OBITUARIES: CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER GLORIA RICHARDSON; HIP-HOP’S BIZ MARKIE
BIZ MARKIE | 1964-2021
LOS ANGELES — Biz Markie, a hip-hop staple known for his beatboxing prowess, turntable mastery and the 1989 classic “Just a Friend,” has died. He was 57.
Mr. Markie’s representative, Jenni Izumi, said the rapper-DJ died peacefully Friday evening with his wife by his side. The cause of death has not been released.
“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.”
Mr. Markie, who birth name was Marcel Theo Hall, became known within the rap genre realm as the self-proclaimed “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop” for his lighthearted lyrics and humorous nature. He made music with the Beastie Boys, opened for Chris Rock’s comedy tour and was a sought-after DJ for countless star-studded events.
The New York native’s music career began in 1985 as a beat boxer of the Juice Crew, a rap collective he helped Big Daddy Kane join. He broke into mainstream music with his platinum-selling song “Just a Friend,” the lead single on his sophomore album “The Biz Never Sleeps.”
Mr. Markie was served with a copyright infringement lawsuit for a song on his third studio album “I Need a Haircut” in 1991. He and his label, Warner Bros Records, were sued by Irish singer Gilbert O’Sullivan who claimed that elements from his 1972 hit “Alone Again (Naturally)” were illegally sampled in Mr. Markie’s “Alone Again.”
The judge ruled to halt further distribution of the album, which was reissued without the illegal track.
Mr. Markie consistently booked more than 175 shows a year, according to the rapper’s website. He appeared on television shows including “In Living Color,” “Empire” along with “black-ish” and the 2002 movie “Men in Black II,” in which he played an alien parody of himself.