There are many Hip Hop aficionados who would place Big Daddy Kane on their list of the culture’s all-time greats. But which emcees make BDK’s Mount Rushmore?
Big Tigger recently spoke to Big Daddy Kane for V-103’s The Big Tigger Morning Show on Audacy. The conversation included the “Ain’t No Half Steppin'” performer naming his personal Top 4 rappers in history.
“If we’re talking during that era of late 80s, early 90s, I would say myself, [KRS-One], Rakim, and [Kool G Rap]. It changes with each era,” said Big Daddy Kane. He added, “There are artists that did great things in their era, so I acknowledge them that way. I mean going all the way back to Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz, those cats.”
Big Daddy Kane rose to prominence in the 1980s. The New Yorker released the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold-certified studio albums Long Live the Kane in 1988 and It’s a Big Daddy Thing in 1989.
Marley Marly’s classic 1988 posse cut “The Symphony” featured Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Craig G, and Big Daddy Kane. That song became extremely influential in Hip Hop with later rappers incorporating elements of “The Symphony” into their own music.
Big Daddy Kane took part in the show-long celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary at the 2023 BET Awards. The 54-year-old Golden Age representative shared the stage with Kid Capri, The Sugarhill Gang, MC Lyte, and D-Nice.
“To get another 50, I believe that we need to bridge that gap between the older generation and the younger generation,” Kane told Big Tigger. “We had our shot, we did our thing, we’re still around, and we have a fan base that supports us for our catalog. So we’re not trying to threaten the younger generation, not trying to replace them.”
BDK also stated, “I would love to sit down with the likes of like Lil Uzi Vert or Kodak Black or Migos, any of these cats, just to build. I think that’s what’s important when there can be a connection where the past generation can talk with the future generation and give them game.”