Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King has been released as the late rapper Big L’s fifth and final studio album. It is the fifth release as part of Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It… series which has very much existed as the final crown jewel for many of the artists involved. Big L’s story could be legendary; the underground, streetwise punchline master who was murdered only years into his burgeoning career but has since taken on a larger-than-life existence after death. Big L only released one album during his lifetime, 1995’s Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, and never received any sort of critical nor commercial acclaim before he was killed in 1999 while making what would become 2000’s The Big Picture. His death aged 24 therefore meant that he only had a few years of musical output yet his discography has continued with the scant remnants of officially unreleased material: studio album 139 & Lenox in 2010, compilation album Return of the Devil’s Son in 2010 and studio album The Danger Zone in 2011. Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King is the polished remains of what is left; it has been declared that there will never be another Big L album because there is nothing left to work with.

Big L’s life was confined to the streets of Harlem in New York where he was born. He began rapping as a teenager and became known locally for his street battles. Such an environment allowed Big L to hone his skills and he developed a reputation — that would follow him throughout his career and become his legacy —for his witty punchlines. An exhibition in front of Lord Finesse in 1990 essentially formed the foundation of musical associations for his entire career as he would join Lord Finesse’s D.I.T.C. collective and collaborate extensively with its other members. Big L’s debut album was released by a major label in 1995 yet only achieved a modest response. For the immediate years afterwards, his output was confined to sporadic guest appearances or radio freestyles; the latter of which would help to cement his reputation. Big L formed his own label, Flamboyant Entertainment, in 1998 and released his single “Ebonics” which remains as an exhibition of his linguistic abilities. He tragically never found an escape from the streets where he was raised and was on the cusp of signing with Roc-A-Fella Records when he was fatally shot. The reasons for the murder remain clouded and it is officially unsolved; that does not stop the predominant theory of it being retaliation from a childhood friend over a previous murder attempt.

As to why Big L never received acclaim during his physical existence remains a mystery to me. He perfected the ability of sounding intimidating and then saying something that warranted laughter yet never crossed into the realm of buffoonery. His 1993 promotional single, “Devil’s Son”, is an early example of horrorcore. He could perform on a track as menacing as “M.V.P.” yet still sound like he belonged when it was remixed into a smooth R&B-esque track for the single. He had wit, persona, self awareness and braggadocio in abundance. Yet, Big L would never be the recipient of much attention while he was here. It has enabled him to become the legendary figure since his death as a wider audience has become exposed to his abilities. Check any discussion of the best punchlines in hip hop and you will see mentions of Big L in abundance (my favourite will always remain the immortal: “Ask Beavis, I get nothin’ but head”). It is unanimously agreed that Big L ran laps around his contemporary Jay-Z when the two appeared for a freestyle on The Stretch Armstrong Show in 1995. “Put It On” has over 100 million plays on Spotify. One’s opinion can be understood if they state that Big L is one of the greatest of all time.

Such a legacy being formulated after one’s death is an incredible occurrence. The subsequent hunger for more Big L material is unfortunately immediately dashed because he had such sparse opportunities for recording. His previous posthumous studio albums — barring The Big Picture which was being constructed when he died —have therefore been a combination of unfinished songs, radio freestyles or remixes to strap together enough content for a full-length release. The announcement of a new Big L album by Mass Appeal was perhaps the most impressive part of its scheduled releases and it did immediately make me wonder: how much of this is new?

Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King is — like the other Big L posthumous releases — a combination of unfinished songs, radio freestyles and remixes. Unlike those past releases which primarily felt like compilation albums, Harlem’s Finest attempts to piece it all together with interludes and spoken appearances from family, collaborators and those he influenced. Every instrumental has been either retouched or reproduced to make the album possess a sense of cohesion.

The album begins strong with “Harlem Universal” which immediately showcases Big L’s gruff and explicit style in an appearance alongside McGruff — the one of two guest performers who collaborated with Big L during his lifetime. “u aint gotta chance” follows with the Legend Has It… trademark Nas guest appearance with a soft beat that does not particularly go anywhere so it does not intrude on the reunion of Columbia Records label mates which sadly never happened while Big L was alive. “RHN (Real Harlem Niggas)” sounds excellent despite being the first track to have a feature from someone who does not rap; Harlem rapper Errol Holden only appears here in a monologue. An unexpected collaboration has Big L appearing alongside Method Man for “Fred Samuel Playground” with a Conductor Williams-produced beat which is evidence that Big L would have been an unbelievable performer over the sound of Griselda Records. Holden reappears for a solo performance on “Big Lee & Reg” to give a feel that not much has changed in the Harlem of today. “All Alone (Quiet Storm Mix)” is an abrupt listen and could have easily been expanded with a guest verse to make it even better. “Forever” —the double-posthumous collaboration between Big L and his outspoken admirer, the late Mac Miller —is a miss with a cheery beat that serves as a stark contrast between Mac Miller’s teenaged breeziness and Big L’s luxurious brags. Those seven tracks bring an end to what is basically the “song half” of the album.

