Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
When I first met Big Daddy Kane to hear his idea for the cover of his first LP, I knew the record would be a success. Kane had written several songs for Biz Markie. Not to mention that Kane is a handsome man.
Kane’s idea was to be carried in a litter by four black men in front, four black men behind, four black dancing girls throwing flowers in front of this “parade” and four black dancing girls bringing up the rear. Something about this reminded me of Mr. Peabody of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame.
I asked Kane where would I shoot this Cecil B. DeMille production? And beside, by the time I got 17 people in the shot, Kane’s face would be tiny even on the 12”.
I got the drift of his Black Caeser concept and proposed this idea...
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Big Daddy Kane
At some point in the shooting for “Long Live The Kane”, I must have made a joke, Kane laughed and I snapped a photo. Kane got pissed at the fact that I caught him
laughing...
I didn’t show this shot for quite some time...
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Big Daddy Kane
This is Big Daddy’s first press shot.
The films are in the possession of Warner Bros. Records and only when Ben Merlis who wrote the history of Cold Chillin’ and was allowee access to the Warner’s archives, was I able to recover this image.
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Big Daddy Kane
This event at the famous Apollo Theater was the debut of the Cold Chillin’ roster.
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Big Daddy Kane
Here he is live on stage at his first performance at the Apollo Theater.
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Big Daddy Kane
This is one of my most favorite shots. Period.
I call it the “Koolest Kane”.
It was actually lit this way in the studio, There are no computer tricks involved.
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Big Daddy Kane
Here Kane is wearing a Zoot suit made famous by Cab Calloway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit
The boss of The Label didn’t get the fact that Kane was reprising a famous style from the 30s.
A year later I walked past a shop in Manhattan that had a window full of these suits.
Kane was ahead of his time...
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Big Daddy Kane
Here is the cover shot for “Daddy’s Home”.
Most of the films are in the possession of MCA Records or at least were in their possession.
When I tried to get scanning access to some of the shots used in the CD booklet, I was told that much of the MCA/Universal archives were lost in a fire...
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Big Daddy Kane
Here is the cover shot for “Let Me Take You There”.
Kane and crew actually came a day late for the shoot...
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Big Daddy Kane
I did many single covers for Kane. Here he, Mr. Cee and Scoob and Scrap are on the helicopter path of Lane Pederson’s Manhattan studio, where I did the majority of my studio work.
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Big Daddy Kane
Kane rockin’ the house during his show in Bochum, Germany.
He and Ace are the most popular Cold Chillin’ acts still touring.
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Big Daddy Kane
Years later, after I moved to Germany, Kane came to do a show in Bochum, Germany.
I asked Kane if I could shoot him for “old times sake” and we met before his show.
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Big Daddy Kane
Years later, after I moved to Germany, Kane came to do a show in Bochum, Germany.
I asked Kane if I could shoot him for “old times sake” and we met before his show.
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Big Daddy Kane
This was one of four portraits of Kane, Mr. Cee, Scoob and Scrap that were used on the back cover of “It\s a Big Daddy Thing”.
I think Kane was quite comfortable working with me by this time...
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Big Daddy Kane
Kane had seen a stretched limousine with a jacuzzi in place of the trunk, driving around Manhattan and decided that he wanted to use that limo for the cover of “It’s a Big Daddy Thing”.
I arranged to have that limo come to Five Chimneys, the house of Dorian Lipman’s father. Dorian was the stylist of many covers that I shot.
When the limo arrived, it didn’t have a jacuzzi, rather a rumble seat.
We proceeded.
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Big Daddy Kane
This shot was used on “It’s a Big Daddy Thing”.
We did the shoot at Dorian Lipman’s father’s house in Old Westbury, Long Island.
Kane threw Sam the makeup artist in the pool, ruined all her makeup and she couldn’t swim, she was madder than a wet hen.
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Big Daddy Kane
By now Kane had moved from Cold Chillin’ to MCA to a record company called “The Label”.
This is a shot that was used for the cover of “Veteranz Day”.
The Label wanted to use Spencer Drate as the designer, but Kane stuck with me.
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