Big Daddy Kane was easily one of Hip Hop’s brightest stars when his third album, Taste of Chocolate, hit record stores in October of 1990. Kane was known for boasting about his talent as a microphone checker, but as any Hip Hop head will tell you, Kane possessed a first-rate technique and rhyming skills to match his bravado.
L.L. Cool J, Slick Rick, and U.T.F.O. had all seen success with Hip Hop love songs. Kane had previously dabbled with that formula as he usually would have a slow cut on his albums. “The Day You’re Mine and “To Be Your Man” were strong album cuts from his first two projects. Both of these songs elevated his sex-symbol status. So it was no surprise when Dark Gable linked up with The Walrus of Love, aka Mr. Barry White, for Taste of Chocolate’s third single, “All Of Me.”
White’s signature bass opens the song before Kane adds his portion. The two give the song a mentor and mentee vibe as White gives Kane advice, and Kane uses his lyrics to set the mood. In contrast, the song is Kane’s second-highest peaking single on Billboard’s Hip Hop list. “All of Me” peaked at #14 in March 1991; it does feel a bit out of place on the project.
Perhaps “All Of Me” should have been put on a soundtrack or a Barry White album, as the other tracks feature some lyrical fire from Kane. Taste of Chocolate has songs with themes like crossing over, slavery, the drug epidemic & inner-city violence. Nevertheless, the song has aged well and is somewhat of a forgotten Hip Hop ballad.
Final Grade: B
“All Of Me” from Taste of Chocolate is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.