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.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.