Big Daddy Kane
Encyclopedia
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American
rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew
. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop. Regarding the name Big Daddy Kane, he said: "The Big Daddy part and the Kane part came from two different things. The Kane part came from my fascination with the martial arts flicks when I was young. The Big Daddy came from something that happened on a ski trip one time involving a young lady."
, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyrics. Both eventually became important members of the Queens-based Juice Crew, a collective headed by renowned producer Marley Marl
. Kane signed with Marl's Cold Chillin' Records
label in 1987 and debuted the following year with the 12" single "Raw," an underground hit. Kane is known for his ability to syncopate over faster hip hop beats, and despite his asthmatic condition he is acknowledged as one of the pioneering masters of fast-rap. His sense of style is renowned and set a number of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop trends (high-top fades, velour suits, and four-finger rings). The backronym
"King Asiatic Nobody's Equal" is often applied to his moniker.
He released his debut album under Cold Chillin' Records in the early summer of 1988 called Long Live the Kane
which featured the hip hop hit, "Ain't No Half Steppin". The following year Kane released his second album and biggest hit to date It's a Big Daddy Thing
which included 1970s sample throwbacks like "Smooth Operator" and the Teddy Riley produced track "I Get the Job Done" which hit the R&B top 40 during the closing of the 1980s. He also had a memorable verse on the Marley Marl produced track "The Symphony" released in late 1988 which included Juice Crew member Craig G, Masta Ace
, and Kool G Rap
).
's 1991 effort, "Burnin'". He provided the rap chorus to the single "Feels Like Another One". He also appeared on the video release "Live in New York".
Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers during the "golden age" of hip hop
(1986–1993), Kane's experimentation with R&B
beats and his alignment to the Five Percent Nation
drew criticism. Later albums, such as Looks Like a Job For…
, were acclaimed, but he was never able to return to the commercial and artistic success of It's a Big Daddy Thing. However, he still tours extensively.
As an actor, he debuted in Mario Van Peebles
' 1993 western
, Posse, and appeared in Robert Townsend's 1993 Meteor Man. Big Daddy Kane also posed for Playgirl
and Madonna's
Sex book during the 1990s.
In 1996, he collaborated with 2Pac on his song "Where Ever U R".
During the early 1990s, Jay-Z is known to have been Big Daddy Kane’s hype man
, and Kane helped him early on in his career - Ice-T says, “I actually met Jay-Z with Kane. Kane brought Jay-Z over to my house”.
Kane himself says that Jay-Z wasn’t technically his hypeman in the true sense of the term –“he wasn’t a hypeman, he basically made cameo appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage.”.
Jay-Z was also featured on Big Daddy Kane’s track ‘Show & Prove’ from Daddy’s Home (1994), as well as in the video.
In 1995, Kane recorded with MC Hammer
and Tupac Shakur
on the rap song "Too Late Playa" (along with Danny Boy).http://wn.com/2Pac__Too_Late_Playa__feat_MC_Hammer,_Big_Daddy_Kane,_Nutt-So_Danny_Boy
, Little Brother, and DJ Babu
of the Beat Junkies
. He released two singles, the Alchemist
-produced "The Man, The Icon", and the DJ Premier
-produced "Any Type of Way" (on which he discusses urban collapse in post-9/11 New York City ("Giuliani
got New York lookin' like it's Amistad
") and the erosion of the middle class
.)
Big Daddy Kane appeared on the trip-hop group Morcheeba
's 2003 single "What's Your Name". In 2004, "Warm It Up, Kane" appeared on popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
, playing on classic hip hop
radio station Playback FM.
In 2005, Big Daddy Kane was honored during the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. After a medley of hits performed by T.I.
, Black Thought
, and Common
, he came out to perform "Warm It Up, Kane" with his old dancers, Scoob and Scrap. Kane and Kool G Rap can both be seen briefly in Dave Chappelle's Block Party
documentary.
In 2006, he appeared as a guest MC on the track "Get Wild Off This", produced by The Stanton Warriors for their Stanton Sessions Vol. 2 breaks mix. He also appeared alongside the Wu-Tang Clan
, Rakim
, and his longtime friends Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip
in a segment of the 2006 Summer Jam
concert (June 7, 2006), as part of an initiative by Busta Rhymes to honor the legacy of New York City hip hop.
