Photo: Bo Borbye Pedersen from Copenhagen, Denmark / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Biz Markie is one of those artists I'll always have a soft spot for. The "Clown Prince of Hip-Hop" tag fits perfectly, because he made you laugh without ever feeling like a novelty act. "Just a Friend" is the obvious touchstone, and that gloriously off-key chorus is the whole point. He wasn't trying to sing well; he was being human, and that honesty is why the song outlived so many slicker hits. I also respect how much ground he covered as a DJ, beatboxer and producer. Losing him in 2021 felt like losing a piece of hip-hop's golden-age warmth that you can't replace.
Overview
Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer who gained prominence during hip-hop's golden age. He was known for his comedic style and often called the "Clown Prince of Hip-Hop". Markie achieved mainstream success with his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which reached No. 9 on the U.S.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Biz Markie
- Name (Japanese)
- ビズ・マーキー
- Reading
- びず・まーきー
- Born
- April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dragon
- Origin
- New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- disc jockey / record producer / beatboxer / rapper / singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Disc jockey — see all → · Record producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.