The return of Big Daddy Kane

[Stephan Bobb]

The return of Big Daddy Kane

Opinion by Kyle Eustice

Jul 14 • 6 min read • Updated 2w ago

LL COOL J dropped The F.O.R.C.E. in 2024, his first solo effort since 2013's Authentic. With the same ferocity he unleashed on albums like Bigger and Deffer and Mama Said Knock You Out, Mr. Ladies Love Cool James flexed his lyrical prowess alongside several other hip-hop vets, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Busta Rhymes, and Fat Joe. Simultaneously, he honored the new generation by featuring Saweetie on the sensuous single "Proclivities." It was all Big Daddy Kane needed to hear to reignite his desire to record again.

"LL COOL J came and played his album for me," Kane remembers. "We sat in an alley, just sitting there listening to it and bumping it from the truck. I told him how phenomenal I thought it was, how lyrical he was on there and the diversity that he showed. He was like, 'It’s that time, not just for me, but for you, too. We need to do this right now.' To see that fire in him and also him wanting to share that light, I was like, ‘Maybe you’re right.'"

The more Kane thought about it, the more he could hear Busta Rhymes’s voice, who'd been encouraging him to get in the studio for over a decade. LL COOL J took it a step further and had Q-Tip reach out to Kane, which only strengthened his resolve to record again. So, with a renewed sense of urgency, Kane got to work, laying out what would eventually become Curtain Call, his first full-length project in nearly 30 years.

Though Kane is adamant he never lost his spark for rhyming, he was somewhat discouraged when it came to penning new material.

"There’s people that came to me and asked for verses, and I’ve delivered," he says. "I guess I just lost the spark for making new music. I never got into this business to win a Grammy, a BET Award, or anything like that. This is something that I did to be the dopest MC.

"When I started making records, I just wanted to really satisfy my fanbase. That’s all I ever really did this for. Whatever luxuries, bonuses, and perks came with it were after the fact, but that’s not what I got into it for. When you see or feel like what’s happening in the culture is not appreciated, it’s like, ‘What’s the need?' I have a strong enough catalog and can live off it."

Big Daddy Kane also saw his peers releasing albums he felt didn't get the proper attention or recognition they deserved, prompting him to pump the brakes on new music even harder.

"I never felt like I was too old or nothing like that," he clarifies. "I just felt like a lot of artists from my era and what they were doing wasn't appreciated. People that always say, ‘Yo, I don’t like today’s music. So-and-so needs to drop a new album.' OK, so-and-so dropped a new album, and you didn’t support it.' I just felt like it wasn't necessary."

But, as evidenced by the response on Instagram, there was a void Big Daddy Kane needed to fill. On June 18, Kane officially announced to his one million followers that his final album, Curtain Call, is on the horizon. While he doesn't have a specific release date for the 10-track project (yet), he's planning for it to arrive sometime in September. Much like LL COOL J, he recruited a mix of hip-hop legends and new-gen rappers to go bar-for-bar with him, including his son Tasheem Hardy, Conway The Machine, Busta Rhymes, Anthony Hamilton and Jadakiss. The beats were provided primarily by a blossoming producer out of Charlotte, North Carolina, King Yohannes.

"I think that it’s very important to nurture the next generation," Kane says. "With this music thing, it’s not gonna stand still. There was a time when Elvis Presley was on top of the world, then came the Beatles, then Aerosmith, then Kid Rock, and whoever else. When a new, younger generation of artists comes out, I want to support them. If I have the opportunity of meeting them, I want to give them the game. I want to tell them my story. I’d love to answer any questions that they may have. I want to encourage them."

Kane, too, is encouraged by the number of artists who are respecting the craft of lyricism. From Clipse and Raekwon to Nas and Slick Rick, hip-hop seems to be returning to its roots and veering away from the sometimes vapid content dominating the charts (though he's well aware there's a place for all of it).

"It's been happening-just not at the forefront all the time," he says. "But it has been happening. Lyrics are something that really transcend. When someone says something meaningful, it sticks with you. It’s something that may have happened to you, where you understand where this artist is coming from, or you feel that this artist understands what you’re going through. That’s very important with lyricism.

"There’s a lot of artists that’s been creating that type of movement. But in my opinion, the change is going to come when a 17- or 18-year-old understands or sees that movement, embraces it, and brings it to the forefront. That’s when you’re going to really see the change."

For now, Kane is content to continue his legacy, one he built on the strength of albums like Long Live the Kane (1988), It's a Big Daddy Thing (1989) and Taste of Chocolate (1990). Fans have been waiting since 1998's Veteranz Days for Kane to return with a full body of work. Now that the cat is out of the bag, he's been flooded with messages online.

"It's been getting a great reception," he says of the Curtain Call announcement. "Some people are even saying things like, ‘This can’t be your last!’ So I’m very, very appreciative. I’m just hoping that everybody that’s into Big Daddy Kane supports it."

Simultaneously, Kane understands that his core fans are now full-fledged adults, aged 45 to 60. Lyrically, he's in his grown-man era.

"There’s certain things that we need to be talking about," he explains. "I don’t think it’s necessary for us as adults to be talking about turning up at the club, popping bottles, selling drugs or busting a gun. There’s more mature subjects, and when I say more mature, I don’t mean back pains or how hard it is to raise these kids [laughs]. I just mean grown folks talk. That’s real shit, and that’s what we delivered on this project."

One particular track on the project, "Manifest," featuring Ghostface Killah, finds the two rap titans trading bars about not getting stuck in the past.

"The past was the past, but we have to evolve and move on," he says. "So ‘Manifest' is talking about manifesting your destiny, moving on, not trying to bring back the good old days, moving on and evolving with time. I have a song with my son, which features Anthony Hamilton, called ‘It’s Your Time.' When he spits his verse, he’s talking to me like, ‘Yeah, message received. I got it from here.' It's about passing the torch."

Once Curtain Call arrives, Kane plans to do a few select dates that will include wine tastings, another sophisticated touch that plays into the "adult" vibes of the album. And while Kane loves touring and connecting with his fans, the time he spends with his 13-year-old son is invaluable.

"I like traveling, and I love being on stage, but I don’t like being away from my son," he says. “Even though he's in his own little world, knowing that he's in the next room, I feel safe. I feel happy. It's the best feeling in the world."