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Biz Markie, the pioneering rapper, producer and beatboxer whose jovial awkwardness and innovative samples made him a singular presence in hip-hop, died on Friday at the age of 57.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce, tonight, with his wife Tara by his side, the pioneer of hip hop Biz Markie has passed away peacefully,” said his representative Jenni Izumi in a statement. “We are grateful for the many supportive calls and prayers we have received during this difficult time.
“Biz has created an artistic legacy that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he has touched on through music, spanning over 35 years,” added Izumi . “He leaves behind a wife, many of his family and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent jokes. We respectfully ask for her family’s privacy as she mourns her loved one. “
Although no cause of death was revealed, the rapper had struggled in recent years with health issues linked to his decade-long battle with type 2 diabetes. In April 2020, he was hospitalized due to complications from the disease, and later that year suffered a stroke after going into a diabetic coma. Although the rapper is rehabilitating himself, his condition continued to deteriorate, leading to premature reports of Markie’s death in late June.
“Biz is still under medical care, surrounded by professionals who work hard to provide the best possible health care,” Izumi wrote in a statement to Rolling stone at the time. “
Over five albums – most notably the years 1988 Go and the years 1989 The Biz never sleeps – the producer-MC, real name Marcel Hall, developed his own style like no other rapper at the time: a mix of half-sung choruses, captivating beatbox and silly humor that earned him the nickname of ” Prince Clown of Hip-Hop ”and pave the way for quirky rappers like Ol ‘Dirty Bastard. Although considered to be one of hip-hop’s greatest hit wonders – VH1 placed their 1989 classic “Just a Friend” at number 81 on their 2000 list of the greatest hit wonders of all time – the The rapper’s impact has extended far beyond hip-hop’s biggest lore of the Friends Zone.
The Harlem-born, Long Island-raised MC was a member of the legendary Juice Crew, the Queensbridge collective reunited by DJ Magic Mike and Marley Marl, and starring other rappers like Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace, Roxanne Shante and Kool G Rap.
Markie’s first single, “Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz” produced by Marl in 1986, featured the “human beatbox” skills that would become a hallmark throughout Markie’s career; his beatboxing skills were so otherworldly that he played a cameo role as a beatboxing and mail sorting alien in the 2002s Men in Black II.
With Marl as producer, Markie released his first LP in 1988, Go, on Juice Crew’s Cold Chillin ‘Records label. While not a critical success, the album features enduring underground hits “Vapors,” “Nobody Beat the Biz” – a play on the jingle of a New York-based electronics store – and “Pickin ‘Boogers”, the latter showcasing Prince Clown’s unique blend of humor and hip-hop. When asked in 2018 if the stories Markie described in “Vapors” were real, he replied, “Dead real. Everything. I didn’t know how to write any other way. The song will then be sampled by everyone, from Notorious. BIG at Ice Cube, while the “Pickin ‘Boogers” line “Now let me take a trip down memory lane” will later feature prominently on Nas. Illmatic classic “Memory Lane (Sittin ‘in da Park).”
In 1989, Markie released what would become his most successful album. The Biz never sleeps, thanks to his breakout track “Just a Friend”. With a hook featuring Markie’s hound croon on a tween of Freddie Scott’s 1968 song “(You) Got What I Need” – and aided by a similar comedic music video that performed Markie as Mozart – the track reached number nine on the Billboard 100 in 1990, the only platinum success of Markie’s career.
“Usually when I do a record I know what the potential will be, but I didn’t know ‘Just a Friend’ was going to be that big,” Markie said in 2013. “’Just a Friend’ opened up a world where I never knew the difference between being a pop star and a regular rap star. It was crazy. “
Markie then released I need a haircut in 1991, although his career reached a contentious sticking point due to his unauthorized use of a Gilbert O’Sullivan sample on the track “Alone Again”. While the following Grand Upright Music Ltd. vs. Warner Bros. Records Inc. was not the first sampling trial, its judgment had a historic impact on hip-hop: following the judge’s ruling – which NPR said included a $ 250,000 fine, a halt in sales of I need a haircut and, most disconcertingly, the recommendation that Markie face criminal charges for theft – the record companies were forced to obtain permission on all samples from the original copyright holders.
The clown prince of hip-hop made the decision on the heels and channeled the incident into his 1993 album, All samples deleted, who mocked the trial by using a sample of five different renditions of the same song, “Get Out of My Life Woman” by Allen Toussaint.
While Markie would only release one more album in her life – the 2003s Weekend warrior – he remained a mainstay of the entertainment industry thanks to his appearances in comedy series (In Living Color, Crank yankers, Wild’n Out); children’s shows (Sponge Bob SquarePants and Yo Gabba Gabba, where Markie was also a member of the touring unit); cameos “like himself” (Blackish, Places Empire, Hip-Hop); and countless VH1 “I like …specials. Markie has also appeared in “Benny and the Jets” by the Beastie Boys, “The Noisy Eater” by the Avalanches, “2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)” by Flaming Lips and Kesha, “Stone Age” by De La Soul and Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist’s “God is Perfect”.
Talk to Rolling stone in 2018 on “Vapors”, Markie said, “I always watch records like, if it’s got a good feel, it’s gonna have a good feeling for a long time.”
Biz Markie – “Nobody Beats The Biz”
De La Soul – “The Stone Age”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfYwLXPt7Gw
Biz Markie – “Let Me Turn You On”
Biz Markie – “Pickin ‘Boogers”
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