Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers during the 'golden age' of hip hop (1986–1993), Kane's experimentation with R&B beats and his alignment to the Five Percent faction drew criticism. Later albums, such as Looks Like a Job For..., were acclaimed, but he was never able to return to the commercial and artistic success of It's a Big Daddy Thing. However, he still tours extensively and is involved in several upcoming projects. He recently featured in Morcheeba's hip hop trip song 'What's your Name'.
During 1996, before the murder of 2Pac, it was said that Pac intended to start his own label, Makaveli Records, featuring promintently East Coast acts; one of the artists he intended to sign was Kane, and the two even recorded a song before the rapper's death, entitled Wherever U Are.
Big Daddy Kane has posed for Playgirl and Madonna's Sex book. As an actor, he debuted in Mario Van Peebles' western, Posse.
Big Daddy Kane is famous for his pimp persona that is portrayed in his lyrics. He is famous for the title of his song, "Pimpin' Ain't Easy". The backronym "King Asiatic Nobody's Equal," is often applied to his moniker.
Recently (especially as of 2002), Big Daddy Kane has been increasingly doing collaborations with underground/alternative hip hop artists (ie. Little Brother, The Alchemist and DJ Babu from the Beat Junkies) and Kane has mentioned that he is not intending to release another solo album as he is looking towards a career in acting.
Discography
1988 Long Live the Kane (Cold Chillin')
1989 It's a Big Daddy Thing
1989 Back on the Block
1990 Taste of Chocolate
1991 Prince of Darkness
1993 Looks Like a Job For...
1994 Daddy's Home (RCA)
1998 Veteranz Day (Blackheart)
2002 The Man, The Icon (Landspeed)(Produced by Alchemist and DJ Babu on 2002's "Duck Season Vol. 1"
2003 Any Type of Way (Landspeed)(12" single produced by DJ Premier)
2003 Parts of the Process Morcheeba
Word to the Mother
Big Daddy Kane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get wise to the exercise
Being taught by the teacher that's most dominant
You need knowledge?
Well I'm dropping it
Listen to the rap allow it to trap
Your body and soul so that you can adapt
To the man on display as I take you away
Proud to be a black man
Coming exact and
Giving up to brothers five on the back hand
Pray for lease and peace upon each other
With my sisters and brothers
Yo word to the mother
I say the mother, as in the motherland
But on the other hand, another man
Tackled and shackled our ancestors
But we beat him with freedom, so let's bless the
Country that we all came from
Because the moral of it all is we shall overcome
The cream will keep rising
We be sizing
Up, the asiatic one is enterprising
Building and building to carry on
All the way from Malcolm x to Farrakhan
Martin Luther was a tutor, many were pupils
Those who fell victim were those without scruples
However, to sever, we could never
So hold up the peace sign and stand together
Take heed to the words that I manifest
And when I'm through speaking, Marley Marl'll do the rest
People, people, we gotta get over, before we go under
Let's get together
Yo big daddy, what you gonna say now?
Take a stand the fight for power
'Cause we've been here before the mayflower
Living superior abiding by nature
The history of the Asiatic one paid the
Price to be paid in slavery
Like the name of Antonio was gave to me
But knowledge of self broke every shackle and chain
Now I declare myself as the Big Daddy Kane
The teacher, teaching a lesson to be heard
That's word, to the mother my brother
So discover the truth of one another
'Cause here's the real deal upon our skin color
Lay down white, yellow, red or pink
But the color of black is most dominant
The rising and sizing can never cease
What you gon' say now? Peace!
In the song "Word to the Mother" by Big Daddy Kane, the rapper urges listeners to grab a hold of themselves, open their eyes, and get wise to the exercise. He explains that he is a teacher dropping knowledge and listeners should listen to his rap so that they can adapt to the man on display. Kane then expresses his pride in being a black man, and gives up to brothers five on the backhand, indicating the physical greeting of a handshake. He urges listeners to pray for peace and lease upon each other with their sisters and brothers. Kane then references the motherland, Africa, acknowledging the struggles of their ancestors and the current struggles of black people. But he reminds listeners that they overcame slavery and blesses the country they came from. He praises powerful figures from Malcolm X to Farrakhan and Martin Luther King Jr. Kane urges unity and calls for people of all skin colors to come together.
