Musicians - Biz Markie

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	Musicians - Biz Markie

Biz Markie (born Marcel Hall April 8, 1964 in Harlem, New York) is an African American East Coast hip hop artist best known for humorous singles like "Just a Friend". He has been labeled The Clown Prince of Hip-Hop.

Markie's career began in the early 1980s as a performer, then a human beatbox for MC Shan and Roxanne Shante, among others. Biz met producer Marley Marl in 1985, and began working as a human beatbox for Marl-connected acts MC Shan and, later, Roxanne Shanté. He also recorded his first set of demos, and by 1988, had signed with Cold Chillin'. Later that year, he released his debut, Goin' Off, which became a word-of-mouth hit based on the underground hit singles "Vapors," "Pickin' Boogers," and "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz.

A year later, he broke into the mainstream when "Just a Friend," a single featuring rapped verses and out-of-tune sang choruses, reached the pop Top Ten, and its accompanying album, The Biz Never Sleeps, went gold.

As one of hip hop's biggest stars of the time, Biz had a lot of pressure for his third album, I Need a Haircut. The album was already shaping up to be a considerable sales disappointment when he was served a lawsuit from Gilbert O'Sullivan, who claimed that the album's "Alone Again" featured an unauthorized sample of his hit "Alone Again (Naturally)." O'Sullivan won the case in a ruling that drastically changed the rules of hip-hop. According to the ruling, Warner Bros., the parent company of Cold Chillin', had to pull I Need a Haircut from circulation, and all companies had to clear samples fully before releasing a hip-hop record. Biz countered with his 1993 album, All Samples Cleared!, but his career had already been hurt by the lawsuit, and the record bombed. For the remainder of the decade, he kept a low profile, occasionally guesting on records by the Beastie Boys and filming a freestyle television commercial for MTV2 in 1996. The alliance with the Beasties raised his profile considerably, but Biz began DJing instead of continuing to record.

He has also occasionally appeared on records by Len, a Canadian rock/rap ensemble (known for their hit "Steal My Sunshine") and occasionally guests with friend Will Smith, most recently on his album Willennium.

As of the late nineties, Biz Markie's collection of pop culture paraphernalia remains subject to heavy discussion. The Biz has been bragging in interviews about toys, lunchboxes, videotapes and records he has that no one has ever heard of. In particular his vinyl collection, which he stores 'in a building next to his house', has been questionned many times. Markie claims he owns certain 12" singles of famous breakbeat records that were never officially released. This however could be correct, as famous New York recordstore Downstairs Records pressed up their own white label bootlegs of said records. Biz also stated that he inherited Lenny Roberts' (who compiled the legendary Ultimate Breaks And Beats compilation series) entire collection after he passed away, this turned out to be false.

Finally, in 2003, he released Weekend Warrior for Tommy Boy. The lawsuit, Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Brothers Records, Inc., changed hip hop forever, as afterwards, all samples were cleared with the original artist before they could be used.

In 2005, Biz Markie appreared on the television show Celebrity Fit Club, which challenges former celebrities to lose weight, with diet and exercise. With hard work and dedication, Biz Markie managed to win the contest.

Biz has also appeared in Men in Black II with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

He has also made a career as a DJ, giving performances where he uses his abdomen to move a record on a turntable and thus scratch.

He was also in an episode of the ill-fated Andy Milonakis Show where he was the rap fairy who "at this point in time I grant you the powers of rap and rhyme."

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Biz Markie ]

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Musicians - Biz Markie

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