Return of the Devil's Son

iTunes Review

While he has never received the type of posthumous fan worship reserved for Biggie and Tupac, Big L is another rap superhero who was cut down way before his time. A Harlem rapper who rolled with the Diggin' In The Crates crew, he only released one album in his lifetime, and was killed before he really had a chance to blow up nationally. Return of the Devil's Son gives us a blend of unreleased tracks, remixes, and rare radio appearances, reminding us just how insane a lyricist he was. Mixing hilarious punch-lines with bloodthirsty threats and ultra-slick bravado, L had it all, and did it better than most anybody else before or since. Old school fans have probably heard a few of these verses before, but many of them have been stashed in the vaults since the early ‘90s. Legendary New York producer Large Professor contributes several selections, as does Showbiz, Lord Finesse (who discovered L and brought him into the clique), Domingo, and J-Love. Every track on here is nuts, "Principal of the New School," "Harlem World Universal," and "Sandman 118" are especially devastating.