by M.F. DiBella The second and final album from the late Big L showcases the Harlem MC as a master of the punch line and a vicious storyteller with a razor blade-under-the-tongue flow. Unfortunately, despite a well-meant effort from Rawkus Records, The Big Picture fails to capture Big L's underground legacy. A member of the New York underground collective's Diggin' in the Crates crew, L 's 1995 debut on Columbia Records, Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous , was met with a lukewarm response despite his rugged talents. As a result, Big L was dropped from Columbia primarily because Lifestyles lacked the supersonic production to match his rough, witty style. On The Big Picture, even with a few production heavyweights in on the project, the production is again suspect. The album billed as a classic has merely the makings of one, all-star producers like Pete Rock and Premier and heavyweight guest appearances including a duet with another fallen rap star, Tupac Shakur . There are about five good tracks on the album, two of which are spectacular: "Flamboyant" over a soulful bump provided by Mike Heron is the heavy-hitter on the album followed closely in quality by the flute-laced "Holdin' It Down" produced by Pete Rock and featuring A.G. "Ebonics" is L 's clever slang dictionary and the two DJ Premier -produced tracks, "Platinum Plus" featuring Big Daddy Kane and "The Enemy" featuring Fat Joe , are also worthy of note. Here is an underground king that finds only slight aboveground success posthumously. Rawkus' scramble to compile new and old tracks into a cohesive product proved too difficult a task. In the end, there is too much gloss on this undergrounder's parting project; The Big Picture does not do justice to Big L. Big L may be remembered as a gifted MC who put out mediocre albums but he will not be forgotten by hip-hop fans on the strength of his underground legacy and respect. Big L (1974-1999) was gunned down in his own Harlem neighborhood in early 1999.