 | This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(February 2023) |
Biz Markie | |
|---|---|
 Markie in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marcel Theo Hall |
| Born | (1964-04-08)April 8, 1964 Manhattan,New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Long Island,New York, U.S.[1][2] |
| Died | July 16, 2021(2021-07-16) (aged 57) Baltimore,Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1985–2021 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Spouse | |
| Website | bizmarkie |
Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally asBiz Markie, was an American rapper and singer. Markie's 1989 single "Just a Friend", became aTop 40 hit in several countries and was named No. 100 onVH1's list of the 100 greatesthip-hop songs of all time in 2008.[3] Markie was sometimes referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop".[4][5][6]
Markie was born inManhattan in the neighborhood ofHarlem, New York City, on April 8, 1964.[7][8] He was raised onLong Island in the hamlet ofBrentwood[6][9] and the village ofPatchogue, where he spent his teenage years and where, on September 25, 2021, the intersection of South Street and West Avenue, across the street from his then-home, was dedicated as Biz Markie Way.[2] He graduated fromLongwood High School inMiddle Island in 1982.[10] Markie began his career in New York City nightclubs and later gained regional recognition by performing at colleges inWashington, D.C.,Maryland,Virginia andPennsylvania.[11]Regarding the origin of his stage name, the rapper said:
Biz comes from the first hip-hop tape I heard. It was '77, '78, from the L Brothers. Grand Wizard Theodore was the DJ, and the rappers was Kevvy Kev, Master Rob and Busy Bee Starski. I loved Busy Bee. Busy Bee just stuck with me. My name used to be Bizzy B Markie, and after a while I put the Biz with the Markie. My nickname in my neighborhood was Markie.[11]
Biz Markie was interviewed in the 1986 cult documentaryBig Fun in the Big Town.[12] Markie released his debut albumGoin' Off in 1988, which attracted a fair amount of attention, largely due to the lead single, "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz". The album also featured the underground hit singles "Nobody Beats The Biz", "Vapors", and "Pickin' Boogers".[13] Biz also appeared briefly in the music video forRob Base's single "It Takes Two".
On October 10, 1989, Markie's second studio album,The Biz Never Sleeps, was released on Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records, produced by Markie, his cousin Cool V and Paul C. The single "Just a Friend" became Markie's most successful single, reaching No. 9 on theBillboard charts.[14] The song interpolates the 1968 song "You Got What I Need" by singer-songwriterFreddie Scott, whose basic chord and melody provided the base for the song's chorus.[15] "Just a Friend" was ranked 81st on VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders in 2000, and later as number 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop in 2008.[3] The music video, directed byLionel C. Martin, chronicles the rapper's woman problems.[16]
Markie's third studio albumI Need a Haircut was released on August 27, 1991, on Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records; it was produced by Markie and his cousin Cool V. Sales of the album were already low when Markie was served a lawsuit byGilbert O'Sullivan, who claimed that the album's "Alone Again" featured an unauthorized sample from his hit "Alone Again (Naturally)". O'Sullivan's claim was upheld in alandmark ruling,Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc.[17] that altered the landscape of hip-hop, finding that all samples must be cleared with the original artist before being used. In accordance with the ruling, Warner Bros., the parent company of Cold Chillin', had to pullI Need a Haircut from circulation, and all companies had to clear samples with the samples' creators before releasing the records. This development reflected the increasing popularity of hip-hop and the financial stakes involved. Markie responded in 1993 with the mischievously titledAll Samples Cleared!, but his career had been hurt by the publicity emanating from the lawsuit, and the record suffered accordingly.[15]
For the remainder of the decade, Markie occasionally made television appearances, including guest appearances onIn Living Color; as contestant Damian "Foosball" Franklin in the recurring game show sketch "The Dirty Dozens"; as Marlon Cain in "Ed Bacon: Guidance Counselor";[18] in a 1996freestyle rap commercial onMTV2; and in the 1993 superhero filmMeteor Man. He also made numerous guest appearances with theBeastie Boys onCheck Your Head (1992),Ill Communication (1994),Hello Nasty (1998), and their anthologyThe Sounds of Science (1999).[19] He also rapped on the song "Schizo Jam" on Don Byron's 1998 release,Nu Blaxploitation (Blue Note/Capitol) and worked withCanibus on the first track on theOffice Space soundtrack (1999). He also rapped on the track "So Fresh" alongsideSlick Rick onWill Smith's 1999 albumWillennium.[20]
In 1996, Markie appeared on theRed Hot Organization's compilation CD,America Is Dying Slowly, alongsideWu-Tang Clan,Coolio, andFat Joe, among others. The CD was meant to raise awareness of theAIDS epidemic among African-American men.[21] In 1997, a sample of a Markie recording appeared in theRolling Stones' song "Anybody Seen My Baby?" from their albumBridges to Babylon.[22] Markie also teamed up withFrankie Cutlass on his third single and music video titled "The Cypher Part 3" with some ofMarley Marl'sJuice Crew veterans.[23] He also appeared ofFünf Sterne deluxe's song "Will Smith, Meer Gayne?" from the albumSillium.[24]
In 1999, Markie appeared onLen's song "Beautiful Day" on their albumYou Can't Stop the Bum Rush,[25] as well as onAlliance Ethnik's albumFat Comeback.[26]
In 2000 and 2001, Markie participated in theSpitkicker Tour, which also hosted alternative hip-hop acts likeDe La Soul andCommon.[27] In 2002, Markie appeared inMen in Black II, withWill Smith andTommy Lee Jones, playing an alien parody of himself, whose native language sounded exactly likebeatboxing.[28] He also provided rap vocals and sang the hook for the remixed version ofMario's single "Just a Friend 2002", which sampled his own song from 13 years before. Between 2002 and 2003, he appeared in episode 5 of the TV seriesFastlane playing himself as a nightclub DJ.
In 2003, he appeared in the international television seriesKung Faux performing a series of voice-over characters featured in a variety of episodes. In 2005, Markie detoured from his recording duties to appear on the first season of the television showCelebrity Fit Club, which challenged celebrities to lose weight by a combination of diet and exercise. Markie lost more weight than anybody else in the competition.[29] That year, he was also in an episode ofThe Andy Milonakis Show. In 2006, his song "Pickin' Boogers" appeared on the soundtrack of theVolition video gameSaints Row. Markie was a special guest onNick Cannon'sWild 'n Out on season 1 and a cast member on season 4. Markie also had a beatboxing segment, "Biz's Beat of the Day", on theNick Jr. Channel showYo Gabba Gabba![30]
Markie began opening in 2008 forChris Rock on the comedian's "No Apologies" tour. Markie's act included spinning records ranging fromold school hip hop toLynyrd Skynyrd and then performing "Just a Friend".[31] In December 2009, Biz Markie appeared in aRadioShack commercial, repeating the line: "Oh Snap! Guess what I saw!" from his song "Just a Friend".[32] That same year saw his debut withAndy Milonakis in television commercials for the commercial Internet service Tune Up.[33]
In 2010, Markie appeared on VH1's100 Greatest Artists of All Time, providing commentary throughout the series. Markie himself was not included on the list. On November 9, 2010, he appeared onthe Aquabats! new EP,Radio Down! on the title track. On November 11, 2010, Markie sat in withthe Roots onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon, and performed "Just a Friend" with actorJeff Goldblum.[34]
