Big Daddy Kane (New York) talks about influence, the current state of hip-hop, top 10 lists, and more

If your list of “top 10 emcees of all time” doesn’t include Big Daddy Kane, then fuck your list (I’m looking at you Billboard). The man born Antonio Hardy is a true pioneer in the game, someone the phrase “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper” applies to ten times over, and for the first time ever, he’s heading to Australia for a couple of shows. The masterful wordsmith is planning three sets across the country, one as part of Meredith Festival, one in Melbourne, and one in Sydney. Ahead of his arrival down under the AU review had a chat with the man himself, touching on his career, influence, opinions on the current state of hip hop, and the obsession people have with ranking emcees.

On the phone, the man is calm and laid-back, just as you’d expect from listening to classics like “Smooth Operator” and “Ain’t No Half Steppin”, letting me know that he’s expecting an energetic crowd when he comes down here, and that we can expect the same from him. We’ll certainly have reason to be energetic too, as Kane plans on giving us not just the hits, but also the classic album cuts that remain anthems for any passionate hip hop fan like “Young, Gifted & Black”.

“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.” –
ICE T

It’s a bit surprising that countries outside of the U.S would get more from BDK while the U.S shows would be all about the greatest hits, but BDK explains to me that it’s because he’d usually perform as part of a bill at a U.S show, with about 30 minute sets. “The set is longer when I leave [the U.S] so we have a lot of albums songs”, he says, adding that “it’s not like America where people me maybe two or three times a year.”

Aside from what he’s bringing us as a live performer, I really wanted to get into where Big Daddy Kane is at in his career right now. Most recently, he formed a soul-rap-jazz fusion band called Las Supper, who released a well-received album, Back to the Future a few years ago. The band, a collaboration with fusion band Lifted Crew and vocalist Showtime, puts Big Daddy Kane over live instrumentation as opposed to just the traditional emcee-DJ combo and gives him a new format by which to adapt his impeccable style. The project came from a desire to “really create something where we could take vintage soul and combine it with vintage hip hop over live instrumentation and make it all work.”

Other than Las Supper, Kane seems to want to get deeper into film. He has a movie coming out in January called Exposed, where he acts opposite Keanu Reeves. He’s also wrapped up a movie with Lorenzo Lamas called Movie Madness, and seems open to the possibility when I bring up the hypothetical of a Juice Crew biopic, given that Straight Outta Compton has been such a huge success story this year. “It’s going to be kind of hard because they’d have to find someone that’s just damn gorgeous. But I’d definitely on board making sure they find that someone”, he says.

Reflecting on his time coming up in the 80s and 90s as one of the quintessential emcees, I also wanted to get his perspective on the current state of hip-hop, which is undeniably different to back then. Nowadays there is less of a distinction between the sound of one city and the sound of another, with an example being the Houston style and how embedded that is, in not just hip hop outside of the third coast, but also the mainstream pop world. “I think it’s great to see hip-hop artists in the south get their shine and show their of interpreting hip-hop”, BDK starts, also adding that he thinks “it’s real wack to see New York artists, or artists who are not from the south, trying the sound southern”.

Discussing something even more current, I asked him about his view on the divisive “Downtown” by Macklemore, of which he had nothing but positive things to say. “The fact that he included [Grandmaster] Caz, [Kool] Moe Dee, and Mel[le] Mel on there just makes it spectacular to me. It’s one of those moments where I say like ‘damn, Caz is my idol and I never put him on a track…I feel bad, I feel like a piece of shit right now”.

“Even today I use some of his ideas for my own show. His flow was sick: He was condensing, stacking rhymes one on top of another. Trying to keep up with him was an exercise in breath control, wordplay, speed and imagination. He was relentless on the mic.” – JAY Z

Another current topic in hip-hop which I wanted to get BDK’s perspective on was the ever contentious “top 10” in hip-hop, which has been added to discussions, mainly because of an infuriating and unbelievable list put together by Billboard which most controversially omitted rappers like 2pac, Kool G Rap, and even Kane himself. “I think everyone should breathe easy about that Billboard thing”, he says, “I mean, that’s like going to Sarah Palin and asking her ‘who are the top 10 rappers?’.

“When I look at [social media] and see people saying ‘Kane you my top 10, you my top 5, you my top 3…you the greatest rapper of all time’, that’s when it means something to me”, he added, “What Billboard saying doesn’t mean shit to me because they aren’t hip hop”.

