BIG DADDY KANE - THE WRATH OF KANE (cold chillin’, 1988)

Hot Pink and written in toothpaste. Tough, but smooooth...

Kane wearing Kane T-Shirt.

The First Album

The classic portrait

Showing off the merchandise...

In a not unenviable position with Madonna and Naomi Campbell

Makin an entrance, 1989

Still lookin smoov e nuff today...

King Asiatic Nobody's Equal. The smoothest, sharpest, flattest topped MC in the dopest crew in Hip Hop, The Juice Crew, on the hottest hot pink underground label in New York, Cold Chillin'. In his own niche, he was truly on top of the world.

Like LL Cool J, Kane managed to be a hardcore MC of untouchable reputation and a pop crossover sex symbol at the same time, claiming the title of first rapper to hold not one but two sold out shows at the Apollo for women only!
Unlike Cool J, his missteps haven’t reduced his stature, and he can still rip shop today (or at least the last time I heard him, about 7 years ago on that Jurassic 5 joint).

And he can dance! I’d like to see any of these chump rappers today manage to look tough and cut you down while doing the splits in time with his backup dancers…

For my money, as a high point of his career, you can’t go past The Wrath Of Kane. Marley Marl has those drums just chopped to def, the itching guitar figuire gets right under your skin, and Kane just daaaances on top. Looking at it in the scheme of things, it’s kind of the 1988 equivalent of a 40’s Big Jay Macneely style honking sax workout, or a 50’s Ike Turner ”Prancin” kind of thing, just a heavy backbeat and our star ripping over the top of it.

If you dig this stuff, be sure to tune into “Rampage” with Zach every Friday from 1-3pm on 106.7PBS FM, he plays roughly ’79-’92 classic and rare hip hop records and he makes my day every week.
And if you want to hear it while bumping and grinding in the cluuuuuuuub, get down to First Floor this Friday night for the first instalment of his new night. All proceeds go to keeping PBS on the air!