It's a Big Daddy Thing

by Big Daddy Kane

Overview

If Big Daddy Kane's debut album painted him as an enormously talented battle MC, his follow-up, It's a Big Daddy Thing, finds him aggressively expanding into new territory and gunning for a wider audience outside the hip-hop faithful. Unlike later efforts, most of it is rousingly successful, making for an album that's arguably just as strong as his near-classic debut. This is where Kane starts to take his place as one of hip-hop's first sex symbols, thanks to the gliding "Smooth Operator," the somewhat dated ballad "To Be Your Man," and the Teddy Riley-produced new jack swing track "I Get the Job Done." If the latter is a blatant attempt at crossing over, with a vastly different sound than anything else on the album, it's also a player's statement of purpose. Elsewhere, Kane plays the anti-drug, pro-education social commentator, bringing his Nation of Islam beliefs further into the spotlight on tracks like "Another Victory," "Children R the Future," "Calling Mr. Welfare," and "Rap Summary (Lean on Me)." "Pimpin' Ain't Easy" sits a little uneasily alongside that progressive-minded material, not just for its obvious subject matter but for the line where Kane declares himself "anti-faggot"; nonetheless, it remains something of a favorite among fans who look past that slip. And of course, there are plenty of showcases for Kane's near-peerless technique, including "Mortal Combat," a live version of the rare B-side "Wrath of Kane," and "Warm It Up, Kane." There's some filler in the second half, like the amusing, blaxploitation-styled "Big Daddy's Theme," but overall It's a Big Daddy Thing is a strong, varied album that captures every important side of one of rap's major talents. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	09/12/1989
Label:	Cold Chillin'
UPC:	0075992594127

Tracks

1. It's a Big Daddy Thing
2. Another Victory
3. Mortal Combat
4. Children R the Future
5. Young, Gifted and Black
6. Smooth Operator
7. Calling Mr. Welfare
8. Wrath of Kane
9. I Get the Job Done
10. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
11. Pimpin' Ain't Easy
12. Big Daddy's Theme
13. To Be Your Man
14. The House That Cee Built
15. On the Move
16. Warm It Up, Kane
17. Rap Summary (Lean on Me)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Big Daddy Kane   Primary Artist,Rap

Technical Credits

Benny Medina   Executive Producer
Teddy Riley   Producer,Composer,Lyricist
Big Daddy Kane   Composer,Producer
Gene Griffin   Composer,Lyricist
Easy Mo Bee   Producer
Donald "Duck" Dunn   Composer,Lyricist
Marley Marl   Producer
Prince Paul   Producer
Mister Cee   Producer
Al Jackson, Jr.   Composer,Lyricist
Antonio Hardy   Composer,Lyricist
Steve Cropper   Composer,Lyricist
Booker T. Jones   Composer,Lyricist
George DuBose   Design,Photography