Big Daddy Kane

With his suave good looks and hard, smooth vocal delivery, Big Daddy Kane became rap's first niche-marketed sex symbol. In addition to his own albums, videos, and performances, he has written hits for other artists and posed nude in Playgirl magazine (June 1991) and for Madonna's 1992 book, Sex. He has been described as the Barry White of rap.

Kane grew up in the tough Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. As a child, he listened to his mother's records by artists such as Evelyn “Champagne” King; later, he discovered his own favorites in White and Otis Redding. In junior high Kane was introduced to the two worlds he would soon join: the rap world and the Five Percent Nation, an elitist black Muslim sect popular among the hip-hop community. By high school, he had begun writing poetry and looking up to the pioneering rap of Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, and Kool Moe Dee.

As his wordplay improved, Kane was asked to write material for the Juice Crew and Kurtis Blow. By 1988 his songs had been covered by Biz Markie (“Vapors” [#80 R&B, 1988] and the notorious “Pickin’ Boogers”) and Roxanne Shanté (“Have a Nice Day” and “Go On Girl”). After touring as Shanté’s DJ, Kane decided to try rapping.

For his first album, produced by Marley Marl, the songs Kane wrote for himself proved as wide-ranging as those he’d written for others. The macho posturing on “Raw” became his calling card, with the rest of the album ranging from the romantic (“The Day You’re Mine”) to the cool and funky (“Ain’t No Half-Steppin’”). Kane’s subsequent albums relied on a similar recipe. Taste of Chocolate (#37 pop, #10 R&B, 1990) provided another career highlight, as two generations of romantic vocalists were brought together when Kane duetted with White. Although he has received consistent critical kudos, Kane has also been criticized for promoting homophobia and sexism. In the ’90s he acted in movies, appearing in Mario Van Peebles’ Posse and Robert Townsend’s Meteor Man. His 1994 album, Daddy’s Home (#26 R&B), included a guest appearance by Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan. And he returned to the studio once again for 1998’s Veteranz Day (#62 R&B).

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)