Happy Birthday, Big Daddy Kane!

Today, Sept. 10, is the birthday of Brooklyn rapper Big Daddy Kane.

Kane—whose real name is Antonio Hardy—is one of the most successful and revered MCs from the 1980s. Kane’s buttery flow, hard-hitting rhymes and smooth “player” persona is often credited as a seminal influence on his fellow Brooklyn MCs including The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay Z. His 1988 debut, Long Live The Kane, is widely considered one of a genre classics and remains one of the most important LPs in 1980s hip-hop.

Happy Birthday, Big Daddy Kane!