Big Daddy Kane | |
|---|---|
 Big Daddy Kane in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Antonio Hardy |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | (1968-09-10)September 10, 1968 (age 56) Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Discography | Big Daddy Kane discography |
| Years active | 1987–present[1] |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Juice Crew |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | officialbigdaddykane |
Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage nameBig Daddy Kane, is an Americanrapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of theJuice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilledMCs inhip hop.Rolling Stone ranked his song "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" number 25 on its list ofThe 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, calling him "a master wordsmith of rap's ...golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs."
Antonio Hardy was born on September 10, 1968, inBrooklyn.[2]
In high school, Kane metMister Cee, who would later play an integral role in Kane's career when he served as his DJ.[3] In 1984, Kane became friends withBiz Markie, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyrics.[4][5] Both eventually became important members of theQueens-based Juice Crew, a collective headed by renowned producerMarley Marl. Kane signed with Tyrone Williams's (Marl's manager) and Len Fichtelberg'sCold Chillin' Records label in 1987 and debuted the same year with the 12" single "Raw", which was an underground hit. The name Big Daddy Kane came from a variation onCaine,David Carradine's character from the TV showKung Fu (1972–1975), and a character called "Big Daddy" whomVincent Price played in the filmBeach Party (1963).[6]
Kane is known for his ability to syncopate over faster hip hop beats, and despite his asthmatic condition,[4] he is acknowledged as one of the pioneering masters of fast rhyming. His sense of style is renowned and set a number of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop trends (high-top fades hairstyles, velour suits, and four-finger rings). Thebackronym "King Asiatic Nobody's Equal" is often applied to his moniker.
He released his debut album on Cold Chillin' Records in the early summer of 1988 calledLong Live the Kane, which featured the 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 theTeddy 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 theMarley Marl-produced track "The Symphony" released in late 1988, which included Juice Crew members Craig G,Masta Ace, andKool G Rap.
In 1990, Big Daddy Kane was featured on Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet on the song Burn Hollywood Burn in which he discussed the depiction of African-American characters particularly in the Jim Crow Era. Big Daddy Kane also referenced Aunt Jemima as an example of the way Black women where characterised and given low status roles, with the lyrics "And Black women in this profession / As for playing a lawyer, out of the question / For what they play Aunt Jemima is the perfect term".[7] Big Daddy Kane's lyrics can be seen to still having contemporary meaning after the company which produced the character removed Aunt Jemima from packaging 30 years after Burn Hollywood Burn was released.[8]
Big Daddy Kane appeared onPatti 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".
He contributed the song "'Nuff Respect" tothe soundtrack ofErnest Dickerson's feature film debutJuice, which starredOmar Epps andTupac Shakur, further demonstrating his fast lyrical delivery.
In 1991, Kane won theGrammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his performance on theQuincy Jones collaborative track "Back on the Block" from thealbum of the same name.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers during thegolden age of hip hop, Kane's experimentation withR&B beats and his alignment to theFive Percent Nation drew criticism.[citation needed] Later albums, such asLooks Like a Job For..., were acclaimed, but he was never able to return to the commercial and artistic success ofIt's a Big Daddy Thing. However, he still tours extensively.
As an actor, he debuted inMario Van Peebles' 1993 westernPosse, and appeared inRobert Townsend's 1993 filmThe Meteor Man. He also posed forPlaygirl andMadonna's bookSex during the 1990s.
During the early 1990s,Jay-Z toured with Kane, 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."[9]Kane himself says that Jay-Z was not 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."[10]Jay-Z was also featured on Big Daddy Kane's track "Show & Prove" fromDaddy's Home (1994), as well as in the video.[11]
In 1995, Kane recorded withMC Hammer andTupac Shakur on the rap song "Too Late Playa" (along withDanny Boy). He was also mentioned to signing withDeath Row East in 1996.[12] In 1997, Kane teamed up withFrankie Cutlass on his third single title "The Cypher Part 3" and some ofMarley MarlJuice Crew veterans. In 1998, he released his final solo album to date,Veteranz' Day. It received mixed reviews and did not sell well. However, Kane did not give up rapping and made many appearances in the 2000s.