In 2013, Markie toured with theYo Gabba Gabba! live show.[35] That year, his song, "Just a Friend" was featured inSaints Row IV, which included the Pop station, 107.7 The Mix FM. He appeared on theCartoon Network showMad, as theHip Hop Hobbit. He voiced Rudd Rhymez's DJ Tiny Timmy Scratch It in theRandy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja episode "Hip Hopocalypse Now".[36]
Markie guest starred in theSpongeBob SquarePants episode "Kenny the Cat" in the episode's title role.[37] His voice acting work also includes the voice of Snorlock the Beatboxing Slug in an episode ofAdventure Time.[38]
In 2014, Markie appeared in theSyfy network filmSharknado 2: The Second One. That same year, he threw aceremonial first pitch for anOakland Athleticsbaseball game.[39] In 2016, his song, "Just a Friend" was featured in theNetflix SeriesLove as an ending theme for episode 4. He also made an appearance in the song "The Noisy Eater" off the albumWildflower bythe Avalanches. Also in 2016, he appeared on theFox TV seriesEmpire as himself, where he performed "Just a Friend".[40]
Markie was theDJ on theVH1 game showHip Hop Squares between 2017 and 2019, a spin-off of the popular game showHollywood Squares.[41] He also rapped alongside singerKe$ha onthe Flaming Lips song "2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)".[42] He made an appearance in the season 3 finale of theABC seriesBlack-ish in 2017. He performed a personal version of the song "Just a Friend", in which he added the names of the characters.[43]
In 2020, Markie started hosting a radio show onSiriusXM onLL Cool J's Rock the Bells Radio (channel 43) every weekday from 1:00 to 4:00 EST.[44]
In 1991, Biz Markie was sued for copyright infringement byGilbert O'Sullivan. Judge Duffy ordered him to pay $250,000 in damages.[45]
In March 2022, Markie's widow, Tara Hall, sued Jennifer Izumi, his former business manager, for damages and control of Biz Markie Inc. over widespread alleged intellectual property violations, including claims the manager stole song royalties and sold unauthorized merchandise.[46]
In April 2020, Markie was hospitalized due to severe complications fromtype 2 diabetes.[47] In December 2020, it was reported that Markie was staying in a rehabilitation facility as a result of astroke he had suffered after going into adiabetic coma.[48]
On July 1, 2021, rumors of his death circulated onTwitter. His representative toldRolling Stone, "The news of Biz Markie's death is not true, Biz is still under medical care, surrounded by professionals who are working hard to provide the best healthcare possible."[49] Markie died at a Baltimore hospital 15 days later on July 16, at age 57.[8] His wife, Tara Hall, held his hand as he took his last breath.[50] He was buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboreum inFarmingdale, New York.[51]
Upon news of Markie's death, many celebrities and figures expressed their sympathies. Tara Hall received condolences fromPresident Barack Obama and his wifeMichelle Obama. Markie's funeral inPatchogue, New York, was attended by friends and family, includingIce T,Fat Joe,Montell Jordan, andAl B. Sure! His eulogy was read byReverend Al Sharpton.[52]
In November 2022,Paramount Global announced thatShowtime in conjunction withMass Appeal would release a documentary on Biz Markie's life.[53] The documentary,All Up in the Biz, was directed bySacha Jenkins.[54] The movie features reenactments, interviews, and stock footage. Featured in the documentary areBig Daddy Kane,Rakim,Doug E Fresh,Nick Cannon,Tracy Morgan,Tara Hall and more.[55] The score was produced by Markie's friendPrince Paul.[55] In June 2023, Hall announced the Just A Friend Foundation and confirmedAll Up in the Biz was premiering at theTribeca Film Festival.[55]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [56] | US R&B /HH [57] | |||
| Goin' Off |
| 90 | 19 | |
| The Biz Never Sleeps |
| 66 | 9 | |
| I Need a Haircut |
| 113 | 44 | |
| All Samples Cleared! |
| ― | 43 | |
