Big L’s Posthumous Album “Harlem’s Finest: Return of The King” Gets Release Date

October 07, 2025

Big L’s long-awaited posthumous album Harlem’s Finest: Return of The King has finally got an official release date via Mass Appeal Records.

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Mass Appeal Records announced that Big L‘s posthumous album, Harlem’s Finest: Return of The King, will be released on October 31.

The announcement was made via Instagram Monday (October 6): “The King has returned. @bigl_139 . Big L’s new album, Harlem’s Finest: Return of The King. Coming 10/31.”

The project, curated with input from his estate, promises a carefully restored collection of rare freestyles, unreleased tracks and remastered classics. It also aims to fix a long-standing issue that’s plagued the late rapper’s catalog.

“Many Big L songs have been removed from streaming services over the past few years,” the family said in a statement earlier this year. “Those songs were unmixed/unmastered, samples were not cleared and many of the producers weren’t paid or credited properly.”

The album is part of Mass Appeal’s “Legend Has It” series, which celebrates Hip-Hop’s most influential figures. Nas, Ghostface Killah and Mobb Deep are also featured in the 2025 lineup.

Big L was fatally shot in Harlem in 1999 at just 24. Although his only studio album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, dropped in 1995, his sharp lyricism and streetwise storytelling cemented him as a foundational voice in East Coast Hip-Hop.

“Big L has a long history with @nas as they both signed to Columbia in 1992,” his family noted. “This is a full circle moment and we are excited for y’all to hear what we’ve been working on.”

In addition to the music, Big L will be featured in a limited-edition comic book series also titled Legend Has It, created in collaboration with Marvel.

The comic reimagines seven iconic New York Hip-Hop figures as superheroes, blending their real-life legacies with fantasy.

The first issue of the series will debut at New York Comic Con on October 10, with a live panel featuring Nas and surprise guests to discuss the crossover between Hip-Hop and comic book culture.

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