Marcel Theo Hall (born April 8, 1964, July 162021), better known by his stage name Biz Markie, was a rapper, beatboxer, DJ, record producer, and television personality. He is best known for his single" Just a Friend, "a Top 10 hit in 1989 that was a top ten hit worldwide. It's one of the first songs I related to. Biz was popular in the underground circuit because of his beatboxing and rhyming skills; he gained more notoriety after being interviewed in the 1986 hip-hop Documentary Big Fun In The Town. After that, he released his first album, Goin'"' Off, which had several hit singles, including the popular single" "Make the Music with Your Mouth Bi," which brought him a fair amount of attention on the underground circuit. He didn't reach a mass audience until he released his second album, "The Biz Never Sleeps," which featured the famous single" Just A Friend. "With the booming popularity of" "Just A Friend," Biz released his third album, I Need A Haircut, in 1991. The single" "Alone Again" from the album ran into trouble because it sampled Gilbert O'Sullivan's Alone Again without permission.
Markie has always taken a light-hearted approach to life and in hip hop. Biz didn't take hip-hop too seriously; he was about having fun and making people laugh and feel good. He is a professional beatboxer and DJ. He spent his time making the occasional television appearance and DJing gigs. He lived in this area, so I saw him once years ago buying music. He was as just as funny and friendly as you would think he would be. He did a little rap about buying Sprite because he caught my friend and me staring at him or because he was just a " big thirsty brotha."(his words, not mine) Biz was a funny guy who could rock the crowd with his signature beatboxing and his skills as a DJ; Bizz proved it was okay to be silly in hip-hop and still rock the crowd. He is missed by his family, peers, and fans.
