Big Daddy Kane Quotes

Big Daddy Kane is a pioneering rapper and lyricist known for his smooth delivery, complex wordplay, and charismatic stage presence. He has played a significant role in shaping the development of hip-hop music and has influenced generations of artists with his contributions to the genre.

If you come on stage rocking the same LRG shirt and Ed Hardy jeans that two people in the crowd have on, then what makes you different than them?

I've always called Puff like the greatest promotion person in this world - for himself and for his artists - better than anybody I've ever seen in my life.

One of the smartest things I ever did was move to ... -Big Daddy Kane

One of the smartest things I ever did was move to North Carolina.

Life ain't a piece of cake for me.... -Big Daddy Kane

Life ain't a piece of cake for me.

Actually, I was supposed to battle Rakim back in '... -Big Daddy Kane

Actually, I was supposed to battle Rakim back in '89.

Rakim is a great rapper, but, you know, he's not a... -Big Daddy Kane

Rakim is a great rapper, but, you know, he's not a battle rapper.

Premo is one of those producers that I've always had a lot of respect for. I've always thought that he's just extremely talented. More importantly, he's one of those dudes that just sticks to his formula, like if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you call 'Rapper's Delight' an old-school record, I agree with you. If you call Sugar Hill Gang old school, I agree with you. Not because they came out in '79 or '80, but because in 2002, that's still the way Hank and Mike rhyme.

I want to be remembered as a combination of Malcolm X and Marvin Gaye, a strong black leader and a sexy entertainer.

I don't get too political in my music, because some people tend to get bored with the message: I say what's necessary and leave it at that. The books of Malcolm X go deeper than any song. But entertainers can be educators. Music touches the soul. Knowledge touches the mind. When you combine the two, you capture the whole.

I have ultra-strong respect for women that respect... -Big Daddy Kane

I have ultra-strong respect for women that respect themselves.

I think that a lot of battle rappers have a difficult time making songs because they don't know how to do a song format. They're so stuck in that whole battle rap mentality that really all they want to do is just kick rhymes.

I wanted to be different. I wanted to address everyone. I wanted to address the hood, but also the people that was getting money. I wanted to address the men and women, the kids and the adults.

Eminem is a major star. Em and JAY-Z have achieved things that I have never came close to achieving in my life. They are both major stars in Hip Hop. And to top it off, they are both very lyrical.

When I came up with KRS-One and Rakim, everybody had to step their lyrical game up to build a fan base.

Think that I started taking emceeing very serious probably from the very beginning. Because I started as a battle rapper. It was something that I was doing hoping that I could hang with my older cousin.

Ol' Dirty used to come out to Queens and spend the... -Big Daddy Kane

Ol' Dirty used to come out to Queens and spend the night at my crib a whole lot.

When people in the street say, 'You're in my top f... -Big Daddy Kane

When people in the street say, 'You're in my top five,' that means the world to me.

Rap is good for politics because when you make a rap record, you put good music on a track and people listen to you. It's easier than trying to preach.

Production-wise, 'Looks Like a Job For... ' is an incredible album. I think that the weak point of the album was really me.

I hope everybody out here is supporting hip-hop an... -Big Daddy Kane

I hope everybody out here is supporting hip-hop and trying to make it continue on.

I don't want people to think that I'm bigger or be... -Big Daddy Kane

I don't want people to think that I'm bigger or better than anyone out there.

I think that when it comes to emceeing that there's so many different approaches. You have your party rappers, which pretty much is where it all originated from. With DJ Hollywood, Lovebug Starski, Eddie Cheeba, and all those guys in the '70s. Basic party rap.

I think 'Long Live the Kane' was pretty much a real boxed-in mindset with me just doing what I represented in the hood.

Shyheim, I took him on the road with me on the Budweiser Superfest. He was like 15 years old, too young to be on a tour sponsored by a beer company.

I always thought that was very important, to be able to deliver great lyrics and also put on a great performance, to have that type of visual where people would take to it, where they'd want to dress like you or have pictures of you hanging up on the wall.

I made songs in the late '90s and the early new millennium that didn't succeed very well, but songs that I made in the late '80s, early '90s, they stood the test of time. I respect those songs for keeping me relevant.

I think that a lot of times you have artists that ... -Big Daddy Kane

I think that a lot of times you have artists that try to deliver a positive message.

There's rappers out there that don't even know how to rhyme. They take someone else's words and go with it. To each his own.

With New Edition it would get to the point where kids would have their New Edition posters; say like it was in a household of sisters. Each sister would have also have an individual poster of the member of New Edition that they liked. Now that's star power.

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