It’s hard to argue with that. Any list without BDK or Kool G Rap is usually null and void when it comes to talking about hip hop, which is why the Kane’s debut Australian tour is such an important (and overdue) moment to the many Australia rap fans who live and breathe the music and/or the culture. Tracks like “Raw” and “Warm it Up Kane” are indelible when it comes to talking about the greatest rap records of all time, and that’s just getting to the surface of Big Daddy Kane’s rich and consistent catalogue.

You can read the full transcript below, and also check out the dates for the tour which is proving the be unmissable for hip-hop fans.

This is your first time doing shows in Australia, what are you expecting from us and what can we expect from you?

I’m expecting an energetic crowd. I’m looking forward to enjoying myself and I’m most definitely looking forward to putting on a great show since no one has seen me perform over there before.

Do you ever slightly alter your set list or performance style when you’re touring outside of the U.S?

Oh yeah all the time! When I’m in the U.S I normally just stick to the hits that were successful on the radio, but when I leave the country and go other places, I do a lot of the album cuts like “Young, Gifted, and Black” and so on.

I would thought it would be the other way around

Nah, first of all in American, the sets are much shorter because it’s normally a bill with a bunch of artists so you’d be on stage for like 30 minutes tops. The set is longer when I leave the country so we have a lot of album songs. And it’s not like in America where people see me maybe two or three times a year. We’d go to somewhere like Europe like once a year, once every two years; in Australia’s case, it will be the first time ever.

Recently you’ve been performing with Las Supper, has that changed the way you approach live performances?

Well most of my career has always been with a DJ. I’ve seen a lot of hip-hop artists that perform with bands, and I just didn’t like the way it looked, but I ended up trying it one time with Connie Price & The Keystones and it was amazing. I’ve been hooked ever since.

What was the idea behind forming with Las Supper and can we expect any more material there?

Las Supper was pretty much taking one soul singer – Showtime – and a rap pioneer – myself – and put it with a young, hip-hop, soul slash dance band – Lifted Crew – and merge it all together to really create something where we could take vintage soul and combine it with vintage hip hop over live instrumentation and make it all work.

Given the fact that you are a pioneer in hip-hop. As someone who has seen hip-hop rise to where it is now, what are your current feelings about the state of hip-hop and what has it been like to see it grow outside of the U.S?

I think that it’s beautiful. Hip hop is a culture, but there’s also music in hip hop, and music is for the world. To see fans from all over embrace the music side of hip-hop I think is wonderful and that’s what it’s here for. But then, on the other hand, I’ve also seen them embrace the culture; to go different countries and see people who have done their homework, who have studied the history of hip-hop and are familiar with names like Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, who don’t just dress like Lupe Fiasco or Wale, but also like Run DMC and LL Cool J, I think that’s amazing, that’s beautiful.

Back in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s there were clearer distinctions between hip hop coming out of certain states and cities in the U.S. Nowadays you have a cross between most sounds, like for example Houston’s sound is embeded in the commercial pop world. What’s your perspective on these kind of breaking down of state barriers. Is it just a product of new rappers coming up at a time where somewhere like the south is all over the radio?

I think it’s great to see hip-hop artists in the south get their shine and show their way of interpreting hip-hop. I think’ it’s beautiful to see that, but I think it’s real wack to see New York artists, or artists who are not from the south, trying to sound southern. You know, I think that certain people just need to be them and stay true to what they are; let the south live and do what they do.

Atlanta was all over the radio during the early 2000’s. Do you feel this is more of a product of influence. Where people are growing up where they are taking that change aboard and taking that influence on?

You know that southern style of hip hop has been popping in the game since Outkast, Ludacris, Cash Money, and Master P, it’s just been growing stronger and stronger. But at the same time, when you had a Ludacris song, you had a Jay-Z song; when you had a Lil Wayne song, you had a Kanye song. There’s always been those different sides, but it seems like nowadays everybody is trying to sound south.

Getting to something else. Mackelmore’s “Downtown” is one of the biggest songs of the year now, and it goes back and re-visits and re-introduces the world to [Grandmaster] Caz, Melly Mel, and Kool Moe Dee. I respect the fact that he didn’t go for the obvious 90’s revival, going straight back to the heart of hip-hop. What’s your perspective on the song and do you feel 80’s gets the respect it deserves or is it often overshadowed by the 90’s in conversations about hip hop?

I think that the “Downtown” is a fun record. It’s a fun record and you don’t often see that in hip-hop anymore where people are just having fun. The fact that he included Caz, Moe Doe, and Mel on there just makes it spectacular to me. It’s one of those moments where I say like “damn, Caz is my idol and I never put him on a track..I feel bad, I feel like a piece of shit right now”. I think it was beautiful and I have nothing but the utmost respect for Mackelmore for doing that.

You’re often referred to as one of the most influential emcees of all time, especially by the likes of Jay Z and Common, who both have built upon your style. What was it like for you seeing all these big names paying homage to you. Are there any particular artists in the current generation who you see yourself in?

That’s wonderful man. You can go sit and have a conversation with artists like Ronald Isley and Patti LaBelle…they’d all explain to you that no one stays on top forever. So you have another generation that comes after you that respects your body of work, or idolises you, or wants to achieve what you’ve achieved, or they achieve that but take it to the next level – it’s beautiful, you feel like you’ve touched someone, you’ve impacted someone’s life.

When you first came out with “Raw” and all the way up to Veteranz Day, you remained one of the most versatile emcees hip-hop has ever seen. You had the harder songs, the more melodic and soul songs, and everything in between. How important was it for you that you cover all these bases?

Well with me, I’m an emcee, but I’m also an artist. So as an artist my way of thinking was always like “okay, I need to make something for the streets, but I also need to make something for the ladies, for the young heads that want to wild out, something for the mature crowd who want to chill. I want to make something that black people, white people, Asian, Latino people etc can understand and relate to”. So I try to cover all bases when I’m making an album. Music is irreversible.

Speaking of Veteranz Day. What was the decision behind making that the last Big Daddy Kane solo album?

That’s a story I don’t want to go into but as you said, it is what it is. I will say that I had a lot of fun making the album, I enjoyed all of the studio work that went into the album, I can’t really say the same about the business side, but the studio work I really enjoyed, and I think that during recording Veteranz Day is when I really understood all the mistakes I was making as an emcee, and I think I perfected it all on the album.

You’ve got a movie coming out with Keanu Reeves, right?

Yeah it comes out mid-January 2016. I think they changed the title from Daughter of God to Exposed. I think they felt that Daughter of God sounded to religious. But yeah, I play a drug dealer on there that Keanu’s character thinks murdered his partner. He is a great actor, I really enjoyed working with him

Speaking of movies. I guess the hip-hop biopic has got such attention now that Straight Outta Compton has been such a huge success. If there was ever to be a Juice Crew biopic would you be on board? Who would you want to have playing you?

It’s going to be kind of hard because they’d have to find someone that’s just damn gorgeous. But I’d definitely on board making sure they find that someone.

What’s next for Big Daddy Kane. Is there anything in the works that you can talk about or would you ever release another solo album?

Well you know, more film stuff. Apart from the Keanu Reeves project, I’ve also just finished filming a movie with Lorenzo Lamas called Movie Madness. Film stuff is really what I want to get into, and we’re also in the process of creating this hip hop stage play production.

To wrap up, I kind of wanted to ask you. There’s been a lot of talk lately of Top 10 lists in hip-hop. Who is on it and who is not, and what not. Billboard put out that list recently and people started tearing it up. I think people who are more than casual fans wouldn’t take it seriously if you, Kool G, or Rakim weren’t on it, but where do you think this obsession with ranking emcees comes from?

I think everyone should breathe easy about that Billboard thing. I mean, that’s like going to Sarah Palin and asking her “who are the top 10 rappers?”. Billboard is a magazine, they focus on the top selling artists and songs that got the most radio play, so that’s what they are going to base their stats on. That’s what their opinion is on, that’s all they know; they don’t know how to sit down and listen to the lyrical content or the stuff that real hip hop fans base it on.

When I look on Twitter or Instagram and see people saying “Kane you my top 10, you my top 5, you my top 3..you the greatest rapper of all time”, that’s when it means something to me. What Billboard [is] saying doesn’t mean shit to me because they aren’t hip hop. When I see real hip hop fans who listen to the music, then I’m like “okay, that’s what’s up”, that’s what I respect, those opinions I value. Everyone shouldn’t stress about it, it’s not that serious.

Big Daddy Kane Australian Tour

Sunday 11th December
Meredith Music Festival, Supernatural Amphitheatre, Mt Mercer