One cannot overstate the importance and influence that has been surrounding Big Daddy Kane ever since he stamped hip-hop with one of it’s most endearing styles back in the 80’s. The likes of Jay Z, Common and Black Thought regularly note the impact Kane has had on their understanding of the technical side of emceeing, never hesitating to place Kane in the upper echelon of hip hop history. The same can be said for the majority of hip hop fans, and though the man could be considered under-appreciated by the new “turn up” generation, I don’t think there’s a hip hop head on this planet that could hear tracks like “Raw” and “Set It Off” and not give Kane his props.
BDK was down here for a quick debut tour of Australia this past week, performing a set at our beloved Meredith Music Festival and giving both Melbourne and Sydney some smaller, intimate sideshows. It was almost too much for a dedicated hip hop fan – an undeniable “top 10” rapper in such a venue like Oxford Art Factory.
With BDK comes an appreciation of the more traditional style of hip-hop, mirrored in the support acts which brought in Australian rapper Mr Clean and rappers Brethren & Apollo Creed with DJ MK-1. Though all stumbled with breathe control at times, these Aussies gave us the fundamentals of hip hop, dope rhymes over raw, boom-bap style beats with a little bit of pop-locking thrown in for good measure. Apollo Creed was easily the best of the three, with a patient, measured flow that for the most part stayed right on the beats so deftly handled by DJ MK-1.
I’ve seen quite a few emcees from that pre-Golden Era live before, some have put on flawless performances, most have not. None of them quite match up with Big Daddy Kane. The relentless energy and technical wizardry on display in each and every rhyme Big Daddy Kane threw out to us was incredible to watch live, with his delivery and control almost too perfect to be believable.
Right off the bat, Kane jumped straight into “‘Nuff Respect” from Juice and settled into the lightning-speed before seguing into “It’s Hard Being the Kane” and the ferocious “Set It Off”, never missing a beat. I almost didn’t realise it was a medley because of how meaty the verses are, making the tracks seem like full versions even when there’s only hook-verse-hook before it was onto the next one.
Perhaps the biggest showcase of just how elastic BDK’s often-imitated-never-duplicated flow is came when he switched from fast (“Set It Off”) to mid-tempo (“The Symphony”) in the most seamless way possible, morphing into the same beast who stole the show on the classic Juice Crew cut – cool, calm, collected, and effortlessly letting it rip with witty, charming rhymes.
In my recent interview with BDK he told me that, surprisingly, it is the cities outside of the U.S that get the true Big Daddy Kane show with classic album cuts that may not get as much as love as say “Smooth Operator” and “Ain’t No Half Steppin'”. He certainly wasn’t lying. He came out swinging with “Young, Gifted & Black” early on in the set, which then turned into Prince Paul’s “Macula’s Theory”; BDK even gave us his verse from Big L’s “Platinum Plus”, underrated track “Mortal Combat”, and classic “Just Rhymin’ with Biz”.
At various points throughout his set, BDK would introduce short interludes, whether it be tributes to the likes of Jam Master Jay and Notorious B.I.G or bringing fans up to spit four bars each. But, no matter what Big Daddy Kane would do, it would always come back to the rhyme, introducing each interlude with short, sharp lines of poetry instead of just plain talking to us. It was a small touch, but added greatly to the overall atmosphere, tying everything into the art he has so clearly perfected.
Set List
NOTE: Incomplete set list
‘Nuff Respect
It’s Hard Being the Kane
Set It Off
The Symphony
Young, Gifted & Black
Macula’s Theory
Smooth Operator
I Get the Job Done
**unknown**
Just Rhymin’ with Biz
Wrath of Kane
Mortal Combat
Raw
Platinum Plus
Unreleased Freestyle
Lean on Me
Ain’t No Half Steppin’
Warm It Up Kane
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