Big Daddy Kane is getting his flowers in Boston. The Brooklyn legend will be inducted into Berklee College of Music’s Hip-Hop Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 19, at 8 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, as first reported by AllHipHop.
This isn’t just a plaque and a handshake. Berklee students will perform original work and new arrangements built around Kane’s catalog, and then Kane takes the stage for his own showcase set. Emmett G. Price III, dean of Berklee’s Africana Studies Division, said Kane “exemplifies this legacy, reflecting both the cultural significance and enduring influence of Hip-Hop.” You can read Berklee’s announcement here.
The IAHHM Take
If you came up on Long Live the Kane and It’s a Big Daddy Thing, you already know. Kane set the bar for breath control, stage presence and looking sharp while doing it. “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’” and “Smooth Operator” are still the reference points when people talk about MCs who could rap circles around you and still charm the whole room.
He joins a strong list. Past inductees include Rakim, Roxanne Shanté, Kid ‘n Play, Edo G, the Floor Lords, Barbara Thomas, the Wonder Twins and Berklee professor Prince Charles Alexander. The Hall of Fame is part of Berklee’s Africana Studies work, which is marking its fifth year.
The best part is the format. Having young musicians reinterpret Kane’s records in front of him is exactly how hip hop history should be passed down: hands-on, live and loud.
And Kane isn’t done. He has talked about Curtain Call, a 10-song project he plans as his final solo album, centered on adulthood, family and aging. Want more Kane? Revisit his Drink Champs sit-down.
Where does Big Daddy Kane rank on your all-time list? Top 10, or higher?
Source: AllHipHop
Pingback: On This Day in 1992: UGK Dropped 'Too Hard to Swallow' and Put Port Arthur on the Map * IAMHIPHOPMAG