Big Daddy Kane

In the rap vernacular, a crew is a group or mob that is "down" together, and sometimes up to no good.  The recently established rap label, Cold Chillin' Records, has the Juice Crew All Stars,a self-sufficient in-house tribal production team headed by Len Fichtelberg and Tyrone Williams.  Rounding out the Juice Crew All Stars is the writer or lyricist for the group, Antonio M. Hardy, better known as Big Daddy Kane.

A native of "Bedstuy" (Bedford Stuyvesant) in Brooklyn, Kane is to Cold Chillin' what Holland-Dozier-Holland was to Motown - a hitmaking mean machine on overdrive, turning out "fresh" material that captures today's sound of young America.  In addition to writing all the material for Roxanne Shante's pre-Cold Chillin' releases, Kane has also scored big for the independent label with monster hits by Biz Markie, including "Nobody Beats The Biz" and the hip hop gross out "Pickin' Boogers." Big Daddy Kane says he became a rapper because a cousin who he looked up to was so heavily into rap music in the late '70s.  He credits his development as a lyricist and performer to his association with Biz Markie.  The two young men became fast friends, hanging out and performing together in high schools in Brooklyn and out in Long Island. 

Kane has worked very closely with producer Marley Marl on session for Shante, Biz Markie and other artists signed to Cold Chillin' Records.  His songwriting ability has awed Marley Marl and the Cold Chillin' front office personnel, but they are equally excited about his prospects as a recording artist in his own right.

Kool G.Rap

Since the late 1970s,the term rapping has come to be associated with rhythmic talking over a funky beat, with a support base growing out of the heritage of scratching, breakdancing, and graffiti art.  Kool G. Rap, an artist signed to the Cold Chillin' label, is one of the best contemporary rappers on the scene today!

Born Nathaniel T. Williams on July 20, 1986, Kool G. Rap got his name from Kool Genius of Rap, but recently changed it because he thought it was "corny," not current!  A native of Elmhurst, Queens, NY, he got involved with rap music in 1986 when his homeboy Eric B. released "Eric B. for President," and Kool asked him to get him a break in the music business.  Eric B. introduced Kool G. to D.J. Polo and rap producer Marley Marl.  Out of this association came early records like "Polo Beats," and the classic "It's A Demo," an autobiographical number with a James Brown "Funky Drummer" backbeat!

Kool G. credits LL Cool J, Rakim and Melle Mel with his present style.  The former are smooth and mellow, and the latter, what Kool G. calls "hard."  His style on cuts like"Road to riches"is a combination of the hard and smooth rap traditions.  With "It's A Demo" and "Road..."under his belt, Kool G. Rap's upcoming LP I Declare War, features more autobiographical hard core rhymes, and other tunes, described as Kool as "sharp, attractive, catchy and brief..."  Go for it!