This song addresses the struggle of black people and encourages listeners to stand up for power, gain knowledge of self, and unite for a common goal. Kane also critiques the societal colorism that privilege lighter skin colors over darker ones. "Word to the Mother" is a call for all people to recognize and appreciate the history of Black people and the fight for equality.
Line by Line Meaning
Grab a hold of yourself, open your eyes
Get ready to listen, focus and learn
Get wise to the exercise
Understand and apply the lesson
Being taught by the teacher that's most dominant
Learning from one who is knowledgeable and influential
You need knowledge?
Do you want to learn?
Well I'm dropping it
I am sharing my knowledge with you
Listen to the rap allow it to trap
Pay attention to the music and let it move you
Your body and soul so that you can adapt
Allow the music to change and inspire you
To the man on display as I take you away
Listen to my message and be inspired
So may I? Yes you may
Are you ready to listen? Yes, you may listen
Proud to be a black man
I am proud to be of African descent
Coming exact and
Being precise and accurate
Giving up to brothers five on the backhand
Greeting and showing respect with a hand gesture
Pray for lease and peace upon each other
Hoping for prosperity and harmony between us
With my sisters and brothers
With my fellow Black people
Yo word to the mother
I speak the truth of our ancestors
I say the mother, as in the motherland
I am referring to Africa, the birthplace of our culture
But on the other hand, another man
However, European colonizers also played a role in our history
Tackled and shackled our ancestors
They enslaved and oppressed our people
But we beat him with freedom
We gained our freedom through struggle and resistance
So let's bless the country that we all came from
Let us honor and recognize our African heritage
Because the moral of it all is we shall overcome
Our resilience and strength will allow us to persevere
The cream will keep rising
The best among us will continue to succeed
We be sizing up the Asiatic one is enterprising
We are evaluating and recognizing the effective Asian people
Building and building to carry on
We are creating and expanding to achieve our goals
All the way from Malcolm x to Farrakhan
We have had many influential Black leaders
Martin Luther was a tutor, many were pupils
Martin Luther King Jr. taught and inspired many people
Those who fell victim were those without scruples
Those who were oppressed were not deserving of that treatment
However, to sever, we could never
We will never allow ourselves to be divided
So hold up the peace sign and stand together
We should promote and prioritize unity and peace
Take heed to the words that I manifest
Listen carefully to the message I am sharing
And when I'm through speaking, Marley Marl'll do the rest
The DJ will keep the music going after I finish
People, people, we gotta get over, before we go under
We need to overcome our problems before they destroy us
Let's get together
We should unite and work together
Yo big daddy, what you gonna say now?
What is your response to this message?
Take a stand the fight for power
We should stand up and fight for our rights and influence
'Cause we've been here before the mayflower
We have always been present and influential in this country
Living superior abiding by nature
We should live our lives to the fullest, in accordance with our heritage
The history of the Asiatic one paid the price to be paid in slavery
Asian people also have been enslaved and oppressed in history
Like the name of Antonio was gave to me
My name, Antonio, was likely given to me by slave owners
But knowledge of self broke every shackle and chain
Learning about ourselves helped us gain our freedom
Now I declare myself as the Big Daddy Kane
I am confident and proud of my identity and my music
The teacher, teaching a lesson to be heard
I am sharing an important message for all to hear
That's word, to the mother my brother
This is the truth from our African ancestors, my friend
So discover the truth of one another
We should learn about and respect each other's experiences and perspectives
'Cause here's the real deal upon our skin color
Our skin color should not define our value or potential
Lay down white, yellow, red or pink
Don't consider people inferior or superior based on skin color
But the color of black is most dominant
Recognize and appreciate the strength and resilience of Black people
The rising and sizing can never cease
Our progress and greatness will never stop
What you gon' say now? Peace!
Do you have anything to add to this message? Let's end with a call for peace
Lyrics © CAK MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTONIO HARDY, MARLON LU'REE WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind