The Tragic Death Of Rapper Biz Markie

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00:00Rapper Biz Markie has died at age 57, according to TMZ. The iconic musician died after fighting

00:07complications from diabetes for more than a year, the outlet reported. The beloved

00:12rapper was known for his hit, Just a Friend. TMZ reported that Markie was hospitalized in 2020

00:17for complications related to type 2 diabetes. At the time, his rep told the outlet that Markie was,

00:23quote, receiving the best care from an amazing team of medical professionals.

00:28Markie's health was the subject of many rumors. One persistent rumor was that the rapper was in a

00:33coma, but sources told TMZ that was not true. In April 2021, Big Daddy Kane appeared on The

00:40Breakfast Club with good news about Markie. According to TMZ, Kane told The Breakfast Club

00:45hosts that Markie's health had improved and that he was in a physical rehabilitation facility.

00:50Biz Markie's manager Jenny D. Izumi confirmed his death and provided a statement to NPR

00:55and other media outlets. Izumi said,

00:58We are grateful for the many calls and prayers of support that we have received during this

01:02difficult time. Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers

01:09and his beloved fans, whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years.

01:15A source told TMZ that Markie died with his wife, Tara Hall, holding his hand. He is survived by his two

01:21kids, according to HITC. Markie was a larger-than-life figure in hip-hop with a career that lasted more

01:27than 35 years. According to NPR, the rapper was a beloved cultural figure who was celebrated for

01:34his spirited personality and his music, especially his 1989 hit, Just a Friend. Biz Markie was born

01:41Marcel Feo Hall in Harlem, New York, and raised in Long Island, according to The New York Times. Growing up,

01:47his friends called him Markie, and he was a huge fan of Busy B. Starsky, which ultimately led to him

01:53choosing the stage name Busy B. Markie, which was later shortened. He told The Washington Post in 2019,

02:00Markie released his first mixtape in the late 1970s and went on to make appearances at various

02:05Manhattan nightclubs to hone his craft. He went on to release five full-length records, one in 1988,

02:12another in 1989, his third in 1991, a fourth in 1993, and the last one in 2003.

02:19Although he saw measured success, Markie never blew up like other rappers in the 80s and 90s.

02:25Nevertheless, the song Just a Friend, which was officially released as a single in 1989,

02:31was a hit and remains his biggest single. According to Rolling Stone, Markie earned the nickname

02:36the Clown Prince of Hip Hop because of his half-sung and intentionally off-key choruses,

02:42riveting beatboxing, and silly humor. He is also known as one of the biggest one-hit wonders in the

02:47hip-hop world. Biz Markie was performing as recently as September 2019 and had quite a few plates spinning

02:54in recent years. According to his IMDb page, he had been cast in Cha, which is slated to be released in

03:002022, though it's unknown if he was able to film his scenes before he died. Prior to that, Biz appeared

03:07in a 2020 video short called Stay in the House and made a guest appearance on a 2017 episode of Black-ish.

03:14In February 2021, Markie was given the role of midday host on LL Cool J's Rock the Bells Radio on SiriusXM.

03:22LL Cool J took to Instagram to share an emotional video message about his dear friend on July 16th.

03:29Markie may have only had one hit song, but he told the Washington Post that it had kept him going for

03:34decades. He said in the 2019 interview,

03:37"...the weirdest thing about my fame is that when I'm thinking that it's almost over,

03:41it just sparks back up. I made just a friend in 89. Some people's records die. It sprouts up.

03:48Now it's 30 years later, and it's sprouted up again in commercials. They're not letting me die.

03:53The public, the fans, they like me around."

03:56He continued, "...I'm going to be Biz Markie until I die. Even after I die,

04:02I'm going to be Biz Markie. And so he will be."

The Tragic Death Of Rapper Biz Markie

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