Raw (Edit)

Recorded in New York City in 1987 as Big Daddy Kane’s debut 12-inch single, with Marley Marl handling the production and Antonio Hardy on vocals. The track introduced Kane’s rapid, battle-ready delivery and was later reissued in edited and remix forms. The song established Big Daddy Kane as a new voice out of the Juice Crew and became an underground calling card for his technical style. It also helped set the template for late-1980s East Coast rap singles built around sharp wordplay and Marley Marl drum programming. Raw remains one of Big Daddy Kane’s signature records and a touchstone for classic battle rap phrasing. Its title and cadence have been repeatedly referenced, and the song is regularly cited as an early showcase of Kane’s influence on later lyricists.