The rap world was in shock last summer at the news of Biz Markie’s untimely passing at the age of 57. We have lost so many our heroes of late that learning to recognize and appreciate their talent and contributions to the art form and giving them their flowers while they’re still alive is a must. In fact, that’s part of the reason I do this newsletter. Hip-Hop’s golden era happened not that long ago and the artists we love and respect are still around—many still doing their thing. So, those who support this movement need to give it up and recognize the real while they still walk among us. Since I didn’t get a chance to do that for Biz while he was alive, I’m taking the opportunity today, on what would have been his 58th birthday.
I was in college when I first heard The Biz, who is often described as the ‘Clown Prince of Hip-Hop.’ His debut album, Goin’ Off (Cold Chillin’/Warner, 1988), was in heavy rotation at our radio station, WHRB in Cambridge, Mass where Source magazine founders Jon Shecter and Dave Mays hosted “Street Beat,” the premiere rap show in the Boston area. My favorite cut was “Make the Music with Your Mouth Biz,” notable for its poignant piano melody from Isaac Hayes’ “Ike’s Mood 1” (Stax, 1970) juxtaposed with Biz rapping and beatboxing and, of course, the icing-on-top falsetto of T.J. Swan. Rap had always had a more aggressive feel to it before I heard that song, which sounded both sentimental and funny. It also featured a slamming beat courtesy of Marley Marl‘s interpolation of the “Impeach the President” loop, and, of course, that booming Roland TR-808 kick. Though Biz liked playing the fool, he was a real scientist when it came to making rap that totally avoided the cliches and stereotypes, opening up new avenues of expression. His playful sense of humor came through on other tracks off that album like “Nobody Beats the Biz,” “Vapors,” and “Pickin’ Boogers,” and it’s readily apparent that his influence gave birth to a De La Soul and even an Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
Biz with buddy and protege Big Daddy Kane
Biz scored his biggest hit on his next release, The Biz Never Sleeps (Cold Chillin’/Warner, 1989), with “Just a Friend,” which made it to number nine on the Billboard charts. That song was so huge I wonder if people even remember Freddie Scott’s 1968 original, “You Got What I Need,” on which it was based. The fact that Biz couldn’t sing was part of his charm and the key to that song’s success. Once again, he was that guy who upended stereotypes, defied rules, and did what he felt. I doubt a lot of rappers would have even dreamed of trying to sing on tracks if not for the blueprint that Biz provided.
In 1991, Biz was effectively taken out of the music game when he was made an example of over the issue of unauthorized sampling. The song “Alone Again,” off his third studio album I Need a Haircut (Cold Chillin’/Warner) sampled a Gilbert ‘O Sullivan track of the same name and because Biz had not cleared the sample, the judge ordered all copies of the album pulled from store shelves. They never did that to Weird Al Yankovic! As a result of this ruling, rap artists had to pay big money to get their samples cleared thus affecting the course of the music moving forward. Once again, Biz was on the forefront. Though his next album, All Samples Cleared (Warner, 1993) made light of the situation, his career had been adversely affected by the controversy, and he never reclaimed the popularity he once enjoyed.
None-the-less, Biz soldiered on. He deejayed, made appearances on other artists’ albums—multiple times with The Beastie Boys—and even played an alien parody of himself in the movie Men in Black II (2002). He lost more weight than anybody on the TV reality show Celebrity Fit Club (2005); opened up for Chris Rock’s 2008 “No Apologies” tour; and even appeared in cartoons like Yo Gabba Gabba Live, and SpongeBob Squarepants. In short, Biz stretched the boundaries of what a rap artist could do proving that you didn’t always have to start clothing lines or a premium alcohol brand. Yet, he remained the personification of hip-hop to the very end, hosting a radio show on Sirius XM’s “Rock the Bells.” Though complications due to Type 2 diabetes finally took him out, Biz’s charm, charisma and originality have made him one of the most-cherished figures in hip-hop, which is how he will always be remembered.
