Big Daddy Kane |
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Kane's follow-up album, "It's a Big Daddy Thing" was yet another solid album. However, at this point, people were starting to realize BDK's sex appeal, including the Kane himself. Sure, the beats were still solid and Kane still managed to deliver more of his trademark rhymes, but he was beginning to lose that hardcore edge which propelled him to Hall of Fame status in "Long Live the Kane". It's weird, but you really get the feeling that Kane was trying to appeal to all audiences, and I mean ALL audiences. Check out the people who contributed to this album: Teddy Riley, Easy Mo Bee, and Prince Paul (!!!). After listening to this album you really begin to wonder if this was the same BDK behind 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Wrath of Kane' as it was on 'Smooth Operator', 'To Be Your Man', and 'I Get the Job Done'. Oh well...he still remained one of the premier MC's of '89 while greatly expanding his fan base to the almighty R&B crowd and beyond. Kane's following three releases "Taste of Chocolate", "Prince of Darkness", and "Looks Like a Job for..." fully exploited this newfound sex appeal. He was doing duos with Barry White in the song 'All of Me' and was appearing on the covers of nearly every magazine which featured black music (Right On, Word Up, Black Sounds, etc.). All this exposure came at a very steep price, though. With each successive release, the quality of Kane's rhymes and delivery were decreasing to accompany the much slower and less complex style of music which appealed to the much larger R&B pop audience. This was very unfortunate for Kane, as his true audience, the underground hip-hop crowd, was beginning to disown him completely, lablelling him as a sellout. To add insult to injury, the video for 'All of Me' was voted one of the cheesiest videos in Much Music's (Canadian version of MTV) Fromage '93, beating out Liza Minelli and teenage hearthrobs Nelson (and that's no joke!!). The much-maligned Big Daddy Kane did attempt a comeback in 1994 with the release "Daddy's Home". It starred some of hip-hop's finest MC's of the time, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang, and featured the production of the great DJ Premier and Easy Mo Bee. Sadly, the incorporation of the newer and fresher talent of '94 only served to highlight how weak and out of date Kane was in comparison to these superstars. It would also mark as the last time Big Daddy Kane was to ever make a record. One of the sad things about hip-hop is how some of our greatest artists get completely forgotten and dismissed by many in hip-hop music. Although many people would not think to mention BDK's name among the names of MC's who've pushed the artistic boundaries of hip-hop music, he is just as responisble as artists like KRS-ONE, Rakim, and Kool Kieth for elevating the art of emceeing to the level it is at today. Remember: "It's the Kane in the flesh/of course I'm fresh/Oh, you thought that I was rotten, huh, I beg you're pardon/...Could I be weak/Why I'm rather unique/I got style, flavour, grace, plus a special technique...". Albums
Singles
Additional Tracks
Web SourcesBig Daddy Kane bio from MCA Records Big Daddy Kane from "Street Heat" |
Guest Appearances
Marley Marl "The Symphony"Marley Marl "The Symphony, Pt. II"
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Erase Racism"
Heavy D & The Boyz "Don't Curse"
H.E.A.L. "Heal Yourself"
Kool G Rap "#1 With A Bullet"
Treacherous Three "We Wit It"