Two of the towering pillars that helped create rap and hip-hop into the unstoppable force that it is today were centerstage as Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One faced off in the latest Verzuz battle.
The two 80’s era goliaths battled on Sunday night, Oct. 17, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. As the debate rages via Twitter on who took home the crown from the multidimensional extravaganza, we recap some of the best moments from the latest installment of the Verzuz event.
- The battle within the battle as the deejays squared off: Legendary turntable titans, DJ Kid Capri and DJ Scratch, got the party cranked up to respectable levels. Scratch popped things off by spinning records from the golden era of hip-hop with 90s hits from Nas, Biggie Smalls, Lil Kim and Mobb Deep. Kid Capri took it back further as he scratched records from the likes of 80s stars Soul II Soul and Phil Collins.
- The resplendently dressed Big Daddy Kane paid homage to the recently deceased rapper and DJ icon Biz Markie not long after he was introduced to come out of the tunnel.
- Speaking of introductions, rapper Fat Joe has made it clear that he intends to be a regular at these Verzuz events as he got the crowd cranked up as the host of the event. Joe, who recently squared off with Ja Rule in his own event, kept the audience in stitches with his funny one-liners and quirky personality.
- The best part of the show, of course, was when the Kane and KRS-One ripped through their bevy of hits such as “Mortal Combat,” “Lean On Me,” “Platinum Plus,” “I’m Still #1,” “Raw,” “Step Into A World,” “South Bronx,” “Ain’t No Half‐Steppin’,” and “Sound Of Da Police,” that had the crunk crowd on its feet.
- What’s been forgotten or not really known among the millennials, is how much dancing, particularly breakdancing, was an integral part of rap and hip-hop during its infancy. While TikTok has revealed some impressive dancers, it could hardly match the spectactular dancing illustrated by Crazy Legs and Pop Master whom Kane and KRS invited out for their own mini-battle during this Verzuz.
Flip the page to peep out the entire Verzuz show.
