Big Daddy Kane

Big Daddy Kane

Big Daddy Kane in 2009
Background information
Birth name Antonio Monterio Hardy
Also known as BDK, Dark Gable, King Asiatic Nobody's Equal, Blackanova, Count Macula
Born September 10, 1968 (1968-09-10) (age 42)
Origin Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York
Genres Hip hop
Occupations Rapper, Producer
Years active 1984–present
Labels Cold Chillin' Records (1986-1993)
MCA Records (1994)
Mercury Records (1998)
Associated acts Juice Crew, Biz Markie, Kool G Rap, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan
Website officialbigdaddykane.com

Antonio Monterio Hardy (born September 10, 1968)[1] 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 MCs in Hip Hop[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. 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." [13]

Contents

Biography

1980s

In 1984, Kane became friends with Biz Markie, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyrics[14]. 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).

1990s

Big Daddy Kane appeared on Patti Labelle'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.

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”[2]. 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.”[15]. Jay-Z was also featured on Big Daddy Kane’s track ‘Show & Prove’ from Daddy’s Home (1994), as well as in the video[16].

2000s

A rejuvenated Big Daddy Kane occasionally collaborated with a variety of hip-hop artists, including Jurassic 5, 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.

In 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.

Legacy

Big Daddy Kane is regarded as one of the most influential and skilled golden age rappers[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][17]. MTV put him at No. 7 in their Greatest MCs Of All Time list[2], he is placed at No.4 in Kool Moe Dee’s book There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs[3], and RZA lists him as one of his Top 5 best MCs[4]. 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”[5], and describes him as, “an enormously talented battle MC”[6], “one of rap's major talents”[6], refers to his, “near-peerless technique” ”[6] and “first-rate technique and rhyming skills”[18] 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”[17]. Kool Moe Dee describes him as “one of the most imitated emcees ever in the game”[19] and “one of the true greatest emcees ever”[20], and Ice-T 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"[2].

His first two albums are also considered Hip Hop classics[7] and Rolling Stone says, “he has received consistent critical kudos”[21]. 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”[22], and music journalist Peter Shapiro says Kane is “perhaps the most complete MC ever”[12]. 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”[10] 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[11].

Discography

Albums

Album information
Long Live the Kane
  • Released: June 21, 1988
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #116
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #5
  • Certification: Gold [23]
  • Singles: "Just Rhymin' with Biz", "Ain't No Half-Steppin'", "Raw", "Word to the Mother (Land)", "I'll Take You There (Remix)"
It's a Big Daddy Thing
  • Released: September 15, 1989
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #33
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #4
  • Certification: Gold [23]
  • Singles: "Smooth Operator"/"Warm It Up Kane", "I Get the Job Done"/"Big Daddy's Theme", "To Be Your Man"/"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now", "Rap Summary (Lean on Me)"/"Long Live the Kane"/"Wrath of Kane"
Taste of Chocolate
  • Released: October 30, 1990
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #37
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #10
  • Singles: "Cause I Can Do It Right"/"Dance with the Devil", "All of Me"/"Cause I Do It Right (Remix)", "It's Hard Being the Kane"/"Who Am I?"
Prince of Darkness
  • Released: October 29, 1991
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #57
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #25
  • Singles: "Ooh, Aah, Nah-Nah-Nah", "Groove with It", "Raw '91", "The Lover in You"
Looks Like a Job For…
  • Released: May 25, 1993
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #52
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #9
  • Singles: "How U Get a Record Deal?"/"Here Comes Kane, Scoob and Scrap", "Stop Shammin'", "Very Special"/"Stop Shammin'"
Daddy's Home
  • Released: September 13, 1994
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #155
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #26
  • Singles: "Show & Prove"/"In the PJ's"
Veteranz Day
  • Released: April 28, 1998
  • Billboard 200 chart position: -
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #62
  • Singles: "Uncut, Pure"/"2 Da Good Tymz", "Hold it Down"/"Unda Presha"

