It's a Big Daddy Thing (1989)

01 It's a Big Daddy Thing Lyrics Sample
02 Another Victory Lyrics Sample
03 Mortal Combat Lyrics Sample
04 Children R the Future Lyrics Sample
05 Young, Gifted and Black Lyrics Sample
06 Smooth Operator Lyrics Sample
07 Calling Mr. Welfare Lyrics Sample
08 Wrath of Kane (Live) Lyrics Sample
09 I Get the Job Done Lyrics Sample
10 Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Lyrics Sample
11 Pimpin' Ain't Easy Lyrics Sample
12 Big Daddy's Theme Sample
13 To Be Your Man Lyrics Sample
14 House That Cee Built (f. Nice & Smooth) Lyrics Sample
15 On the Move Lyrics Sample
16 Warm It Up, Kane Lyrics Sample
17 Rap Summary (Lean on Me Remix) Lyrics Sample

If Big Daddy Kane's debut album painted him as an enormously talented battle MC, his follow-up, It's a Big Daddy Thing, finds him aggressively expanding into new territory and gunning for a wider audience outside the hip-hop faithful. Unlike later efforts, most of it is rousingly successful, making for an album that's arguably just as strong as his near-classic debut. This is where Kane starts to take his place as one of hip-hop's first sex symbols, thanks to the gliding "Smooth Operator," the somewhat dated ballad "To Be Your Man," and the Teddy Riley-produced new jack swing track "I Get the Job Done." If the latter is a blatant attempt at crossing over, with a vastly different sound than anything else on the album, it's also a player's statement of purpose. Elsewhere, Kane plays the anti-drug, pro-education social commentator, bringing his Nation of Islam beliefs further into the spotlight on tracks like "Another Victory," "Children R the Future," "Calling Mr. Welfare," and "Rap Summary (Lean on Me)." "Pimpin' Ain't Easy" sits a little uneasily alongside that progressive-minded material, not just for its obvious subject matter but for the line where Kane declares himself "anti-faggot"; nonetheless, it remains something of a favorite among fans who look past that slip. And of course, there are plenty of showcases for Kane's near-peerless technique, including "Mortal Combat," a live version of the rare B-side "Wrath of Kane," and "Warm It Up, Kane." There's some filler in the second half, like the amusing, blaxploitation-styled "Big Daddy's Theme," but overall, It's a Big Daddy Thing is a strong, varied album that captures every important side of one of rap's major talents.

Original Release Date: September 19, 1989
Label: Warner Brothers (Cold Chillin')
Time: 75 Minutes
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Music: #70,229

Altersreality Review.
Samples Used.