Long Live the Kane is the debut album by emcee 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. Kane displayed his unique rapping technique while covering topics including love ("I'll Take You There"), Afrocentricity ("Word to the Mother(Land)") and his rapping prowess ("Set It Off"). Marley Marl displays a sparse production style - creating beats with fast-paced drums and lightly-utilized James Brown samples.

Four singles were released in promotion of Kane's first album: "Raw/Word to the Mother (Land)," "Ain't No Half-Steppin'/Get Into It," "I'll Take You There/Wrath of Kane" and "Set It Off/Get Into It." The most commercially successful of these singles were "Ain't No Half-Steppin'," which reached #53 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and "I'll Take You There," which reached #73 on the same chart, but also peaked at #21 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The other two singles did not chart, but "Raw" and "Set It Off" popularized Big Daddy Kane's high-speed style and abundant use of word play. "Raw" and "Ain't No Half Steppin'" are both described as "underground sensation" and "classic" by Allmusic's Steve Huey. "Raw" does not appear on Long Live the Kane, but a remix which utilizes the same beat does.

Big Daddy Kane's debut album contains many tracks that were later featured on greatest hits compilations. "Ain't No Half Steppin'" alone is featured on The Very Best of Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl's House of Hits, two "best of" Cold Chillin' Records compilations and over five additional hip-hop hit compilations. Nowithstanding "Ain't No Half Steppin'," The Very Best of Big Daddy Kane contains five songs from Kane's debut album. Allmusic's Steve Huey regards "'Raw,' 'Set It Off,' and 'Ain't No Half-Steppin' flawless bids for immortality haven't lost an ounce of energy."

The album is broken down track-by-track by Big Daddy Kane in Brian Coleman's book Check the TechniqueColeman, Brian, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard, Random House..

Influence

Big Daddy Kane's debut album is one of the most influential hip hop albums from the Golden Era. Kane's lyrics have been sampled and reused, his rapping style has been emulated and Marley Marl's beats have also been emulated. Nas' "Where Are They Now" - a tribute to hip hop's unknown legends - not only references Big Daddy Kane's group, the Juice Crew, but uses the same James Brown sample ("Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved") that Marley Marl used on "Set It Off." In addition, lyrics from "Just Rhymin' with Biz" have been sampled by Pete Rock & CL Smooth ("I Get Physical," "The Main Ingredient," "In the Flesh" and "Get on the Mic"), AMG "Jiggable Pie" AZ ("Rather Unique"), the Stieber Twins ("PBB Get's Physical"), Big L ("M.V.P."), Gang Starr ("Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"), the Beastie Boys ("So What'cha Want"), Real Live ("Real Live Shit (Remix)"), RZA ("Cameo Afro") and interpolated by Masta Ace ("Nostalgia" by Marco Polo) and Brother Ali ("Star Quality"). "Ain't No Half Steppin'" has also been sampled by various artists including Nice & Smooth ("No Delayin'"), Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs ("I'm Different"), The Notorious B.I.G. ("Ready to Die"), Jeru the Damaja ("Frustrated Nigga"), Elzhi ("Talkin' In My Sleep"), the Hieroglyphics ("One Life, One Love"), Blackalicious ("A To G"), K-Solo ("Letterman") and MF Doom ("Potholderz"). In addition, Gang Starr samples vocals from "Word to the Mother (Land)" on "Manifest" and Mr. Lif samples vocals from "Raw (Remix)" on "Live from the Plantation".

On "The Listening," a 2002 song by Little Brother, rapper Phonte reminisces about the Golden Age and his influences stating:

:"Back when 'fresh' was the word, and 'Raw' was on prism/

:Marley on the boards, plus Kane was Long Livin/

:G Rap and Ace spittin' murderous/

:Bought Long Live the Kane, sat down and learned every word of it/

:Sneakin' my Walkman in the homeroom, playin' it/

:Listen for punch lines, delivery and cadences"

Reception

In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. In 1999, ego trip ranked it as the sixth best hip hop album released in 1988. In 1989, Spin chose it as the twentieth best album of 1988.

It was certified as gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1989, and it remains as one of only two of Kane's albums to have sold over 500,000 copies. The other Big Daddy Kane album to reach gold status, It's a Big Daddy Thing, is the only album said to rival Long Live the Kane as the rapper's best album. Allmusic's Stanton Swihart contributes the positive reception of Long Live the Kane to Big Daddy Kane's versatility and personality:

References

Category:Big Daddy Kane albums

Category:1988 albums

Category:Debut albums

Category:Warner Bros. Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Marley Marl

Category:Cold Chillin' Records albums

fr:Long Live The Kane

pl:Long Live the Kane

Artist/Band Information

Antonio Monterio Hardy (born September 10, 1968) 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 HopKool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.303.Lazerine, Cameron and Devin, 2008, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Grand Central Publishing, p. 17Eminem, 2004, 'Yellow Brick Road', Encore, Aftermath/Shady, Interscope.Eminem, with Sacha Jenkins, 2008, The Way I Am, Dutton Adult, p. 17.Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 29.. 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."

Biography

1980s

In 1984, Kane became friends with Biz Markie, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyricsColeman, Brian, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard, Random House, p. 47.. 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”.

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.

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.

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”Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.306. and “one of the true greatest emcees ever”Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.308., 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 . 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 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”Lazerine, Cameron and Devin, 2008, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Grand Central Publishing, p. 17., 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.

Discography

Albums

Guest appearances

References