*** Big L, “The Big Picture,” Rawkus/Priority.

On his second album, the rapper, who was killed early last year, demonstrates his tremendous potential. Despite sly lyrics that focus on current events, Big L comes off as one of hip-hop’s better lyricists on the album’s 16 cuts. He focuses on his substantial rapping prowess, which is best displayed on “ ’98 Freestyle.” Producers DJ Premier, Pete Rock and others deliver hard-hitting production that complements L’s charged lyrics.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.