A Newbury Comics exclusive color vinyl pressing.

An undisputed New York classic from the late, great, Harlem MC, featuring production from D.I.T.C. legends Showbiz, Buckwild and Lord Finesse.

Alongside recent classics from Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep and Smif N Wessun, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous laid out the ascendancy of another visionary MC who could throw down brags punchlines with the best of them, but who never veered away from truly thoughtful lyrical dialogue.

Most tracks on the album feature slower tempos, which gave the soon-to-be-immortalized MC the chance to fully explore a range of flows and approaches. Cases in point include the two commercial singles – “Put It On” and “MVP” – as well as the promo-only single “Street Struck,” the latter produced by Lord Finesse and containing perhaps L’s deepest rhymes on the album. There are also some great posse cuts here, starting with “8 Iz Enuff,” which was all about exposing L’s crew (including Herb McGruff, Mike Boogie and Buddah Bless); and the amazing “Da Graveyard,” which let established peers like Lord Finesse and Grand Daddy I.U. flow alongside another newcomer to the scene named Jay-Z.