(Akiit.com) I have been attending live stageshows of my favorite artists since 1991, & I must say I was thoroughly impressed by many of them. Some were good, some were great, & some were impeccable. That’s how I’ll describe the most recent performance I’ve visioned to date – impeccable. Thursday September 22nd, at BB Kings in Downtown NYC, it was none other than a celebration of the birthday of the epitome of lyrical macks to ever bless the mic….. ladies & gentlemen, the John Shaft of HIPHOP: BIG DADDY KANE.
For those of you who’ve never had the luxury of seeing the God live & consider yourselves lovers of HIPHOP, true HIPHOP, you are doing yourselves a supreme injustice.As does his fellow icon KRS ONE, Big Daddy Kane definitely has the blueprint for achieving an outstanding live performance, as well as a cerebral smithereening studio recording.
Of course he fed us his ever-cherished classics such as Young, Gifted & BLACK; Set it Off; Ain’t No Half Steppin; Warm it up Kane; the Wrath of, etc. Plus, he displayed the original artform of how an emcee executes a freestyle…. not by mental spontaneity, but by simply flowing like the river Nile with magnificent, sly-as-a-fox thought provoking, razor-edged, soulquenching lyricism. As for his vocal clarity? Flawless.
The love & respect Kane possesses was seriously manifested that night by who was amongst the atmosphere of BB Kings, from obvious fans all the way from his ‘Just Rhymin With Biz’ days, to celebrity fans who are also his peers & pioneers of HIPHOP as well: Grand Master Melle Mel, Kid Creole, the Sugar Hill Gang,Tito from the Fearless 4, D.J. Jazzy Jay, Kid CAPRI, Fab 5 Freddie, D.J. Red Alert, D.J.Easy Rock, Whodini, Marley Marl, PETE ROCK, Kwame, Dana Dane, King SUN, Kangol KID, Ice T, Mack 10, Rob Base,the BEATNUTS, Sway, Shyheim, Sweet TEE{& she’s still gorgeous, THAT’S RIGHT!}, Freddie Foxxx, Director John Singleton,etc.& of course,the inhuman orchestra who recognized Kane’s microphone magic from the begining — BizMarkie. Most of, if not all of these artists were coming from the Hammerstein Ballroom where the 2nd Annual HIPHOP HONORS was being recorded by VH-1 who were paying homage to BDK as well as a variety of others. Irregardless, the majority of the aforementioned would’ve been at Kane’s blockbuster born day extravaganza anyway,because he is a sure-fire reminder to the unknowing/uncaring MTV/BET-seduced youth of today of what true EMCEEING is all about….. Mic Controller, Master of Craft, Master of Creativity, Mover of Crowds, Master of Ceremony, etc. Kane is the embodiment of all of that & then some.
As far as his stageshow is concerned, Big Daddy Kane’s audience lives by the motto : Expect the Unexpected. Not only did he dedicate the night {with a moment of noise, not silence mind u} to HIPHOP’s fallen soldiers {Jam Master Jay, BIGGIE Smalls, BIG PUN, BIG L, Tupac, ODB, etc.} but he served us an enormous platter of generosity & love by having other artists from his era {the Golden Age} also rip verses right out of their classics! And finally,for the volcanic eruption of the evening, as all the legends & veterans stood proud & UNITED on stage,the Sugarhill GANG performed the first hit ever to lead to rap music’s global domination : Rapper’s Delight. See what happens when you acknowledge your cultural roots? Big Daddy Kane does, that’s why he has been paramount as a HIPHOP recording giant & entertainer for almost 20 years now, revealing no signs of fatigue. Happy Born Day indeed, God. Peace & Soulblessings.
By SSly Shalom