
The KRS v. Big Daddy Kane VERZUZ was the matchup of two of the most influential rappers of the Golden Age. It was indeed a night of hip-hop, a celebration of the elements, B-boys (OG B-boys no less) demonstrating their craft, DJs serving scratch battle disses, freestyle acapella raps, and of course bars; more bars than the French Quarter and Austinās 6th Street combined. The guest list alone was extraordinary.
Joey Crack served as the announcer. He paid homage to Swizz and Tim for holding āusā down during the pandemic and creating a space for the culture. He then introduced the legendary DJs who would be spinning Kid Capri and DJ Scratch. Fat Joe then brought out the legendary MC, the Blastmaster, the Teacha, the legend KRS-One. KRS-One appeared, and Brooklyn showed love. Fat Joe then introduced Big Daddy Kane, who didnāt make an immediate appearance. Crack informed the crowd that they were having a technical difficulty, āit aināt hip hop without a little technical difficulty.ā
KRS wasnāt having any of it, and with a dismissive, it aināt no technical difficulty heās hiding in the dressing room. With a āF*ck this sh*tā KRS starts out with āBoogie Down Productions will always get paid; weāll take the wackest song and make it better; remember to let us into your skin, Cause then youāll begin, to masterā¦.ā The beat to Criminal Minded dropped, and KRS started the first verse just as Big Daddy Kane made his appearance on stage. āCriminal Minded youāve been blinded . . . āand it was on and poppinā. The Arena was rocking, DJ Capri cutting the audio and letting the crowd handle āCause girls look so good, but their brain is not ready, I donāt knowā..
Kane took the mic after the initial salvo and responded with a cut I wasnāt familiar with, and in my humble estimation, didnāt seem to match the energy of KRS. However, his voice was strong, the tone identical to the records from which heās known, and while not as energetic as KRS (who is), he definitely was spitting bars.
KRS followed up with Still #1, the crowd went nuts. Kane shines on Young, Gifted in Blackā¦a hip-hop moment is happening, it is clear to all that experience it; if you were there then and you are here now, it was All The Way Live.
KRS follows up with the iconic intro of an acapella recorded voice asking āAre You A Philosopherā and the Scott La Rock scratched response of āyes, yes, I think very deeply.ā Iām immediately transported to the highest of 7 hills, a tape cassette playing this eternal classic as I cruise, music on full blast and in the bliss reserved for youth, an actual moment of nostalgia.
Kane then went to work!
KRS drops Step Into A World and dawns on me that this song, so reminiscent of the craftās early going days, is actually from 1997. The stage turns into a display of the dance element of the culture. BBoys make an appearance, including the OG of popping. Younger dancers are doing no-handed windmills and move so fresh and athletic they damn near seem unreal. KRS exits the stage with the crew in tow.
Not to be outdone, Kane introduces the legend himself, Krazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew. At the conclusion of the breakdance battle, Kane absolutely torches the Mic with Wrath of Kane. Kaneās hat is literally off, and the crowd is anticipatory and hyped. Hearing the trackās frenetic pace, the quickened samples in the production, and Kaneās rapid-fire delivery, itās hard to fathom the precision required to pull this track off live. But the energy it generates is undeniable; the Barclays is on fire, and Kane is wielding the flamethrower and torching the mic.
KRS returns from his backstage respite and perfunctorily states, āIām not doing that fast sh*t.ā The beat drops, and itās the intro to the classic South Bronx. A bold choice; I mean, the battle is in Brooklyn, after all. The audience is not as rambunctious as it had been, but the song is banging.
Aināt No Half Steppin drops. Kane spits pure molten lava. DJ Scratch starts to do his magic. He lowers himself behind the fader, his hands the only thing in sight after cutting the track into ribbons. A moment later, he rises into full view with a Jason mask and beat juggles the catchphrase āItās Friday the 13th and Iāma play Jasonā to the delight of the crowd. Kane turns to Capri and taunts, āwhat you wanna do with thatā and, hearing no reply, turns back to his DJ and says, āaināt nobody f*ckin with you, Scratch.ā
Undeterred Capri drops. Thatās the Sound of the Police. āOverseer, overseer, overseer, officer,ā the slave patrol lyric that remains as politically powerful now as the day the teacha first dropped it.
Scratch is itching (see what I did there) to battle Capri and issues another challenge. This time KRS responds with āIām here to battle Kane, F*ck thatā and drops Loves Gonna Get Ya.
This is followed by extraordinary performance freestyle acapella. KRS goes right at Kane for a solid 16 bars, and āWhen I spit next to Big Daddy Kane, I become his cocaineā is the final freestyle punch.
Kane comes to the mic and raps a quick 4 bar response stating that he never backs down from a battle āI donāt do that seldom, but I stayed outta you and Shanās shit, Youāre Welcomeā the Arena and the internet exploded.
Kid Capri attempts to respond to the niceness that was DJ Scratch, attempts being the operative word. He drops a few bars that literally fail to move the crowd, then feels as if they were lost. Capriās a DJ, one of the greatest to ever work a hip hop audience. Iāve been to multiple private parties where he was the DJ, and you canāt ask for more. Nonetheless, he should stick to the ones and twos where few mortals can do what heās done.
The Bridge is Over comes on, and I can only imagine Queens is feeling some kinda way. The roof has definitely been raised.
Roxanne Shante makes an appearance. Kane gives her roses, acknowledging that she is the mother of the Juice Crew and that it was Roxanne who brought out Masta Ace, Biz Markee, MC Shan and Kane.
Symphony drops, and Craig G and Masta Ace make an appearance.
KRS does a shortened medley, taking the best bits of Golden Era Classics. The audience gleefully participates KRS shouts, āif my train jumps off the track,ā the audience responds, āpick em up, pick em up, pick em up.ā KRS then hits the āfriends how manyā and switches to āemcees must be dissed, how many emcees must be dissed, before somebody says donāt f*ck with Krisā and drops the iconic battle anthem.
Bucktown joins him, shows love to Kane via freestyle, and Kane comes back with āWarm it Up Kane.ā The Barclayās roof explodes.
At this point, DJ Scratch is bullyingā¦and is beautiful. Heās cutting āSucker DJā āKid Capriā folding the cuts into a taunt that Capri, to that point, does not seem willing to engage. Kane cuts it short, and Capri uses the classic āitās timeā from Al Naafiysh cutting, scratching even moving into a transformer, itās not as clean as DJ Scratch, but itās an energetic answer. Scratch breaks out a shoe; Grandmaster Dee from Whoudini style, but Kane cuts it short and stops whatās about to be a full-on DJ Battle. The only disappointment of the night is that KRS didnāt do his verse on Self-Destruction, but that is the literal equivalent of complaining that the deluxe chocolate banana Sunday with a cherry on top came with a spoon and fork did include a spork as well.
This battle was summed up best by @krareemslick and @michaelharriot