Michael may be receiving all the press, but to those concerned, a Big L posthumous album is just as monumental. Unlike 2pac (and to a lesser extent, Biggie) L’s legacy has been guarded quite closely, with limited (here meaning: practically no) material being pushed by labels following his death. The sad truth probably is that this has been less out of honor, and more primarily deriving from the fact that L’s name was never as prominent as the other two aforementioned slain MCs.
Yet, in rap circles, L’s long been placed alongside – and in some minds, even above – other grand hip hop martyrs. Hence, the release of Return of the Devil’s Son is no minor event, and it’s deplorable that it’s being treated as such. Then again, generally speaking, a huge amount of attention hasn’t done posthumous rap records much good either. Think Loyal to the Game.
Of course, albums that artists aren’t around to approve of (or to raise hell about as the label shoves them down their throats) often aren’t going to reflect much, if any, artistic intent. The material is usually picked from here and there, “unreleased” material that leaked years ago, and so on. It’s easy to do, particularly with hip hop, think about it: how many non-album tracks that no one will remember ten years down the line has your favorite rapper recorded? It’s a grab-bag for money makers down the line.
Truth is, the same mostly rings true here. The advantage L’s material holds is the lack of releases following his death. Some declare Big Picture a posthumous release due to work done following the rapper’s death, but the record was intended to come out in ’99 had he survived, so this is at least somewhat unfair: Devil’s Son is the first major collection made available in the years after his passing. Other releases are available, such as the recent 139 & Lenox, but those records received so little promotion and attention one can hardly call them official.
This record however, is composed of cuts chosen by L’s brother, “unreleased” tracks along with album outtakes, remixes, and freestyles. If you’re a casual fan who’s only tapped his two albums, this record will be a treat. If you’re a loyal member of the L clique, then you’ve probably heard much of this one way or another. Yet, unlike many posthumous rap releases, this one actually comes off as a labor of love. Whether we’ve heard it before or no, there’s no denying – if nothing else – the simple convenience of having what’s collected here all on one tidy, official record. Beyond that, the material is lent a certain gravity with Return of the Devil’s Son: fans may have had these songs sitting around on mixes for some time now, but was anyone else hearing them? Now they may, and you know Big L deserves it.
