During a newly-released interview with Vlad TV, Big Daddy Kane shared the story of when he approached Kool Moe Dee about battling. According to the Brooklyn, New York lyricist, he was about 14-years-old when he asked Kool Moe Dee, who he says was at his prime, to battle.
Big Daddy Kane says the rapper ultimately laughed at his request and told him “you don’t want it.” He added that his encounter with Kool Moe Dee is detailed in the rapper’s book.
“Think that I started taking emceeing very serious probably from the very beginning,” Big Daddy Kane said. “Because I started as a battle rapper. It was something that I was doing hoping that I could hang with my older cousin. I was going to different neighborhoods around Brooklyn battling cats back in—this started in ’82, so that’s like eighth grade. Maybe 13, 14…Before I actually got a deal I don’t think I battled any known artists. I did ask Kook Moe Dee for a battle, but he didn’t battle me. He talks about it in his book. He just kept walking saying ‘Nah shorty, you don’t want it.’ But I did ask him for a battle back in like—I wanna say around ’83…I know I was ready, but that was Moe Dee in his prime. After the annihilation of Busy Bee and those famous two bars about Melle Mel. I mean, he was the battle king back then.”
Big Daddy Kane was later asked about the transition from party rappers to lyricists in Hip Hop. He also explained why he chose to take the battle rapper route with his career.
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After detailing the type of rappers in Hip Hop during its early years, Kane revealed that he chose to pursue battle rap in order to get people to respect him.
“I think that when it comes to emceeing that there’s so many different approaches,” he said. “You have your party rappers, which pretty much is where it all originated from. With DJ Hollywood, Lovebug Starski, Eddie Cheeba, and all those guys in the ‘70s. Basic party rap. And then you have your battle rappers. Like what Kool Moe Dee was doing and several others. But then you also have your storytellers. What Melle Mel started doing in the early ‘80s. There’s so many different styles, but with me I just chose battle rap because I mean, I felt like that was the way to get people to really respect me.”
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