In 2007, a new track, "BK Mentality", was released on the mixtape compilation Official Joints. Kane also appeared on Joell Ortiz
's The Brick: Bodega Chronicles mixtape.
Big Daddy Kane made a cameo in the 2008 video for "Game's Pain
", a track by Compton rapper The Game
. The video also featured appearances by Raekwon
, Three Six Mafia and Ice Cube
. The Game also referenced Jay-Z
's former occupation as Kane's hypeman: "Ask a Jay-Z fan about Big Daddy Kane: Don't know him, Game gon' show 'em".. He also appeared on the remix of "Don't Touch Me
" by Busta Rhymes.
Also in 2009 Kane played the role of Clay in the film Just Another Day. The film is the tale of two rappers, one poor and young, one older and successful. The movie follows them through just another day of their lives.
As of 2010, Big Daddy Kane is working on a new album with his band Connie Price and the Keystones
, and Darnell Chavis from the 90's R&B group, Solo
, called "The Last Supper". The project is said to have a classic Hip-Hop & R&B vibe to it. No date is set for the release of the album.
rappers.
MTV
put him at No. 7 in their Greatest MCs Of All Time list, he is placed at No.4 in Kool Moe Dee
’s book There's A God On The Mic
: The True 50 Greatest MCs, and RZA
lists him as one of his Top 5 best MCs.
Allmusic says, “his best material ranks among the finest hip-hop of its era, and his sex-drenched persona was enormously influential on countless future would-be players”, and describes him as, “an enormously talented battle MC”, “one of rap's major talents”, refers to his, “near-peerless technique” ” and “first-rate technique and rhyming skills” and says he “had the sheer verbal facility and razor-clean dexterity to ambush any MC and exhilarate anyone who witnessed or heard him perform”.
Kool Moe Dee
describes him as “one of the most imitated emcees ever in the game” and “one of the true greatest emcees ever”, and Ice-T
says:
His first two albums are also considered Hip Hop classics and Rolling Stone
says, “he has received consistent critical kudos”.
In the book, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Cameron and Devin Lazerine say Big Daddy Kane is “widely seen as one of the best lyricists of his time and even today regularly gets name-checked by younger dudes”, and music journalist Peter Shapiro
says Kane is “perhaps the most complete MC ever”.
Eminem
references Big Daddy Kane in the lyrics to his song ‘Yellow Brick Road’ from his Encore album, saying, “we (Eminem
and Proof
) was on the same shit, that Big Daddy Kane shit, where compound syllables sound combined” and he quotes the same lines in his book, The Way I Am
– this illustrates how Big Daddy Kane had an influence on both Eminem
’s and Proof
’s rhyme technique.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew
Juice Crew
The Juice Crew was a hip hop collective of largely Queensbridge-based artists in the mid- to late-1980s. Founded by producer Marley Marl and radio DJ Mr. Magic and housed by Tyrone William's Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Crew would introduce New School artists Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie,...
. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop. Regarding the name Big Daddy Kane, he said: "The Big Daddy part and the Kane part came from two different things. The Kane part came from my fascination with the martial arts flicks when I was young. The Big Daddy came from something that happened on a ski trip one time involving a young lady."
1980s
In 1984, Kane became friends with Biz MarkieBiz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...
, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyrics. Both eventually became important members of the Queens-based Juice Crew, a collective headed by renowned producer Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
. Kane signed with Marl's Cold Chillin' Records
Cold Chillin' Records
Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released some important music in the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released some...
label in 1987 and debuted the following year with the 12" single "Raw," an underground hit. Kane is known for his ability to syncopate over faster hip hop beats, and despite his asthmatic condition he is acknowledged as one of the pioneering masters of fast-rap. His sense of style is renowned and set a number of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop trends (high-top fades, velour suits, and four-finger rings). The backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
"King Asiatic Nobody's Equal" is often applied to his moniker.
He released his debut album under Cold Chillin' Records in the early summer of 1988 called Long Live the Kane
Long Live the Kane
Long Live the Kane is the debut album by MC Big Daddy Kane, released by Cold Chillin' Records in 1988. It was produced by Marley Marl and established both him and Kane as premier artists during hip hop's golden age...
which featured the hip hop hit, "Ain't No Half Steppin". The following year Kane released his second album and biggest hit to date It's a Big Daddy Thing
It's a Big Daddy Thing
It's a Big Daddy Thing is the second full-length album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane. It was released on September 15, 1989.To date, it is his most successful effort commercially, certified gold by RIAA....
which included 1970s sample throwbacks like "Smooth Operator" and the Teddy Riley produced track "I Get the Job Done" which hit the R&B top 40 during the closing of the 1980s. He also had a memorable verse on the Marley Marl produced track "The Symphony" released in late 1988 which included Juice Crew member Craig G, Masta Ace
Masta Ace
Duval Clear , known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is a rapper from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony"...
