I lived on 139th street for a time. Harlem is intense. Lives move at incredible speeds, while appearing to go nowhere at all. I later learned that Big L lived his entire life on my block. He died there, six weeks before his 25th birthday. (If the video won’t play, click “Watch on youtube”) In his song “Ebonics,” is the entirety of a kind of Harlem life. At first it appears that the song is a short dictionary—a brief English-to-“criminal slang” guide–aimed at beginners. Yo pay attention/And listen real closely how I break this slang shit down He proceeds through a list: Weed smoke=lye Ki(lo) of coke = pie Lifted=High Cars=whips Sneakers=kicks But as the list goes on it seems that what I am…