Big Daddy Kane says that Macklemore should be celebrated, not criticized, for his single “Downtown” single with Ryan Lewis, whose video features Rap pioneers Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz. Macklemore also featured the rap veterans Sunday (August 30) in his VMA performance of the song.
“REAL TALK!!! I don’t see one artist in the game that put Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee or Grandmaster Caz on their new song or let them perform on the VMA’s (Including Me) but people wanna have a problem with @macklemore for paying homage to them?” Big Daddy Kane wrote on Instagram yesterday (August 31). “We don’t acknowledge our own & get mad when another color does. Now if one of them passes, then we wanna post shit about them, say RIP & get t-shirts with their picture. FOH!!!!!!! Learn about your history & preserve it now. If not, SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! To me this is about real pioneers getting recognition in today’s society.”
BET then wrote about Big Daddy Kane’s post, which he says he appreciated. But he says the site could have covered the situation differently.
“It would mean so much more to Hip Hop if you took this time to interview Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Gransmaster Caz about being featured on this new song & what it’s like working with the younger generation,” Big Daddy Kane says. “Please consider a story on these true Hip Hop pioneers. Thank you for your time.”
Bid Daddy Kane’s social media posts are as follows:
For additional Big Daddy Kane coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
Real talk!
too bad the songs a blackface rendition of uptown funk
too bad uptown funk is a rip off of prince. dumbass
i mean both songs are just copying motown and pop hits from mj pop music is just terrible today
The song is terrible. Giving Mack the benefit of the doubt that he’s not just including legends to try and force acceptance; the music is still really bad. It’s really awesome that Mel, Caz and Moe Dee are getting love and exposure, but it sucks that it happens to be on an awful shit song.
I’m not sure that putting Mel, Caz, and Moe Dee would give Mack any sort of ‘acceptance’ seeing how 99% of anyone that watches the VMA’s or buys a Macklemore album has likely never even heard of any rapper who was popular before 1995.
From hip-hop in general. From vets and heads only saw him as a pop-rap cornball. Now they love because they feel included. It’s not about the child fans that see them, it’s about the vets that see the child fans seeing them.
Everybody have their era Big daddy Kane talking like he was suppose to be the praised forever everybody gave them old heads their just due then besides half this generation don’t know who yall is and that’s a hard fact to accept but accept it and do some investing or some shit also trying to stay relevant will only take the shine away from some unknown talent
Hip Hop is the only genre of music that forgets about the greats. We are quick to jump up and say they are doing this to be relevant and nobody wants to hear them anymore because they’re old. Meanwhile Rolling Stones, ACDC, Van Halen and countless other bands can still exist and their fans appreciate them for what they’ve done. That’s dope. Hip Hop is the only genre that has this you’re too old mentality and it’s wack. Big Daddy Kane is right. If one of them died then we’d be screaming RIP to one of the greats instead of celebrating thin while they’re alive.
If it weren’t for the horrible, horrible chorus you could argue that the song is an ode to the old school, but the chorus just makes it sound like it’s aimed for 12 year old hipsters.
Kane is right though. At least he’s paying homage and showing some of the pioneers some love. I’d take Kane’s thoughts on this over just about anyone else.
the chorus is easily the best part of the song
People will hate no matter what… there’s nothin you can do lmao
Sure, I can. Not give it any attention.
Wack is wack I understand if the beat was an old school sounding beat like early Rick Rubin type beat dat he use to do for ll but the shit sound like a.Broadway musical kane frontin he know the shit wack much respect for grandmaster caz melle and Kool Moe Dee but for real the shit wack and corny white folks pumping dat bullshit up white garbage and not because he white the song is straight garbage em prolly laughing at this bullshit
Racist
Lmao after all that, you do realize that Rick Rubin is white right? Second off that beat isn’t really Rubin sounding at all, Rubin always had either a distorted scratch/electric guitar on the 1, the only thing that you can say even resembles a rubin beat is the kicks, and claps. Third quit acting like you even know anything about anybody from the treacherous 3, or the furious 5, or Caz, because you obviously don’t…I mean you name dropped Rubin, and LL….basically the most well known producer, and most well known rapper out of the 80s….hmmmm weeeiiirrrd maybe because you don’t know shit about the early days of hiphop, but wanted to spout off thinking you were gonna sound like you knew what you were talking about….anybody that knows early hiphop could tell your wack and don’t know shit…I don’t even like that downtown song, but I give props for showing some love to some prioneers…Now take your ignorant ass to the record store and actually learn something before you come back trying to sound smart.
“We don’t acknowledge our own & get mad when another color does,”
And that is why, hip hop is at where it’s at today. You talk to the average black teenager, they don’t know what the 4 elements of hip hop are. They don’t know the difference between a rapper and an emcee. Meanwhile, the whites are appreciating what WE created and are taking it away from us because we allow it with our ignorance. Why doesn’t the young generation see this?
This is true. I am 49 and watched hip hop from the beginning. The biggest travesty was once it became world wide while still underground i.e. (my opinion) not Run-DMC Raising Hell (crossover) but Eric B & Rakim Paid in Full, Beat Street tried but was hollywood scripted in a package. I think once rap or rappers were selling/accepted for their rhymes. that’s what they were identified for. Then soon after the legends were shelved. Next was rappers that would be allowed to rap over the bridge of an R&B song. 90’s next.
AR- much respect for ur point. but innovation and progress requires reinventing the rules. Disco died because it didnt except techno. Punk died becuase it didnt except alternative/new wave. funk died because it couldnt except pop. categories and traditions are meant to be broken. I grew up
worshipping the Sex Pistols, Bad Brains, De La Soul, Krs-One and NWA becuase they broke all the rules. Now i worship Jay-Z and Drake for doing the same IMO (heads shaking). Respect the bold. Hiphop and the 4 elements are awesome but there is room for re-invention and real acceptance. Krs-one said an mc is supposed to “move the crowd”. Thats what great MCs today are doing…
Up to 9 elements now… but I totally back what youre saying. The average listener of of hip-hop music (regardless of race or age) isnt much more than some bullshit “music consumer” …having no knowledge or respect for the Culture of Hip-Hop (capital-h-i-p, capital-h-o-p)… just listening to the shit because its the dope thing to do…the same muthafuckahs who rolled up into the theatre to see Straight Outta Compton but couldnt tell you who was even in NWA..
I remember when melly Mel lived in ma building back in the 80,s but know one really knew he was the shit till he moved out,,big up melly Mel word up…
This is some industry fuckery.
Come on, that motherfucker had our pioneers dancing and picking him up on their shoulders.
What the fuck is this meatball nigga talking about? And nigga, I love Kane. But, come on?
Shit, what about asking “Why dont the pioneers humble themselves and not seem so critical of any and everything”? I saw an interview on VladTV where Caz pretty much used the age-old “I dont agree with todays rap” speech. Nigga, nobody wants to hear that shit, just like they didnt want to hear their mothers and fathers complain about Hip Hop not being music in the 80s.
I mean for real tho you on here talking shit. First of all how did you stuble apon this site? to do so you searched it. And his video has over 5 million hits. Personally I like and respect every thing Mack is doing. He is not one of this pop off rappers talking about drugs and what chick he hit. Don’t get me wrong I play every thing. But this dude is making feel good music, clean music. He is a outside the box rapper in class you can’t even compare to must others at this moment. Breaking boundary that must don’t dare to cross.
let’s point to the hypocrisy…..he showed the pioneers of the game…..have you listened to any of their music? You claim to be impressed by Mack’s out the box style, well he’s showing you the guys who inspired his out the box style and did this feel good music first. What say you about them and their internet hits. Nothing. You can keep your fraudulent praise because the actual message has been lost in your fandom of this one man.
I totally agree with big daddy on this one. A rapper gets to a certain age and you forget bout them. Mello who and grandmaster who!!!.., but you quick to criticize others for recognising them. Hip hop is the genre of music where people and so called fans forget the history.
Macklemore’s performance was the best one imo and he can spit. Like him or not you gotta respect him and his hustle.
2 Da teacher nigga I been listening 2 hiphop since 79 or 80 fam I lived and breathe hip hop and yes I know Rick Rubin white plus I’m hip to cold crush brothers melle mel and the treacherous three. So it ain’t nothing you can tell me about rap I seen it all and then heard it all from t la rock to utfo to the juice crew I am hiphop so the little comment homeboy is out the door I seen rap come to what it is today I grew up in the entire 80s heard all the run dmc just ice b.d.p any shit u name I heard because I’m hiphop so for real the shit is wack as fuck
♫ I dont normally listen to “new” music … BUT when a musician gives old-school hip-hop its due respect it makes me take notice:
Macklemore’s new song “Downtown” is catchy … but the fact the audio track, music-video, and recent MTV VMA performance featured some of my favorite emcees of all-time–old-school legends Grandmaster Caz aka “Casanova Fly” (of The Cold Crush Brothers), Melle Mel (of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5) and Kool Moe Dee (of The Treacherous 3)!!!–made me instant fan!!!
Even bought the mp3 on Amazon this morning (its unusual for me to pay for new “industry” music) … as a show of my love/respect for the track and the musicians ♫
Why you on a current hip hop news site if you don’t like modern music?
Kane got a point
Man, if it wasn’t for white dudes, Hip-Hop wouldn’t even EXIST any more. Black dudes in the hood don’t even listen to Hip-Hop, they listen to trap music. If you go to a concert of MC that makes Hip-Hop music, you see 90% white people. If you go to a concert of a trap rapper, you see 90% black dudes. It’s the truth, you can’t deny it. I NEVER see nobody bumpin’ ‘Hip-Hop’ music in the hood. They all got the same 5 trap songs playing in every car that rolls by. I haven’t had a ‘Hip-Hop’ conversation with a black dude in the hood under the age of 35 in years. But any white hipster dude you meet is up on his Hip-Hop shit. Just like Kane said, black people don’t support their own, but then when other people show ’em love, they get mad. Young blacks only support their own when it’s violent, or sexual, or ignorant. It’s fucked up, but it’s true. Lil’ Flappy could kill someone in cold blood and they’ll be wearing ‘free lil’ flappy’ shirts. But if Lil’ Flappy’s name was just MC James Edwards, and he was rapping about positive shit, they wouldn’t give a flying fuck if he got locked up. Kane knows. Kane does shows now and sees no black people under the age of 35 at his shit, but he sees mad white kids that know all his lyrics. It’s gotta be very disappointing, when as a rapper, you feel like you were part of this movement that was created largely (not exclusively) for black people, and now the only black rappers that attract young fans are the ones that promote violence on every song. Where did it take such a drastic turn?
Im 44 Italian father and a husband groing up in Montreal and Why do we bash on someones head when they do good. Black,white, yellow, green, blue, purple doesn’t mean sh!t ! A good man is paying respect to good people with his music so why all the fuss about nothing ?
Enjoy the music that all ! Worry about war, hunger and homeless people in your community that will be a positive thing to do. Period end of story