The rest of Harlem’s Finest is predominantly an archive of radio appearances and freestyles. It begins with “7 Minute Freestyle”, a retouched version of the aforementioned Big L-Jay-Z freestyle, which is ambitious but takes away from the inherent impromptu magic of its initial creation. Joe Budden introduces the “Doo Wop Freestyle ’99” to give credence to Big L’s reputation before it is represented by one of his strongest freestyle appearances. The “Don & Sacha Intro” sees Big L’s older brother, Donald Phinazee, talking to journalist Sacha Jenkins about Big L’s origins for the lead into “Stretch & Bob Freestyle (’98)” where Big L goes in on his competitors. The pure radio freestyle tracks are paused for “Grants Tomb ‘97 (Jazzmobile)” which is oddly buried here in the track listing; it has a solid guest performance from Joey Bada$$ and is well-composed in its entirety. “Live @ Rock N Will ’92” has an introduction by D.I.T.C. companion Showbiz which sadly encapsulates the entire visibility of the most influential group of people in Big L’s musical career on this album; it is followed by “How Will I Make It (Park West High School Mix)” which are the two most vintage-sounding tracks on the album (is it correlation that they are also among the strongest?). Phinazee and Jenkins return for the monologue outro on “Don and Sacha @ Inwood Hill Park (Closing Scene)” where Phinazee laments the situation of their surroundings that led to his brother’s death. “Put The Mic Down” featuring the late Party Arty (the other previous Big L rap collaborator) and Fergie Baby is included as a bonus track to bring an end to the album.

Harlem’s Finest is an ambitious project by Mass Appeal that attempts to both create a freshened version of Big L’s music while also serving as an archive of how it once sounded. It becomes a little strained in both directions as a result while the album tries to be new but stay true. I wonder what led to some freestyle appearances being repurposed as parts of new songs (like most of the first half) while others are left as freestyles (like most of the second half). Of course, there were such few portions of Big L material that was available for use so it was always going to be an arduous task to complete cohesion. However, I do wish that it leaned more heavily into either being a brand new album or a compilation effort. I think that some of the most meaningful parts of the album are the genuine reflections of those who knew Big L — McGruff in his outro on “Harlem Universal” or the clips from his brother Phinazee, for example — so it can be off-putting that almost none of the other featured artists make any mention of who they are collaborating with in spirit; again, an unfortunate result of trying to do two things at once.

One major omission is the almost complete absence of Big L’s D.I.T.C. collective both in vocal and production form. Showbiz is its only representation through his brief introduction on “Live @ Rock N Will ’92” while affiliate Party Arty is the closest rap contribution with “Put The Mic Down”. The guest rappers that do appear in what are apparently freshly recorded verses — Nas, Method Man, Errol Holden and Joey Bada$$ — do sound great alongside Big L.

Another minute matter: the album’s title. Harlem’s Finest sounds supreme and should have stood on its own. It is true and undeniable that he is the best from his hometown. I do not believe that Big L ever professed himself to be a “king” though. He could easily be considered as the “punchline king” but never as plain “king”. Harlem’s Finest: Return of Corleone would have been more apt as Big L was prone to referring to himself in that way during his final years.

Harlem’s Finest is appreciated merely as a repackaging of Big L’s output in 2025. It is a fitting tribute for what he was even though it does not complete the leap into conveying what he could have been. Still, it makes for a pleasant listening experience to lapse into Big L over modern production and imagine that he could have been here to enjoy the success he deserved which never reached him on time. Harlem’s Finest is also appropriate to be the bookend of his musical career as there will be no more after this.

In the words of Gang Starr forever: Big L, rest in peace.

Harlem’s Finest: The Return of the King
Big L
Mass Appeal
Featuring: Joe Budden, BVNGS, Errol Holden, Fergie Baby, Jay-Z, Sacha Jenkins, Joey Bada$$, The Legendary DJ Ron G, Mac Miller, McGruff, Method Man, Nas, Novel, Pale Jay, Party Arty, Donald Phinazee, Showbiz
Production: 2one2, Al Hug, Craig Balmoris, Beat Butcha, Bekon, Beni Moun, Biako, Big L, Chakra, Nicky Cornicello, Crumley, DJ Critical Hype, EZ Elpee, Frankie P, G Koop, Sergiu Gherman, Reggie Gordon, Dylan Graham, John Ho, Chris Keys, Lord Finesse, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Mike H, MTK, Napes, Novel, Pale Jay, prodbyty, Ron Browz, Showbiz, Siege Monstrosity, ties.wav, Marcus Christopher White, Conductor Williams, Wishlade
Singles: “u aint gotta chance” featuring Nas