Antonio Mortimer Hardy (born September 10, 1968)[1] better known by his stage name, Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper. He started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group, the Juice Crew. He is considered one of the most influential and skilled MCs in Hip Hop[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. 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." [14]
Biography
1980s
In 1984, Kane became friends with Biz Markie, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyrics.[citation needed] 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. His name "Kane" came from Caine from the popular TV show Kung Fu. The "Big Daddy" came from Vincent Price's character in an old Frankie Avalon movie, Beach Party.
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 hypeman[15], 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.”[16]. Jay-Z was also featured on Big Daddy Kane’s track ‘Show & Prove’ from Daddy’s Home (1994), as well as in the video[17].
2000s
Recently (especially as of 2002), a rejuvenated Big Daddy Kane has occasionally been visible collaborating with a variety of hip-hop artists, including Jurassic 5, Little Brother, and DJ Babu of the Beat Junkies. He has 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 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.
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 his beloved track "Warm It Up, Kane" with his old dancers, Scoob and Scrap. The performance was tremendously well-received. Kane and Kool G. Rap can both also been seen briefly in Dave Chappelle's Block Party documentary. Most recently, he 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.
On June 5, 2007, Chinga Chang Records released the mixtape Official Joints, which featured "BK Mentality", a new track by Big Daddy Kane.
Big Daddy Kane made a cameo in the 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[citation needed] with the line Ask a Jay-Z fan about Big Daddy Kane: Don't know him, Game gon' show 'em.
Big Daddy Kane made a surprise appearance on the remix of the song Don't Touch Me by Busta Rhymes
In 2007, Big Daddy Kane featured on "Brooklyn (Remix)" on The Brick (Bodega Chronicles), the debut mixtape by upcoming rapper Joell Ortiz.
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][13][18]. 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”[19] 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”[18]. Kool Moe Dee describes him as “one of the most imitated emcees ever in the game”[20] and “one of the true greatest emcees ever”[21], 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”[22]. 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”[23], 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 [24]
- Singles: "Get Into It"/"Somethin' Funky"/"Just Rhymin' With Biz", "Raw"/"Word To The Mother (Land)", "I'll Take You There (Remix)"/"Wrath Of Kane"
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It's a Big Daddy Thing
- Released: September 15, 1989
- Billboard 200 chart position: #33
- R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #4
- Certification: Gold [24]
- 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"
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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"
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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"
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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'"
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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"
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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"
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Guest appearances
References
- ^ Huey, Steve (2009). "Big Daddy Kane: Biography". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:difqxq95ld6e~T1. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
- ^ a b c d e "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.
- ^ a b c Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.303.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ a b c Conaway, Matt (1998-04-28). "((( Veteranz Day > Overview )))". allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfyxqyjldje. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ a b - from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
- ^ a b Lazerine, Cameron and Devin, 2008, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Grand Central Publishing, p. 17
- ^ a b c Eminem, 2004, 'Yellow Brick Road', Encore, Aftermath/Shady, Interscope.
- ^ a b c Eminem, with Sacha Jenkins, 2008, The Way I Am, Dutton Adult, p. 17.
- ^ a b c Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 29.
- ^ a b [1][dead link]
- ^ ":: urban smarts . com | big daddy kane | interview ::". Urbansmarts.com. http://www.urbansmarts.com/interviews/bigdaddykane.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.306.
- ^ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.308.
- ^ - from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001).
- ^ Lazerine, Cameron and Devin, 2008, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Grand Central Publishing, p. 17.
- ^ a b 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
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Big Daddy Kane |
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| Albums |
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| 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"
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