Funky Freshed Dressed To Impress Ready To Party...

"All hail the one, that gets the job done..." I Get The Job Done - Big Daddy Kane

It was 8:15 pm on Friday November 14th, when my girl and I decided to meet in front of BBQ's restaurant for the 20th Anniversary show of Big Daddy Kane at B.B. King's.  The line went about 7 restaurants down, so obviously I misjudged the madness that was going to take place that night.  A good thing I had my ticket and a woman with clout by my side.  So as we sidestepped the line and walked inside, we realized just what kind of night it was shaping out to be.

This was not just a concert y'all, it was a night in hip hop history.  Big Daddy Kane is one of the premier MC's of all time and one of my favorites.  I was anxiously awaiting the man to step on stage and spit his verses, however I must admit, I absolutely love the trip down old school lane when the DJ's get on the wheels of steel.   You hear tracks that you completely forgot were in your collection mixed impeccably.  Along with the wicked tunes, was a video that showed us BDK in his hometown Brooklyn, NY, talking to the peeps and freaked out over the commercial influx of Starbucks & Friends in Brooklyn.  You were able to see the raw and tender side of BDK that is seldom shown and it was the grown man side that we sure are not used to.  BDK is still sexy, suave and shit, but he can still cut your ass with a lyric or two.  Don't push.

Before BDK took the stage, Biz Markie hit the Technics (or whatever DJ's use nowadays) with Mac on the side and diced it up along with Mister Cee and J.Period.  It was madness and it only got better from there throughout the night.  As of now, I could not even tell you who came after who, however here is the rundown of who came through: Biz Markie ("Picking Boogers," "Nobody," "Vapors" and of course, "Just A Friend"), Roxanne Shante ("Def Fresh Crew), MOP ("Ante Up" KILLED IT!! Crowd was beside themselves at this point), Positive K ("I Gotta Man"), Beatnuts ("Watch Out Now"), The Juice Crew ("The Symphony") and Eric Swan ("Nobody" chorus singer).  And in attendance to show their love and appreciation for BDK's contribution to the game where Eric B (sans Rakim), Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beats and Ice T.  The place was bubbling over with the old school massive making their presence known.  After all of these phenomenal acts, BDK hit the stage with a full band behind him to break it down and bring you back to the old school, to what's good and to what we know.  

One after the other he was spittin' verse by verse without missing a step.  From "Raw," "The Symphony" with The Juice Crew, "Young Gifted and Black," "I Get The Job Done," "Warm It Up, Kane" and my personal favorites "Ain't No Half Steppin" and "Set It Off" - it was on like a mutha.  Word for word the crowd was sucked back into a time warp of metaphors and slick parlay with that chocolatey smooth bravado.  The vibe was psychotic, the fans were crazed and the MC on the mic was taking no prisoners.  BDK's band was on point - imagine the soulful sax intro of "Smooth Operator" or the drum snare intro of "Warm It Up Kane," everything was tight and in sync.  He even went into a "Sexual Healing" remix during "Smooth Operator" (just a snippet of course) :

Also you know I couldn't help it, I had to get a snippet of BDK, Scoob and Scrap doing the damn thing!!  It's not as clear as I wanted it to be, but hey I got something.  And yes, they can still lift their leg AND do the splits.  I have seen it on video, but it is surely different live...LOL

And lastly, The Retro Kids where on hand to celebrate as well.  They are wicked with their multicolored high tops, gumby's and pastel colors.  And those dudes and gals can dance their asses off.  Of course, your girl did not let you down.  Sorry about the sideways action:

I know I didn't go into too much detail, but in all honesty there were no lasers, half naked booty shaking chicks and strobe lights.  It was all Kane.  And not one word I say will bring that night back to life.  It was as my girl said - LEGENDARY.  So I patiently wait for Rakim in December at the Knitting Factory and perhaps the release of The Juice Crew movie sometime soon (not holding my breath on the latter).  I've got time, but don't keep a sista waiting!

Flashback of the day:  Maaaaan, my girl sent this to me in an email and I was like I HAVE to go there.  One of Chris Robinson's first vids.  This is for the old school heads:

See y'all soon...

Tha Connoisseur