Kane basically delivered maybe the first album that showcased the full range that a top MC was expected to show years later. By the mid-late 90s, underground MCs could be in one lane, commercial rappers could be in another lane, but MCs who were in contention for Best MC Alive/King of NY/Whatever (the Biggies, Jay-Zs, Nases) had to do it all and do it well.
In terms of length, variety, subject matter, collaborations and multiple producers, Kane released an album in 1989 that was about a decade ahead of its time. By the late 90s, it became commonplace for rappers to release such albums, and I don't think it has ever been properly appreciated what Kane did.
- Length:
During a time when most MC's were releasing albums with 10 songs (where at least 1 or 2 of them would be DJ cuts with no rapping on them), Kane released a 17 track album (14 songs featured rapping, one was an instrumental, one a DJ cut, and one was an R&B track).
The album run-time was 76 minutes! Compare that to Kane's first album (46 minutes) or other albums from top MCs of the time: Follow the Leader (48 minutes), Strictly Business (45 minutes), Ghetto Music (49 minutes), etc.
- Variety:
Kane had something for everyone and showed his full range. Pure, hardcore emceeing ("It's a Big Daddy Thing," "Mortal Kombat," "Wrath of Kane"), songs that were hits that hip-hop purists still loved ("Smooth Operator"), songs that were hits that hip-hop purists hated on but were undeniably great and loved by the ladies ("I Get The Job Done"), crossover attempts that hip-hop purists hated and nobody loved ("To Be Your Man"), uplifting/conscious rap ("Children R The Future," "Ain't No Stopping Us Now," "Lean On Me"), conscious rap that was more controversial/edgy ("Another Victory," "Young Gifted and Black"), cautionary songs about the streets ("Calling Mr. Welfare"), controversial/misogynistic stuff ("Pimpin Ain't Easy"), old school party jams ("Warm It Up, Kane"), posse cuts ("Pimpin Ain't Easy"), songs with proteges who had limited skills ("On The Move")
By contrast, most albums released during this era showed a much more limited range.
- Collaborations/multiple producers:
In an era where things were mostly kept in-house, Kane featured vocalists (Nice and Smooth and DJ Red Alert) and producers (Easy Mo Bee, Prince Paul, Teddy Riley) from outside his camp. The Teddy Riley collabo was especially noteworthy in terms of two big names from different musical genres coming together. That became commonplace later on. Of course, Kane also had in house production from himself and Marley Marl.
In terms of length, variety, subject matter, collaborations and multiple producers, Kane released an album in 1989 that was about a decade ahead of its time. By the late 90s, it became commonplace for rappers to release such albums, and I don't think it has ever been properly appreciated what Kane did.
- Length:
During a time when most MC's were releasing albums with 10 songs (where at least 1 or 2 of them would be DJ cuts with no rapping on them), Kane released a 17 track album (14 songs featured rapping, one was an instrumental, one a DJ cut, and one was an R&B track).
The album run-time was 76 minutes! Compare that to Kane's first album (46 minutes) or other albums from top MCs of the time: Follow the Leader (48 minutes), Strictly Business (45 minutes), Ghetto Music (49 minutes), etc.
- Variety:
Kane had something for everyone and showed his full range. Pure, hardcore emceeing ("It's a Big Daddy Thing," "Mortal Kombat," "Wrath of Kane"), songs that were hits that hip-hop purists still loved ("Smooth Operator"), songs that were hits that hip-hop purists hated on but were undeniably great and loved by the ladies ("I Get The Job Done"), crossover attempts that hip-hop purists hated and nobody loved ("To Be Your Man"), uplifting/conscious rap ("Children R The Future," "Ain't No Stopping Us Now," "Lean On Me"), conscious rap that was more controversial/edgy ("Another Victory," "Young Gifted and Black"), cautionary songs about the streets ("Calling Mr. Welfare"), controversial/misogynistic stuff ("Pimpin Ain't Easy"), old school party jams ("Warm It Up, Kane"), posse cuts ("Pimpin Ain't Easy"), songs with proteges who had limited skills ("On The Move")
By contrast, most albums released during this era showed a much more limited range.
- Collaborations/multiple producers:
In an era where things were mostly kept in-house, Kane featured vocalists (Nice and Smooth and DJ Red Alert) and producers (Easy Mo Bee, Prince Paul, Teddy Riley) from outside his camp. The Teddy Riley collabo was especially noteworthy in terms of two big names from different musical genres coming together. That became commonplace later on. Of course, Kane also had in house production from himself and Marley Marl.
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