5. Big L (May 30, 1974 February 15, 1999)
Lamont Big L Coleman was an underground legend in the New York rap scene in the mid-late 90s. His lyrical prowess and frighteningly clever and slick delivery earned him critical praise but not the mainstream recognition his talent deserved. His debut album, Lifestylez ov Da Poor & Dangerous only peaked at #149 on the Billboard 200 but did feature a young Jay-Z on the track Da Graveyard and it was rumoured that before Colemans death, Jay-Z had planned to sign him to Roc-A-Fella Records. Coleman was murdered in 1999 and to this day no one has been convicted for the crime. In 2000, a posthumous album called The Big Picture was released featuring unreleased material.