Big Daddy Kane

Big Daddy Kane came to Montreal, twenty years after his last visit, on my birthday. I nearly didn’t go. I’ve had my share of rap artists landing in Montreal decades past their prime. I won’t name them now, but in the last few years a slew of rappers have performed here way too long after their hottest material. I’ve gone because the prices have been right, the chances of getting autographs were high and the sheer nostalgia still had enough to lure me.

The stars were in alignment on March 27. BDK was supposed to have performed here last December, but it didn’t happen. I had been indecisive about going to the show for months since the cancelled date. My ticket was purchased hours before show time.

When I arrived at the venue, I recognized people I knew out front. Most of the people there were in my age range and some probably saw him in 1989.

I finally made it through security and made my way to the stage. DJ Static from WeFunk was DJing at the time. A little later on, DJ Devious delivered a set he was born to play.

A. Pinks and DJ Prince were scheduled after Devious. The crowd appreciated hearing Mobb Deep’s Shook Ones, Pt. 2 and tolerated him rhyming Prodigy & Havoc’s lyrics over the infamous beat. They probably would have scored points had they rhymed their own lyrics over the beat. The reception after their performance was lukewarm.

BDK finally took the stage to an extremely receptive crowd. His body language and dare I write, swagger, made me realize what I missed at James Lyng. I realized a hip hop legend was onstage in front of me. One of the greatest lyricists in hip hop was in Montreal on my birthday! I wasn’t there at James Lyng, but I can at least say I saw BDK perform live.
 
Somewhere in the middle of the show, BDK took time to acknowledge the artists that have died in recent past. That tribute was nice, but in retrospect only served as padding to cushion the blow from his leaving the stage in under 45 minutes. All the classics like “Raw”, “Ain’t No Half Steppin’”, “Set it Off”, “I Get The Job Done” and “Warm it up Kane” were performed. The encore was the well appreciated verse from “Just Rhymin’ With Biz”.

I don’t have too much to complain about other than the show could maybe have been nearly 30 minutes longer. I enjoyed myself as did my friends and others in attendance. Thank you Kane for the classic hip hop and memorable birthday present.