Big L: the latest member of the diggin' in da crates crew is set to "Put It On." It's hard to think of a lot of my favorite MCs gone + in recent years, the number has grown considerably. It used to be, when an MC died, we were like "damn, who killed him?" As hip-hop has aged, many of our OGs and legends are dying from living hard, health conditions, and natural causes. Back to L, my go-to line is he was an incredible talent that was taken from us far before he even reached his full potential. I still feel that way. I've been revisiting "Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous" a lot & even his various features, it was clear he was trying to kill everyone on his tracks. Coming up under an artist like Lord Finesse, who might be one of the greatest quotable lyricists, it's no surprise that L has some of the wickedest lines in rap history. "I run with sturdy cliques / I'm never hittin' dirty chicks / Got thirty-five bodies, buddy, don't make it thirty-six / Step to this, you're good as gone / Word is bond, I leave mics torn when I put it on..." Focus on the real ... rest in peace, Big L. Put your L's up.