Big Daddy Kane Biography

The rapper known as Big Daddy Kane was born Antonio Hardy in 1968 in Queens, New York. In the early 1980’s, Big Daddy Kane teamed up with Biz Markie to form both a songwriting partnership and the duo Juice Crew, which led to his own debut single, “Raw,” in 1987. The song was an underground sensation, spawning a career which would last well up to the new millennium.

Long Live the Kane, Big Daddy Kane’s debut album, was released in 1988 and featured “Ain’t No Half Steppin’.” For the next decade, Big Daddy Kane would become an iconic hip-hop figure, releasing the albums It’s a Big Daddy Thing (1989), Taste of Chocolate (1990), Prince of Darkness (1991), Looks Like a Job For… (1993), Daddy’s Home (1994), and Veteranz’ Day (1998.) The albums spawned the R&B and rap singles “Smooth Operator,” “Cause I Can Do it Right,” “All of Me,” “Groove With It,” and “Very Special.” In addition, during this time Big Daddy Kane became known for his contributions to soundtracks and collaborations, including: Patti Labelle’s “Burning,”; “Nuff Respect” for the film Juice; and “Back on the Block,” which earned him a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1991. For his contributions, Big Daddy Kane is recognized as among the most significant of the “golden age” rappers, ranking in the top ten on MTV’s Greatest MCs of All Time list. Additional recognitions from Allmusic and the Source tout his music as among the finest of the era, establishing a style which artists would emulate for years to come.

Big Daddy Kane has continued to perform well into the new millennium. Recent projects including contributing to Morcheeba’s 2003 release “What’s Your Name” and performing “Warm It Up, Kane” at the 2005 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. The song also appears on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Most recently, Big Daddy Kane formed Las Supper alongside Lifted Crew and Showtyme, releasing the album “Back to the Future” in the spring of 2013.