Biz Markie, popularly known as “The Clown Prince of Hip Hop”, is dead.
Gatekeepers News reports that Biz Markie, who infused his music with so much fun and humour that he became known as “The Clown Prince of Hip Hop,” is dead,
His manager, Jenni Izumi, who confirmed his death, said he stood 57.
Izumi, in a written statement, said, “Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years.”
He was born at Marcel Hall in New York City, and he began rapping in local clubs where he met hip hop producer Marley Marl in 1985.
His meeting with Marl led to working as a human beatbox with artists MC Shan and Roxanne Shanté.
Biz Markie, seen at Kensington High Street in London on April 6, 1988.
In his spare time, Hall recorded demos, and in 1988, he was able to secure a deal with the Cold Chillin’ label to release his debut album, “Goin’ Off.”
The radio caught on afterwards, and the album launched hits with “Vapors” and “Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz.”
A year after, his album “The Biz Never Sleeps” went gold, buoyed by what would be his biggest hit, “Just A Friend.”
In 1991, Musician Gilbert O’Sullivan sued the rapper over his song “Alone Again” on his album “I Need a Haircut.”
O’Sullivan charged that the rapper’s use of samples from O’Sullivan’s 1972 hit, “Alone Again (Naturally),” amounted to the unauthorised use of his music. O’Sullivan won with the hip-hop artists haibimk to clear the use of samples.
Biz Markie, in an interview in 2018, said, “I still was me. It wasn’t a rape case or a gun case. It was a sample.”
In 1993, the rapper released the album “All Samples Cleared!”
He also expanded his career by venturing into acting, appearing in several films and TV shows, including “Men in Black II,” as a narrator on the adult puppet show “Crank Yankers,” and on the children’s series “Yo Gabba Gabba!” with his “Biz’s Beat of the Day.”
