Fifth studio album for Big Daddy Kane, author of two classic records and two crossover flop efforts, in the four albums he previously released. Two years after public and critics agreed on how bad his latest record was, the Juice Crew MC returns to make a comeback album à la LL Cool J. Behind the keyboards are Trackmasterz, DJ Clash, Robert Brown, Cool V, Mister Cee, Spark Boogie, Large Professor, Bomb Squad's Hank Shocklee, Gary G-Wiz and Easy Mo Bee, both of whom will join the Bomb Squad the following year. Daddy Kane has some of the best producers on the East Coast scene, but still decides he wants to self-produce more beats than anyone else, making four tracks.
The production is a faded copy of the East Coast sound of the period: simplistic funky boom bap, tight drum and jazzy sample, no rhythm leads the track alone, and the Brooklyn rapper doesn't do enough to make bangers. On these average minimal beats, Kane spits out simple braggadocio lyrics with a fluid and slow performance.
Most of these 50 minutes is in battle rap, the MC manages to build some solid cuts in the first section, but then drives on autopilot in the second half of the record (the remix of "Nuff Respect" is the only choice at the height of the first fraction), reserving some filler ballads: "Very Special" is one of his four productions, he chooses a generic rhythm, with very slow drum, rnb hook, and spoken delivery by Spinderella, who's part of the Salt n Pepa group.
Proof that the rapper didn't understand the mistakes of his previous two LPs, this song is the longest on the record. Guests don't do or say much to set the tone for the project: Lil' Daddy Shane is Kane's brother, but it's evident that he's not his heir and, in fact, he's on the last appearance on a mainstream record, while Scrap Lover and Scoob Lover seem more dancers than rappers. Overall, the album has a braggadocio soul and never strays too far from its main theme: via Reprise Records, Warner Bros. helps Marley Marl's Cold Chillin' promote the project, which shows up on the Billboard 200 and reaches the top ten in the rap chart.
What hurts, for an enthusiast, for a fan of the genre / of the rapper himself, is the fact that Antonio Hardy is really trying to come back. Look at the cover. Look how much effort he's doing. For the first time since the beginning of his career, there's no girl to accompany him on the cover: there's only him, next to the Projects, in the background a pinkish-gray sky. He's wearing a hooded jacket, he's thoughtful. He's on the street. He's returning.
If LL did it, everyone can do it, right? Well, not really. No. It's not so easy. Big Daddy Kane isn't hardcore here, he's not as smooth as in his best moments, he's not focused. He sounds calm, almost bored, unwilling. He wants to return, he's trying to return, but he cannot return. If you pay attention while listening you can feel that there's something conflicting in his performance, in his soul: it almost seems as if he wanted to stay home, quiet, wake up late, and still drink tea in his flannel bathrobe, playing the piano in the living room every now and then. He did his job in rap. He can retire now.
Highlights: "Look Like a Job For...", "How U Get a Record Deal", "The Beef Is On", "Stop Shammin'", "Nuff Respect (Remix)".
Rating: 6.5/10.
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