, and Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson , better known by his stage names Kool G Rap , Kool G. Rap, and Giancana , is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew...
).
1990s
Big Daddy Kane appeared on Patti LabellePatti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
's 1991 effort, "Burnin'". He provided the rap chorus to the single "Feels Like Another One". He also appeared on the video release "Live in New York".
Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers during the "golden age" of hip hop
Golden age hip hop
Hip hop's "golden age" is a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop—usually cited as being a period varying in time frames during the 1980s and 1990s said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political...
(1986–1993), Kane's experimentation with R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
beats and his alignment to the Five Percent Nation
The Nation of Gods and Earths
The Nation of Gods and Earths, sometimes referred to as NGE or NOGE, the Five-Percent Nation, or the Five Percenters is an American organization founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, by Clarence 13X, a former student of Malcolm X, who left his mosque...
drew criticism. Later albums, such as Looks Like a Job For…
Looks Like a Job For…
Looks Like a Job For... is the fifth album by emcee Big Daddy Kane, released in 1993 through Cold Chillin' Records. After the commercial failure of his 1991 album Prince of Darkness, Kane was able to regain his past acclaim, with an album that was considered as a return to his past greatness...
, were acclaimed, but he was never able to return to the commercial and artistic success of It's a Big Daddy Thing. However, he still tours extensively.
As an actor, he debuted in Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles
Mario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles is an American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.-Life and career:...
' 1993 western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
, Posse, and appeared in Robert Townsend's 1993 Meteor Man. Big Daddy Kane also posed for Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
and Madonna's
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
Sex book during the 1990s.
In 1996, he collaborated with 2Pac on his song "Where Ever U R".
During the early 1990s, Jay-Z is known to have been Big Daddy Kane’s hype man
Hype man
A hype man in hip hop music and rapping is a “backup rapper/singer who is also responsible for increasing an audience's excitement with call-and-response chants” according to The Hilltop and author Grant Barrett....
, and Kane helped him early on in his career - Ice-T says, “I actually met Jay-Z with Kane. Kane brought Jay-Z over to my house”.
Kane himself says that Jay-Z wasn’t technically his hypeman in the true sense of the term –“he wasn’t a hypeman, he basically made cameo appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage.”.
Jay-Z was also featured on Big Daddy Kane’s track ‘Show & Prove’ from Daddy’s Home (1994), as well as in the video.
In 1995, Kane recorded with MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
and Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
on the rap song "Too Late Playa" (along with Danny Boy).http://wn.com/2Pac__Too_Late_Playa__feat_MC_Hammer,_Big_Daddy_Kane,_Nutt-So_Danny_Boy
2000s
A rejuvenated Big Daddy Kane occasionally collaborated with a variety of hip-hop artists, including Jurassic 5Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
, Little Brother, and DJ Babu
DJ Babu
DJ Babu is a Filipino-American DJ. One-third of the hip hop group Dilated Peoples , Babu is also a member of the Beat Junkies DJ crew, and together with rapper Defari forms the duo the Likwit Junkies. DJ Babu, Evidence and Pharoahe Monch also feature in the song H! Vltg3 on Linkin Park's...
of the Beat Junkies
Beat Junkies
The World Famous Beat Junkies is a Hip hop crew of DJs specializing in Turntablism. Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J-Rocc....
. He released two singles, the Alchemist
The Alchemist (producer)
Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...
-produced "The Man, The Icon", and the DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
-produced "Any Type of Way" (on which he discusses urban collapse in post-9/11 New York City ("Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
got New York lookin' like it's Amistad
La Amistad
La Amistad was a ship notable as the scene of a revolt by African captives being transported from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba. It was a 19th-century two-masted schooner built in Spain and owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba...
") and the erosion of the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
.)
Big Daddy Kane appeared on the trip-hop group Morcheeba
Morcheeba
Morcheeba are a British band, mixing influences from trip hop, rock, R&B, and pop.They have produced 7 albums since 1995, two of which reached the UK top ten.-Biography:...
's 2003 single "What's Your Name". In 2004, "Warm It Up, Kane" appeared on popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
, playing on classic hip hop
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
radio station Playback FM.
In 2005, Big Daddy Kane was honored during the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. After a medley of hits performed by T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, Black Thought
Black Thought
Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
, and Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
, he came out to perform "Warm It Up, Kane" with his old dancers, Scoob and Scrap. Kane and Kool G Rap can both be seen briefly in Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
A compilation of "music from and inspired by" the film was released on March 14, 2006.The album was released by Geffen Records, and produced by Corey Smyth for Blacksmith Music Corp and Questlove.#Dead Prez - "Hip Hop"#Black Star - "Definition"...
documentary.
In 2006, he appeared as a guest MC on the track "Get Wild Off This", produced by The Stanton Warriors for their Stanton Sessions Vol. 2 breaks mix. He also appeared alongside the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, Rakim
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. , known by his stage names Rakim , Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time. Eric B...
, and his longtime friends Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip
Q-Tip (rapper)
Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...
in a segment of the 2006 Summer Jam
Summer Jam
Summer Jam is the annual hip-hop fest held in East Rutherford, New Jersey and sponsored by New York based radio station Hot 97FM. Normally held in June, the concert features the most popular acts that hip-hop and R&B have to offer in a particular year....
concert (June 7, 2006), as part of an initiative by Busta Rhymes to honor the legacy of New York City hip hop.
In 2007, a new track, "BK Mentality", was released on the mixtape compilation Official Joints. Kane also appeared on Joell Ortiz
Joell Ortiz
Joell Ortiz is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and a member of the group Slaughterhouse.-Biography:Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath...
's The Brick: Bodega Chronicles mixtape.
Big Daddy Kane made a cameo in the 2008 video for "Game's Pain
Game's Pain
"Game's Pain" is the lead single from The Game's third studio album LAX.In the song, which features Keyshia Cole, Game makes references to The Notorious B.I.G., Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Nas, Luke Skyywalker of 2 Live Crew, Common, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, N.W.A., Ice Cube ,...
", a track by Compton rapper The Game
The Game (rapper)
Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...
. The video also featured appearances by Raekwon
Raekwon
Corey Woods , better known by the stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995, and has since recorded four solo albums, as well as work with Wu-Tang and an extensive amount of guest contributions with...
, Three Six Mafia and Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
. The Game also referenced Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's former occupation as Kane's hypeman: "Ask a Jay-Z fan about Big Daddy Kane: Don't know him, Game gon' show 'em".. He also appeared on the remix of "Don't Touch Me
Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'em)
"Don't Touch Me " is a promo single for rapper Busta Rhymes' album Back on My B.S.. It was produced by Grind Music for The Hitmen. The song samples "I Can Give You Love" by 60s/70s soul band The Diplomats . The official remix features Reek Da Villain, Spliff Star, Lil Wayne, Nas, The Game, and Big...
" by Busta Rhymes.
Also in 2009 Kane played the role of Clay in the film Just Another Day. The film is the tale of two rappers, one poor and young, one older and successful. The movie follows them through just another day of their lives.
As of 2010, Big Daddy Kane is working on a new album with his band Connie Price and the Keystones
Connie Price and the Keystones
Connie Price and the Keystones are a modern-day deep funk/"new funk" group from Los Angeles. Though the name connotes a female lead, Connie Price & the Keystones is in fact a project helmed by Los Angeles-based guitarist/producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick and his friend trumpeter/arranger...
, and Darnell Chavis from the 90's R&B group, Solo
Solo (group)
Solo is an American rhythm and blues / soul musical group.Eunique Mack, Darnell Chavis and Daniele Stokes performed on the streets of New York in the early 1990s. The production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis overheard the guys and helped them get established. The bassist Robert Anderson joined...
, called "The Last Supper". The project is said to have a classic Hip-Hop & R&B vibe to it. No date is set for the release of the album.
Legacy
Big Daddy Kane is regarded as one of the most influential and skilled golden ageGolden age hip hop
Hip hop's "golden age" is a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop—usually cited as being a period varying in time frames during the 1980s and 1990s said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political...
rappers.
MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
put him at No. 7 in their Greatest MCs Of All Time list, he is placed at No.4 in Kool Moe Dee
Kool Moe Dee
Mohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
’s book There's A God On The Mic
There's a God on the Mic
There’s a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs is a book by the old school hip hop MC Kool Moe Dee, where he ranks what he believes to be the Top 50 greatest MCs of all time, giving a breakdown of each artist...
: The True 50 Greatest MCs, and RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
lists him as one of his Top 5 best MCs.
Allmusic says, “his best material ranks among the finest hip-hop of its era, and his sex-drenched persona was enormously influential on countless future would-be players”, and describes him as, “an enormously talented battle MC”, “one of rap's major talents”, refers to his, “near-peerless technique” ” and “first-rate technique and rhyming skills” and says he “had the sheer verbal facility and razor-clean dexterity to ambush any MC and exhilarate anyone who witnessed or heard him perform”.
Kool Moe Dee
Kool Moe Dee
Mohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
describes him as “one of the most imitated emcees ever in the game” and “one of the true greatest emcees ever”, and Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
says:
"To me, Big Daddy Kane is still today one of the best rappers. I would put Big Daddy Kane against any rapper in a battle. Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, any of them. I could take 'Raw' right now and put it up against any record [from today]. Kane is one of the most incredible lyricists… and he will devour you on the mic. I don't want to try to out-rap Big Daddy Kane. Big Daddy Kane can rap circles around cats".
His first two albums are also considered Hip Hop classics and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
says, “he has received consistent critical kudos”.
In the book, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Cameron and Devin Lazerine say Big Daddy Kane is “widely seen as one of the best lyricists of his time and even today regularly gets name-checked by younger dudes”, and music journalist Peter Shapiro
Peter Shapiro
Peter Shapiro is a freelance music journalist, who has written for Spin, URB, Music Week, Uncut, Vibe, The Wire and The Times.-Literary works:*The Rough Guide to Hip-hop*The Rough Guide to Soul and R'n'B...
says Kane is “perhaps the most complete MC ever”.
Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
references Big Daddy Kane in the lyrics to his song ‘Yellow Brick Road’ from his Encore album, saying, “we (Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
and Proof
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
) was on the same shit, that Big Daddy Kane shit, where compound syllables sound combined” and he quotes the same lines in his book, The Way I Am
The Way I Am (autobiography)
The Way I Am is an autobiography by American rapper Eminem, published on October 21, 2008. It is a collection of Eminem's personal stories, reflections, photographs, original artwork, and lyric sheets...
– this illustrates how Big Daddy Kane had an influence on both Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
’s and Proof
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
’s rhyme technique.
Discography
- Long Live the KaneLong Live the KaneLong Live the Kane is the debut album by MC Big Daddy Kane, released by Cold Chillin' Records in 1988. It was produced by Marley Marl and established both him and Kane as premier artists during hip hop's golden age...
(1988) - It's a Big Daddy ThingIt's a Big Daddy ThingIt's a Big Daddy Thing is the second full-length album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane. It was released on September 15, 1989.To date, it is his most successful effort commercially, certified gold by RIAA....
(1989) - Taste of ChocolateTaste of ChocolateTaste of Chocolate is the third album by emcee Big Daddy Kane, released in late 1990 on Cold Chillin' Records. After the success of his first two albums, Long Live the Kane and It's a Big Daddy Thing, Taste of Chocolate became Kane's first album not to reach Gold sales status. The album received...
(1990) - Prince of DarknessPrince of Darkness (Big Daddy Kane album)Prince of Darkness is the fourth album by rapper Big Daddy Kane, released October 29, 1991 on Cold Chillin' Records. The album features guest appearances from Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes, and features the singles "Groove With It", "Raw '91" and "The Lover in You."-Track listing:-Samples:*"Brother,...
(1991) - Looks Like a Job For... (1993)
- Daddy's Home (1994)
- Veteranz' DayVeteranz' DayVeteranz' Day is the seventh album by emcee Big Daddy Kane, released on October 27th, 1998. The album came four years after his previous effort, 1994's Daddy's Home. Veteranz' Day received little attention, commercially and critically, and was met with mixed reviews and little sales. It was his...
(1998)
External links
- Big Daddy Kane bio The 411 on Big Daddy Kane
- The Unkut Interview
- http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/latestsub.aspx?csid1=130&csid2=870&fid1=37508 March 26, 2009 Toronto Concert Review - Exclaim! Magazine - by: Neil Acharya
- article