July 17, 2021 (AOL News)
Biz Markie, the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop” best known for his 1989 global smash “Just a Friend,” has died, according to his representative, Jenni Izumi. His cause of death has not yet been disclosed, but Izumi said the rapper, singer, DJ, producer, actor, comedian, and writer “peacefully passed away” Friday evening with his wife, Tara Hall, by his side. Markie had been hospitalized in April last year due to complications from Type 2 diabetes, and as of last December he was reportedly living in a Maryland rehabilitation facility after suffering a diabetic coma and stroke. He was 57 years old.
“We are grateful for the many calls and prayers of support that we have received during this difficult time,” Izumi said in a statement. “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 leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes, and frequent banter.”
Biz Markie was born Marcel Theo Hall on April 8, 1964, in Harlem, and he spent his childhood in Long Island. He launched his hip-hop career in the Manhattan club scene (and later, on the East Coast college circuit), working as a human beatbox for acts like Roxanne Shanté and MC Shan. His debut album, 1988’s Goin’ Off — which featured production by Marley Marl and co-writing by Big Daddy Kane, and showcased Biz’s impressive beatboxing skills — was a respectable success, peaking at No. 90 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 19 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart on the strength of underground tracks like “Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz,” “Nobody Beats the Biz,” “Vapors,” and “Pickin’ Boogers.”
Unfortunately, Markie never charted another Billboard Hot 100 hit again, and his cartoonish image and puerile humor relegated him to novelty act/one-hit wonder status. On top of that, promotion for his third album, 1991’s I Need a Haircut, was sidelined by a lawsuit from soft rock singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan, who claimed that Biz’s track “Alone Again” featured an unauthorized sample of O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally).”
When Markie lost that case, I Need a Haircut was pulled from circulation; the court’s landmark ruling, Grand Upright Music Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., changed the entire music industry, with record labels now required to clear all samples on all future releases. Biz’s follow-up LP was 1993’s cheekily titled All Samples Cleared!, but his career was unable to rebound after the negative publicity. It would be decade before he released another album, 2003’s Weekend Warrior, which turned out to be his last.