Guest appearances

Year Song Artist Album
1988 "The Symphony" Marley Marl In Control, Volume 1
1990 "Erase Racism" Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Wanted: Dead or Alive
"Burn Hollywood Burn" Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet
1991 "Heal Yourself" H.E.A.L. Civilization vs. Technology
"Nuff Respect" V/A Juice OST
"Don't Curse" Heavy D & the Boyz Peaceful Journey
"The Symphony Pt. 2" Marley Marl In Control Volume II: For Your Steering Pleasure
1992 "#1 With a Bullet" Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Live and Let Die
1993 "Close the Crackhouse" Professor X Puss 'N Boots (The Struggle Continues)
1994 "We wit It" Treacherous Three Old School Flava
1995 "In the Game" Red Hot Lover Tone #1 Player
1996 "Too Late Playa" MC Hammer Too Tight (unreleased)
"Know Da Game" Frankie Cutlass Politics & Bullshit
1999 "3 to the Dome" Sway & King Tech This or That
"Macula's Theory" Prince Paul A Prince Among Thieves
2000 "Platinum Plus" Big L The Big Picture
"Class of '87" Tony Touch The Piece Maker
2001 "Three's Company" Marley Marl Re-Entry
"Discosis"
"Loaded"		 Bran Van 3000 Discosis
2002 "Stick Up" Afu-Ra Life Force Radio
"A Day At The Races" Jurassic 5 Power in Numbers
"The Man/The Icon" DJ Babu Duck Season Vol. 1
2003 "What's Your Name" Morcheeba Parts of the Process (The Very Best of Morcheeba)
"Come Get It" Soul Supreme The Saturday Nite Agenda
2004 "Remember This" V/A Hug a Stranger
"Welcome To Durham" Little Brother The Chittlin' Circuit
2005 "Flame On" V/A Urban Car Tunes 2
2006 "We Do" Snoop Dogg Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (Tha Mixtape)
"Boom!" V/A Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture Dave Chappelle's Block Party
"Get Wild Off This" Stanton Warriors Stanton Sessions vol. 2
2007 "Next Up" UGK Underground Kingz
"The Garden" DJ Jazzy Jeff The Return of the Magnificent
"Brooklyn (Remix)" Joell Ortiz The Brick: Bodega Chronicles
"Cameo Afro" RZA The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai OST
2009 "When I Get There" Grandmaster Flash The Bridge - Concept of a Culture
"Unpredictable"
"Mega Fresh X" Cormega Born And Raised
"The Power of Music" Kristine W The Power of Music

References

  1. ↑ Huey, Steve (2009). "Big Daddy Kane: Biography". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:difqxq95ld6e~T1. Retrieved 2009-03-28. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "The Greatest MCs Of All Time". MTV.com. 2006-03-09. http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2006/emcees/index5.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.303.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 By Alvin "Aqua" Blanco. "Reviews / Music : TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE: RZA". Allhiphop.com. http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2009/01/22/20803725.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Huey, Steve (1968-09-10). "((( Big Daddy Kane > Biography )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:difqxq95ld6e~T1. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Huey, Steve (1989-09-15). "((( It's a Big Daddy Thing > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dpfrxqy5ldse. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Conaway, Matt (1998-04-28). "((( Veteranz Day > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfyxqyjldje. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 - from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lazerine, Cameron and Devin, 2008, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Grand Central Publishing, p. 17
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Eminem, 2004, 'Yellow Brick Road', Encore, Aftermath/Shady, Interscope.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Eminem, with Sacha Jenkins, 2008, The Way I Am, Dutton Adult, p. 17.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 29.
  13. ↑ ":: urban smarts . com | big daddy kane | interview ::". Urbansmarts.com. http://www.urbansmarts.com/interviews/bigdaddykane.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  14. ↑ Coleman, Brian, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard, Random House, p. 47.
  15. ↑ "Big Daddy Kane – The Unkut Interview | unkut.com - A Tribute To Ignorance (Remix)". unkut.com. http://www.unkut.com/2007/09/big-daddy-kane-the-unkut-interview/. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  16. ↑ Bush, John (1994-09-13). "((( Daddy's Home > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3ifpxqyhldje. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Swihart, Stanton (1988-06-21). "((( Long Live the Kane > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfrxqy5ldse. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  18. ↑ Henderson, Alex (1990-10-30). "((( Taste of Chocolate > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fpfrxqy5ldse. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
  19. ↑ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.306.
  20. ↑ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.308.
  21. ↑ - from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001).
  22. ↑ Lazerine, Cameron and Devin, 2008, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Grand Central Publishing, p. 17.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database: Big Daddy Kane". http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Big_Daddy_Kane&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2007&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2008-11-08. 

External links

Big Daddy Kane
Albums
Long Live the Kane · It's a Big Daddy Thing · Taste of Chocolate · Prince of Darkness · Looks Like a Job For... · Daddy's Home  · Veteranz' Day
Singles
"Set it Off" · "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" · "I'll Take You There" · "I Get the Job Done" · "Smooth Operator" · "To Be Your Man" · "Cause I Can Do It Right" · "It's Hard Being the Kane" · "All of Me" · "Groove with It" · "How U Get a Record Deal?" · "Very Special" · "In the PJ's"  · "Uncut, Pure"
Related articles
Juice Crew · Cold Chillin' Records