Daddy Dearest

Big Daddy Kane is upfront about sex: "I may want to lay down with one woman. I may want to lay down with two. I may want to lay down with three," says the rapper, who goes by the name Antonio H Hardy when he's off rhymebusting duty.

Indeed, sex has opened doors for Big Daddy. When Madonna was recruiting bodies for her erotic tome, he made the cut. "It was like one freak to another," he says of his working relationship with the Material Girl, adding, "I use the term 'freak' on a business level."

Posing for naughty photos may make for good press releases, but such stunts have tarnished Kane's image in the rap community. He's seen as soft, despite a sharp talent for rhyming couplets that makes him the Cole Porter of the hip-hop world: "Now, I must admit that I'm a sensitive guy / Cause I cried in Cooley High when Cochise died," goes one choice pairing from his Prince of Darkness album.

Looks Like a Job for. . ., Big Daddy's latest effort, is an attempt to sharpen his edge. "I lost a lot of my hard-core base, and I want to gain that back," he confesses. Yet he continues to expand his career horizons. This month marks his big-screen debut, in Posse, the Western directed by Mario Van Peebles. Kane says he sees the film role as a chance to carry on the legacy of his hero, actor Fred Williamson. "I've always said I wanna be the next Fred Williamson on film.. . and the role I have in Posse is just like the role Fred played in Take a Hard Ride."

BOB MACK