| Weekend Warrior | ― | ― | ||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Com. [64] | ||
| Biz's Baddest Beats |
| 2 |
| On the Turntable | ― | |
| On the Turntable 2 |
| ― |
| Greatest Hits |
| ― |
| Ultimate Diabolical |
| ― |
| Diabolical: The Biz's Greatest Hits |
| ― |
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [71] | |||
| Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz | 84 | ||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [71] | US R&B [71] | US Rap [71] | CAN [73] | UK [74] | ||||
| "Nobody Beats the Biz" (featuringTJ Swan) | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | Goin' Off | |
| "Pickin’ Boogers" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Vapors" | 1988 | — | 80 | — | — | — | ||
| "Biz Is Goin' Off" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "This Is Something for the Radio" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Just a Friend" | 1989 | 9 | 37 | 5 | 66 | 55 | The Biz Never Sleeps | |
| "Spring Again" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "What Comes Around Goes Around" | 1991 | ― | 84 | 4 | ― | ― | I Need a Haircut | |
| "T.S.R. (Toilet Stool Rap)/Busy Doing Nuthin" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Let Me Turn You On" | 1993 | — | — | 7 | — | — | All Samples Cleared! | |
| "Young Girl Bluez" | — | — | 4 | — | — | |||
| "Let Go My Eggo" | 1995 | ― | — | — | ― | ― | I Need a Haircut | |
| "A Message from the Biz" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Let Me See You Bounce" (withElephant Man) | 2003 | ― | ― | ― | ― | 77 | Weekend Warrior | |
| Year | Album | Artist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just Rhymin' with Biz | 1988 | Long Live the Kane | Big Daddy Kane |
| We Write the Songs | In Control, Volume 1 | Marley Marl, Heavy D | |
| Erase Racism | 1990 | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane |
| Bugged Out Day at Powerplay; Oh What a Night | 1991 | The Grand Imperial Diamond Shell | Diamond SHell |
| The Biz Vs. the Nuge | 1992 | Check Your Head | Beastie Boys |
| Stone Age | 1993 | Buhloone Mindstate | De La Soul |
| Lovely How I Let My Mind Float | |||
| Pass the Lovin' (DUI Mix) | 1994 | Non-album single | Brownstone |
| Get on Up | Basic Need to Howl | Milo Z | |
| Do It | Ill Communication | Beastie Boys | |
| Nuttin but Flavor | 1995 | Non-album single | Funkmaster Flex, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Charlie Wanker |
| Freestyle '95 | H | DJ Honda | |
| Don't Take It Personal (Biz Markie Remix) | Non-album single | Monica | |
| I've Got You (Under My Skin) | 1996 | The Great White Hype (soundtrack) | Lou Rawls |
| That's the Way (I Like It) | Space Jam (soundtrack) | Spin Doctors | |
| Let Me Clear My Throat (Old School Reunion Remix '96) | Non-album single | DJ Kool, Doug E. Fresh | |
| The Cypher Part III | Politics & Bullshit | Frankie Cutlass, Class of '88 | |
| BMT | 1997 | Sound Museum | Towa Tei, Mos Def |
| The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin) | 1998 | Hello Nasty | Beastie Boys |
| Will Smith, Meer Gayne? | Sillium | Funf Sterne Deluxe | |
| Odd Couple | Who Got the Gravy? | Digital Underground | |
| Rhymin' wit Biz | El Nino | Def Squad | |
| It's da Biz | The Flip Squad Allstar DJs | Kia Jeffries | |
| Calendar Girl | Polo's Playhouse | DJ Polo | |
| Fat Come Back | 1999 | Fat Comeback | Alliance Ethnik, Vinia Mojica |
| Mr. Large | A Prince Among Thieves | Prince Paul | |
| Man of the Year | You Can't Stop the Bum Rush | Len | |
| You're a Clown!! | A Musical Massacre | The Beanuts, Tyler Fernandez | |
| So Fresh | Willenium | Will Smith, Slick Rick | |
| Calling the Biz | So... How's Your Girl? | Handsome Boy Modeling School | |
| Snowflake | Bigger and Blacker | Chris Rock | |
| Biz Interlude | 2000 | Y2k: The Album | Screwball |
| In the Hands of the Gods | Fragments of Freedom | Morcheebaa | |
| Makin' Cash Money | Get Em Psyched!!! | Black Indian | |
| Genius of Love 2000 | 2002 | Built from Scratch | The X-Ecutioners |
| Hold Up | Clearing the Field | Motion Ma | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |