I don't know what to say. Thank you so much for this.
To answer your question, I want to say that it did, but I don't think West Coast rap hurt Kane specifically. The East Coast in general was affected by it. Almost overnight, The Chronic and Doggystyle became these monster albums and a lot of rappers had to adjust to what was going on. Up until The Chronic, the most popular hip hop was.....gimmicky, you could say. MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Arrested Development. The biggest acts were making more pop-oriented hip hop. Public Enemy was the exception to that, but I feel like their aggression spoke to white people who loved hard rock and heavy metal. That Anthrax collaboration didn't just happen for no reason.
The Chronic wasn't that. It wasn't pop, it wasn't rock, it was the same kind of hip hop EPMD and X Clan was making, just smoother. Jimmy Iovine felt like he could market Dre and Snoop to white people and it worked. I don't think they were trying to cross over. They just made really good rap music and it blew up. And it had a gangsta edge to it, so now, the entire industry had to keep pace with them.
Death row was made to be a huge pop explosion purposefully.
As Jimmy knew before he was pitched sonically what dre was and has oublically said this. As eell as rhe pitch from then security management from rmb's top draw in suge knight. Backed publically for showcases and engineering by Harry o.
Death row was made to and put on with Jimmy to take over .
Jimmy knew how to beat rnb from besting Stevie with u2 at the grammy's. All Jimmy needed was a black artist who had the sales in that old production era deal. To capitalize.
Plus every point would be in Jimmy's favor. Even if he gave away a precedent making deal to make it so and make it happen.
i had to separate your response.
as the superficial pop explosion in the world to change and destroy the protection mechanisms in hiphop culture. To cause what we see happening now in hiphop being non distant moving forward. Unless certain things take place.
Kane really didn't have a chance with all these changes, so even if he was selling and putting out dope albums at that time, he would have been forced to change his image. We would have gotten gangsta Kane rapping fast about killing someone during a drug deal.
A lot of people on here are clearly only familiar with two or three of Kane's well known songs, and that's it. It's obvious based on how you characterize his skills and music.
Please go listen to It's a Big Daddy Thing. That album was actually ahead of its time.
This was a neg career damning move.
That was not Ahead of its time as a pop centric attempt to purposefully go rnb.
It was a purposeful bad direction that signaled complete doom as a draw and in hiphop culture. You were ostracized for selling out.
Yes it had these records.
Yet kane always had that as a component of having knowledge of self. In the actual prohibitive tale of rap eras start.
Alternatively to that.
kane purposefully souled't out in the very first video on the second album. That the album had to be restrategized. Then they hit us with his opus second single video from this album.
Yet the direction of this album was a rnb submission originally.
Just the subsequent next rnb direction album flop mantra was just beginning. For ll and kane. That kane releasing:
Best vocal tonality and clarity on a smooth rap record ever.
Saved the album in perception to casuals. To the culture. Meaning hiphop culture. Not the misappropriated word culture like those revenue grab culture thieves. Who misappropriate the word culture thief. Sd culture vulture. If amyone say culture vulture to you. They are a culture theif.
in hophop culture meaning actualized skilled people of the pillars of hiphop. It was noted.
that this album lacked in every possible way. Plus it was rhe album.
that introduced ripping fans off in the golden era. By omitting the studio recorded wrath of kane white label b side.
that DISTINCTLY aided in keeping kane.
who kane was perceived as, then as well. To put off what would be the death knell of quincy Jones. followed up by the conclusive for the time career damning taste of chocolate. After the second album.
As kane struggled skill wise in the sonic landscape change going pop horrifically.
It was not till after that. That kane released it looks like a job for. That recommended kane as being kane. Yet being looked at as vulnerable. after g rap number one with a bullet to the stykes war era. Plus the subsequent technical renaissance ushered in by nas. While the Westcoast dominated from a pop sector. Over rmb rock and pop in public perception. To further add to ruthless records runs the world.
Yet at the time.
We could have and should gangsta that period of time. Into being called the death row runs the world era. Which was brough upon by the pop explosion of nikkaz4life with white people as mtv darlings.
.Jimmy iodine just took it another level. Amidst confusion of rock being dead before the Seattle explosion. So Jimmy needing a new industry lead draw and direction. Built of being the alternative to the Jerry seller hair metal public vigilante model.
Also was taking place to create this world. Where the last remnants of hiphop protection mechanisms have been destroyed. To arrive at this very point in 2025. Where it will never move in a positive direction. Just that of a larger period of erosion and doom.
Art Barr