Big Daddy Kane is undoubtedly one of hip-hop’s most respected MCs. The Brooklyn rapper was part of New York’s golden era during the 1980s and released multiple classic albums, including Long Live The Kane and It’s A Big Daddy Thing.
As part of the legendary Juice Crew, alongside MC Shan, Biz Markie, Masta Ace, Marley Marl and many more, Big Daddy Kane (real name Antonio Hardy) was a pillar of East Coast hip-hop. However, there is one lyricist he loves.
When deliberating about who the best rappers of all time are, last year, Hardy took to Instagram to share some of his opinions. After posting a video of himself with Busta Rhymes, Hardy uploaded recorded a piece to camera, declaring, “Let me explain something to you. Real talk. Real quick, a’ight? Hands down, greatest flow in Hip Hop. And anybody that want to dispute me on this, this is what I want you to do.”
He continued, “Listen to the original version of ‘Turn It Up’ from this man — the original version with the Al Green sample. I did this. Three times. Count it. This dude switched his flow seven times in one song. Fuck with that. Nobody’s doing that.”
In an interview with HipHopDX, Kane expanded on his love for Busta (real name Trevor Smith), stating, “Method Man has one of the greatest flows in hip-hop. I love Biggie, Bone Thugs, Eminem, Slick Rick and Snoop flow. But none of them constantly changes patterns and speed as much as Busta. He uses his mouth like a piano on the track. Flows are untouchable, in my opinion.”
However, Big Daddy Kane is not the only hip-hop legend who has insisted that Smith has potent lyrical abilities. In September 2021, Fat Joe took to social media to reveal why everyone, including himself, was scared to clash with Busta, declaring, “Fat Joe scared to do Verzuz with Busta Rhymes, and so is everybody else.”
He continued, “You gotta understand, sometimes you ever notice — you seen boxers, and they knock everybody out? People be scared to fight those boxers. Busta Rhymes is gonna outrap, and outperform anybody who goes up in a Verzuz with him. That’s a fact.”
You can see Big Daddy Kane speaking with Busta Rhymes in the video below.