No-frill rappers: you will evaporate, disintegrate, deflate to your fate,
as the great will dominate straight to the state
Of reignin’, gainin’…So put Kane in
That category. Period. End of story.

Big Daddy Kane, “The Symphony,” from Marley Marl’s In Control, Volume 1, 1988. More from King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal >

Save your wack rhymes, hold your female.
Pass the Old Gold, trash the ale.
Cash your food stamps, get the WIC out the mail.
Love to eat shrimps, but I never eat snail,
Eat a whole fish except for the tail.
Keep food in the fridge so it don’t get stale,
And when there’s nothing to eat…I bite my nails.

Big Daddy Kane, “On the Bugged Tip,” Long Live the Kane, 1988. More ill quotes from the King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal…

Brain cells are lit, ideas start to hit,
Next the formation of words that fit.
At the table I sit, making it legit,
And when my pen hits the paper…ahhhh shit!

Big Daddy Kane, “Ain’t No Half Steppin’,” Long Live The Kane, 1988

Rappers act so wild, and love to profile,
Frontin’ hard, but ain’t got no style.

Big Daddy Kane, “Smooth Operator,” It’s a Big Daddy Thing, 1989

Put a quarter in your ass, ‘cause ya played yourself.

Big Daddy Kane, “The Symphony,” from Marley Marl’s In Control, Vol. 1, 1988

I won’t say I’m the baddest, or portray that role,
But I’m in the top 2, and my father’s gettin’ old.

Big Daddy Kane, “Cause I Can Do It Right,” Taste of Chocolate, 1990

When I hit the skins they all say, ‘Damn Kane…
You knock out the Bush like a presidential campaign!’

Big Daddy Kane, “How U Get a Record Deal?” Looks Like a Job For…, 1993

Friday the 13th…I’mma play Jason!

Big Daddy Kane, “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’,” Long Live the Kane, 1988

A rap pro, do a show, good to go, also
Cameo afro, Virgo, domino, I go Rambo,
Gigolo, Romeo, Friday night spend money on a ho…tel,
To get a good night’s sleep, I’m keeping in step.
Now do I come off? Yep.

Big Daddy Kane, “Just Rhymin’ with Biz,” Long Live the Kane, 1988

You gotta school these young macks comin’ up today…
I mean to be ‘frank’, they just hot dogs,
The girls are relish, and they need to catchup on they pimpin’.

Big Daddy Kane, “Nightshift,” from Positive K’s The Skills Dat Pay Da Bills, 1992

Stepping to me? Yo, that’s the wrong move.
So what you on, hobbs, dope or dog food?

Big Daddy Kane, “Ain’t No Half-Steppin,” Long Live the Kane, 1988

I get physical, mystical, very artistical…
Giving party people something funky to listen to.

Big Daddy Kane, “Just Rhymin’ with Biz,” Long Live The Kane, 1988

Now, yo: Juice Crew’s the family, Slick Rick’s a friend of me
And Doug E. Fresh, Stet, KRS and Public Enemy.
Blahzay-blah, you know who you are:
The red, black and green, the sun, moon and star.
Knowledge of self is being taught here on after,
Peace in the name of I, Self, Lord and Master.
I come to teach and preach and reaching each
With the speech every leech I’ll impeach.
Drop science and build with math,
And the dumb, deaf and blind’ll feel the Wrath…of Kane.

Big Daddy Kane, “Wrath of Kane (Live),” It’s a Big Daddy Thing, 1990. More from Kane…

Y’all niggaz ain’t rapping the same,
Fuck the flow, y’all jacking our slang,
I seen the same shit happen to Kane,
Three cuts in your eyebrow trying to wild out.
The game is ours, will never foul out,
Y’all just better hope we gracefully bow out.

Jay-Z, “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up),” Vol. 2…The Life and Times of S. Carter, 1999. More from Jay…