Veteranz Day - Big Daddy Kane

The Big Daddy Kane who was righteously catapulted atop hip-hop's hierarchy with certified classic albums Long Live The Kane, and It's A Big Daddy Thing unfortunately quickly diminished his impeccable reputation by attempting to become hip-hop's version of Barry White/Dolomite. BDK began to spiral out of control with the release of 1990's Taste Of Chocolate and he has fought desperately, yet unsuccessfully ever since to recapture his crown. D-Day has finally arrived for Kane, as his seventh and supposedly last (we all know how long emcees stay retired) very appropriately entitled LP Veteranz Day is finally ready for mass consumption. Thankfully, Kane seems to have listened to those who clamored for him to bring it back to the streets. Another unexpected twist was that Kane choose almost exclusively to keep things in house, producing all but 4 of its 13 full-length endeavors. Big Daddy shows his versatility flexing lyrical muscle over "Terra N Ya Era." With "Entraprizin" Kane makes sure to reiterate that the wrath of Kane has yet to cease. The end to end burner here is "Unda Presha," as Daddy spits rhymes galore, going straight for the jugular displaying the killer instincts which were so prevalent in his earlier days. However, all is not well for Kane as previous shortcomings do eventually creep their way into the setting. Not ready to give up on his prince of darkness alter ego, "Change This Game Around" is a very lazy ode to his favorite pastime of hitting skins. Giving it up for the old school he thanks everyone for "2 Da Good Tymz" a clumsy attempt at a club track, which is hampered by unoriginal production. Expectations were low for this project, but this is most definitely Kane's best body of work since Looks Like A Job For, and much more of a cohesive effort then the last debacle he brought forth. Although not breaking any new ground, Kane does deliver enough quality cuts to keep fans from writing out his death certificate prematurely. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide