Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is a record producer/rapper from the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. He has worked with artists including 2Pac, Big L, Biz Markie, Ice Cube, Marley Marl, Public Enemy, Teddy Riley, Rudy Ray Moore and Barry White. Heavily influenced by Grandmaster Caz in his earlier years, he continued to improve his fast flow and freestyle battle techniques. Part of Marley Marl's legendary Juice Crew, he also penned lyrics for fellow members Biz Markie and Roxanne Shanté. Kane was responsible for jump-starting and being the archetype for the career of Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. Jay-Z, now an outstandingly commercially successful rapper, got his start as Kane's hypeman. He now lives in the Raleigh-Durham region of North Carolina.

Big Daddy Kane (born Antonio Hardy, September 10, 1968) is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the notorious Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn. During his career, he has worked with artists including Biz Markie, Marley Marl, Teddy Riley, Rudy Ray Moore and Barry White. Part of Marley Marl’s legendary Juice Crew, he also penned lyrics for fellow members Biz Markie and Roxanne Shante. Kane was responsible for jump-starting the career of Jay-Z, now a hugely commercially successful rapper w