In 2000, Big Daddy Kane appeared on Tony Touch's "The Piece Maker" mixtape alongsideKool G Rap andKRS-One. A rejuvenated Kane occasionally collaborated with a variety of hip-hop artists, includingA Tribe Called Quest,Jurassic 5,Little Brother, andDJ Babu of theBeat Junkies. He released two singles, theAlchemist-produced "The Man, The Icon", and theDJ 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'sAmistad") and the erosion of themiddle class.
Big Daddy Kane appeared on thetrip hop groupMorcheeba's 2003 single "What's Your Name".
In 2005, Big Daddy Kane was honored during theVH1 Hip-Hop Honors. After amedley of hits performed byT.I.,Black Thought, andCommon, 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 inDave Chappelle's Block Party.
In 2006, he appeared as a guest MC on the track "Get Wild Off This", produced by theStanton Warriors for theirStanton Sessions Vol. 2 breaks mix. He also appeared alongside theWu-Tang Clan,Rakim, and his longtime friendsBusta Rhymes andQ-Tip in a segment of the 2006Summer 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 compilationOfficial Joints. Kane also appeared onJoell Ortiz'sThe Brick: Bodega Chronicles mixtape.
Big Daddy Kane made a cameo in the 2008 video for "Game's Pain", a track by rapperThe Game. The video also featured appearances byRaekwon,Three 6 Mafia andIce Cube. Kane also appeared on the remix of "Don't Touch Me" by Busta Rhymes.Also in 2009, Kane played the role of Clay in the filmJust Another Day. The film is the tale of two rappers, one poor and young, one older and successful. The movie follows them through a day of their lives.
.jpg)
Big Daddy Kane appears on one track onMA Doom: Son of Yvonne—the collaboration betweenMF Doom and former Juice Crew memberMasta Ace.As of 2013, Kane was recruited by New York City power group Lifted Crew and R&B singer Showtyme to form a band called "Las Supper". The album,Back to the Future, was released on March 26, 2013.
On November 24, 2014, Big Daddy Kane discussed his upbringing, childhood influences, relationships, sexual experiences andMadonna's 1992 bookSex in an interview on theDr. Zoe Today show.[13] In 2016, he was featured onTito Jackson's single "Get It Baby" in addition to appearing in the documentaryHip-Hop Evolution.[14]
In June 2020, Kane released the single "Enough", aimed at addressing issues surrounding police brutality.[15]
Big Daddy Kane is regarded as one of the most influential and skilledgolden age rappers.[9][16][17][2][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]MTV put him at No. 7 in their "Greatest MCs of All Time" list.[9] He is placed at No. 4 inKool Moe Dee's bookThere's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs.[16]About.com ranked him No. 3 on its list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time",[26] andRZA listed him as one of his "Top 5 best MCs".[17] In 2012,The Source ranked him No. 8 on their list of the "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time".[27]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",[2] and describes him as "an enormously talented battle MC",[18] "one of rap's major talents",[18] refers to his "near-peerless technique"[18] and "first-rate technique and rhyming skills",[28] 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".[25]Kool Moe Dee describes him as "one of the most imitated emcees ever in the game"[29] and "one of the true greatest emcees ever".[30]Ice-T stated:
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 his 'Raw' "swagger" from 88 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.[9]
His first two albums are also considered hip hop classics[19] andRolling Stone says, "he has received consistent critical kudos".[31]In the bookRap-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",[32] and music journalistPeter Shapiro says Kane is "perhaps the most complete MC ever".[24]Eminem references Big Daddy Kane in the lyrics to his song "Yellow Brick Road" from his albumEncore, saying, "we (Eminem andProof) was on the same shit, that Big Daddy Kane shit, where compound syllables sound combined",[22] and he quotes the same lines in his bookThe Way I Am—this illustrates how Big Daddy Kane had an influence on both Eminem's and Proof's rhyme technique.[23]
