Big Daddy Kane 2003

Influential emcees are an essential aspect of Hip-Hop. Big Daddy Kane is one pioneer in particular who made sure no half-steppin' happened. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of making fast rhyming popular during the golden era of Hip-Hop (the mid-1980s to mid-1990s).

 

Being an inspiration still to this day is impressive. What's also impressive is just how valuable some of this Juice Crew member's posters can be. This is the first concert poster dive where I've found some very valuable artwork that I didn't even know existed.

No Half-Steppin' on collecting Big Daddy Kane posters

For those not too familiar with the man also known as "King Asiatic Nobody's Equal" let's do a dive. Kane started out in the 1980s, an era in Hip-Hop chock-full of notable acts: LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Eric B. and Rakim, and a host of others. This smooth operator from Brooklyn teamed up with another notable 1980s act, Biz Markie, to create songs that are revered to this day. These two also linked up with the Juice Crew, since the 80s were all about Hip-Hop crews.

Posters for shows featuring all of these acts are one of the pinnacles in collecting Hip-Hop posters. These shows were basically all-star lineups that had a little something for everybody. Stumbling across this piece of history was surprising to say the least.

A piece of history

Big Daddy Kane U of Maryland homecoming

First of all, a Day-Glo screen print oddly seems fitting for the 80s. Secondly and more importantly, look at the artists on this posters. Boogie Down Productions consisted of KRS One and Scott La Rock, and arguably in the 80s they had some of the more underrated songs out. If you're a fan of The Roots, The Internet, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals--NONE of these acts exist without Stetsasonic. The band aspect within Hip-Hop took some time to become popular.

Back to the artist at hand, Kane was part of a huge lineup. His early hits "Raw" and "Ain't No Half-Steppin" were all over the place. It should come as no surprise then due to the near-fine condition of this original that it's selling for $9,000. That is not a typo. For someone like me who tends to debate about posters around $100, this piece is a true commitment. It's a piece of Hip-Hop history as well as University of Maryland history. For those looking to spend less, there are other options.

Reproductions save the day

Original posters tend to have higher price tags due to how rare they can be. If I were one where money was no object, I'd be describing the poster above in finer detail because I'd own it. Alas, the following is more my speed.

Big Daddy Kane 1988

Posters like these tend to range between $10 and $20, and are usually pretty solid material. It can depend on what you're looking for, but big shows with names like these are my preferred direction. It'd be interesting to hear Public Enemy and Big Daddy Kane at the same concert, that in itself had to be a bit of Hip-Hop history. Yet again, Stetsasonic is in the mix; they're worth checking out on your preferred streaming service. There are other reprints you can find from more recent shows in the 2010s, but I prefer work from the height of this artist's career. Yet again the 80s have Hip-Hop worth adding to your collection.