder.
It is unclear if Woodley killed Big L, but it is a distinct possibility. There were rumors that someone connected to Big L may have murdered Woodley to get revenge, but there has been no evidence to corroborate the rumors. With so much time between the two murders, it would be difficult to prove any connection.
Who Knows the Truth?
Cam'ron, another rapper from Harlem, knew both Big L and Woodley. He teased lyrics to a song in 2016 after Woodley's murder that add intrigue to the story:
“Grew up with Big L and the dude who supposedly killed him/A week before that, though, Big L had tried to kill him/ What was he to do?/ Please don’t get in ya feelings/When the time’s right, I will tell you about these villains/ Now everybody dead, so it ain’t about squealing.”
Cam'ron does not outright say Woodley killed Big L, but he does seem to say he would understand it if he did. He indicates that Big L may have attempted to kill Woodley, arguing it would perhaps be self-defense. It is also possible the lyrics have no truth behind them.
Woodley held a grudge against at least one of Big L's brothers at the time of Big L's murder. The NYPD speculated Woodley's alleged motive was retaliation for something one of Big L's brothers did. When Big L was killed, both his brothers were in prison, but based on Cam'ron's verse and the police's statement, it's possible Woodley feared for his life, which could have pushed him to murder Big L.
The verse is not evidence, but it does add to the complexity of the situation. In an interview on the Netflix series My Next Guest hosted by David Letterman, Jay-Z explains why he gave up selling crack:
“I would like to say the idea of being in the street because at some point no one survives that. You are either going to jail or you are going to get killed. That’s just how it was. Period.”
Jay-Z had been in the final stages of signing Big L to his label Roc-A-Fella Records. Big L's death prevented the deal from ever getting finalized.
Final Thoughts
Lamont Coleman, aka Big L and Gerard Woodley, never escaped the streets. They became victims of the danger zone. 139 & Lenox (2010) is the name of Big L's second posthumous album. It is where both Big L and Woodley grew up and where they both were murdered.
Woodley appeared on the back of Big L's first album in 1995, but four years later, after Big L was gunned down, Woodley was arrested for his murder.
It's a tragedy that two neighborhood friends may have tried to murder each other. Two families lost loved ones. The world lost another talented rapper in his prime, arguably one of the best.
Cam'ron attended Woodley's 2016 funeral. At the time of Woodley's murder, Cam'ron posted a tweet that in part read, "All born on 139st.. All died on 139st. Smh..damn..Rip," along with the hashtag DangerZone.
Big L was murdered at 24, Woodley was murdered at 46 after spending about nine years in prison. Both Big L and Woodley were victims of 139 and Lenox, the danger zone. A lot remains unknown, and the whole truth may never come to light.