The friction between some veteran rap artists and their younger counterparts has been well documented and discussed in recent years, but Big Daddy Kane is looking to break that trend, as the hip-hop legend went out of his way to bestow rap star J. Cole with praise.
In a clip posted on social media, Kane, who recently interviewed Cole as part of his forthcoming Netflix documentary, Paragraphs I Manifest, revealed that the North Carolina native is his current favorite spitter out of the new generation.
“A lot of people are coming to people like us now and giving us our flowers while we still here,” said Kane, while standing alongside Cole. “But listen, damn that. I wanna give this young brother right here his flowers. On the real. I want this brother right here to know that he is my favorite MC out right now. This is the brother right here that makes me feel like hip-hop is still alive and here to stay, when I listen to this here brother spit and I listen to his music.”
Visibly humbled by Kane’s sentiments, Cole simply replied, “Love, bro. Thank you man,” before adding “Legendary. Sh*t.”
The moment was undoubtedly a monumental one for Cole, whose adulation and respect for his predecessors is well-documented. In 2013, Cole released the song, “Let Nas Down,” on which he voiced his regret for leaving Nas unimpressed with his 2011 single, “Work Out.”
Cole’s conversation with Kane is the latest as the latter prepares to unveil Paragraphs I Manifest, which includes appearances from some of the greatest lyricists in hip-hop history. Eminem, Jay-Z, Common, KRS-One, Doug E. Fresh, and more have contributed to the documentary, which has yet to receive an official release date.