Rapper, singer and actor Biz Markie died on Friday in Baltimore, according to his representatives. The Harlem-born performer and hip hop pioneer had “his wife Tara by his side” as he passed away due to complications from diabetes. He was 57.
Born Marcel Theo Hall, the “Clown Prince of Hip Hop” had his biggest hit in 1989 with the ubiquitous song “Just A Friend” from his album The Biz Never Sleeps. The track spent 26 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, reaching number five. The comical song about romantic frustration was featured in a video that begins with a group of young men playing the dozens and showcases Biz crooning at a piano dressed like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The track is an interpretation of Freddie Scott’s 1968 R&B tune, “(You) Got What I Need,” which has the same melody but does not end with an “oh, snap!”
Markie’s career began in clubs from New York to Washington, D.C., and his first album, 1988’s Goin’ Off, featured the underground hit, “Nobody Beats The Biz.” It not only sampled Steve Miller but quoted from a particularly annoying jingle for a now-defunct local electronics chain.
His third album, I Need A Haircut, which came out in 1991, was a turning point for hip hop and copyright law. The 1970s’ soft rocker Gilbert O’Sullivan sued over unauthorized use of a sample of his song “Alone Again (Naturally)” in Markie’s track, “Alone Again.” The suit had lasting repercussions for the music business. Markie’s next album was cheekily named All Samples Cleared!
In the 1990s, Markie started appearing in film and television, first in Robert Townsend’s superhero film The Meteor Man and on sketch comedy shows such as In Living Color. He played an alien in Barry Sonnenfeld’s 2002 hit Men In Black II, which reunited him with Will Smith. (He rapped on the track “So Fresh” on Smith’s 1999 album Willenium.) The ‘90s and early aughts also saw Markie make guest appearances on a number of Beastie Boys albums.
As an actor, Markie lent his voice as the announcer on the Comedy Central series Crank Yankers. His longest TV puppeteering career was with Nickelodeon’s Yo Gabba Gabba! He appeared on 44 episodes (as himself) from 2007 to 2019 and was also in the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! show.
Biz’s passing drew many tributes from colleagues and fans online.