With the buzz surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Big Sean’s “Control,” an ample amount of commentary has been made in regards to rappers confronting one another lyrically. And during an appearance on MTV’s “Rap Fix Live,” rap veteran Big Daddy Kane spoke on just that as he shared his thoughts on the reactions to Kendrick’s verse and addressed his past issues with New York emcee Rakim.
According to Kane, he almost engaged in a lyrical battle of his own with Rakim after being informed of the rapper’s “Break The Wrath In Half” record and a particular lyric that called him out by name.
Any issues between the rap icons eventually fizzled out though due to a phone call between the two, which was orchestrated by Eric B.’s brother, Ant Live.
“Back then I didn’t really know Ra like that,” said Kane. “It was like me and Eric was the ones that was cool…Because of that it was a type of thing where I would never go at Eric’s emcee. It was something that I know people wanted to see and I would have loved to have seen it happen, but Eric was my man so I wasn’t gonna go at his emcee. And Rakim never went at me.”
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“But then one day, what happened was this girl gave me a photo,” he continued. “I remember it like it was yesterday. And it said, ‘Dear Kane, I want to set it off and get R.A.W. Ain’t no half-stepping’ because I’m gonna break your wrath in half.’ So, I handed to the picture to my man Ant Live who’s Eric B.’s brother. And he asked her about it and she said, ‘Yeah, Rakim got this song called ‘Break The Wrath In Half.’ You ain’t heard it? Eric B. played it for me’…So, we laughing about it, but at that point Ant was like ‘Yo, this is just getting too out of hand man. Y’all really need to talk.’ So, Ant Live called Rakim and he told me that he had a line he was gonna put in a song, but he took it out. And I told him I had something that I was gonna put in a song, but you know I took it out. And we just squashed it and left it alone.”
Prior to speaking on the squashed feud between himself and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane addressed Kendrick’s “Control” verse and revealed that he was more concerned with rappers using the verse to spawn a “Twitter battle” rather than a lyrical one.
“Well, you know when I saw all the Tweets, I was just concerned about it becoming a Twitter battle,” said the rapper. “You know? I was just basically trying to say to the emcees out there that really believe that they’re real emcees and they’re in it for the sport, ‘Okay, if you upset with what dude said then respond.’ You know? That’s what an emcee does. When Kool Moe Dee got tired of Busy Bee winning all these rap battles, he responded and went at Busy. That’s what emcees do…So, I mean if the young brother feels that even if I’m on the song with you I’m still trying to crush you then he let you know how he feel. So therefore, what you gon’ do?”
Video of Big Daddy Kane’s appearance on “Rap Fix Live” can be found below.
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