Rolling Stone
Big L Is ‘Rap Royalty.’ Why Is His Legacy in Disarray?
The rapper’s recordings have been sold off — seemingly for less than their worth — since his 1999 death. The discord over his estate highlights a bigger question: Who should benefit from an artist’s work?
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The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, a radio program that served as an essential proving ground for any fledgling New York MC. The gifts that would transform Jay-Z into a million-selling megastar were already evident as he freestyled, shifting deftly between swaggering and agitated rhyme patterns. But the rapper was still unproven, hunting for a record deal on the strength of his solo debut single, “In My Lifetime.” “It’s in some stores,” he told his hosts. “Once we lock this distribution thing down, it’s gonna be in all [of them].”