All language subtitles for All.Up.In.The.Biz.2023

BIZ MARKIE: Drop that shit.

[record scratching]

["Just a Friend" playing]

Now, listen, Las Vegas,
when the beat drop,

everybody gotta lose your
fucking minds in here, y'all.

Oh, baby, you
Sing it loud!

CROWD: You got what I need

I can't hear you,
can't hear you!

And you say
he's just a friend

I wanna hear you, say what?

And you say
he's just a friend

Oh, baby, you

Got what I need

TRACY MORGAN: Biz looked funny,
he acted funny,

his spirit was funny.

Everything about Biz was funny,
even in his music.

When you make a song
called "Pickin' Boogers"

about picking boogers,
come on, man.

MASTA ACE: Biz was really
the one

that ushered in
that real fun of hip-hop.

DMC: He was the music,
he was the style.

He was all the aspects
of hip-hop.

My name is Biz Markie,
the human on this thing...

[humming]

ROXANNE SHANTE: He had battled
so many beatboxers,

his lips had gotten so big
and swole up so bad,

that he had to stick them
in this bowl with ice,

and he had to soak his lips
the whole ride home.

You would never imagine he'd be
in "Men in Black Two"

doing the beatboxing.

[beatboxing]

TARA HALL: Children were just
drawn to him

by the way his looks
and his demeanor.

Children really see
the good in you.

Biz, he didn't drink,
he didn't smoke,

he didn't do anything.

All he did,
he was a collector.

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots,
every old-school toy.

Biz showed me the ropes
and really how to rock a crowd.

BIG DADDY KANE:
This was the first time

someone actually believed in me

and said, "Yo, I wanna
do this for you,"

and kept their word,
like, came back and got me.

RAKIM: You get a little jealous
when somebody

love hip-hop more than you.

Biz made me jealous
that he loved hip-hop like that.

He's everywhere impacting
people's lives in a good way,

you know, no matter
where he goes.

Almost like an angel
or something.

TARA: It was just fun.

It just felt like you're in
like some type

of teenage love affair.

It almost didn't feel real,
but it was.

It don't matter to me

If you really feel that

You need some time
to be free

Time to go out
searching for yourself

Hoping to find

Time to go to find

It don't matter to me
if you take up

With someone
who's better than me

'Cause your happiness
is all I want

For you to find

Peace, your peace of mind

A lot of people
have an ego hang-up

'Cause they want to be
the only one

How many came before,
it really doesn't matter

Just as long
as you're the last

Everybody's moving on
and trying to find out

What's been missing
in the past

It don't matter to me
if your searching brings you

Back together with me

'Cause there'll always
be an empty room

Waiting for you

An open heart
waiting for you

Time is on my side

'Cause it don't matter
to me

INTERVIEWER: So, what do you
think got you into, like,

collecting other than
personal satisfaction?

BIZ: I didn't have
the coolest clothes,

or I started just
collecting memorabilia,

collecting tapes before Biz.

We are in our storage space.

So, that's what
I'm about to show you.

These are the leather Pro-Keds,

but these are the Biz Markie
edition.

"Nobody Beats the Biz."

Biz was a big kid.

He's got all his original
quarterback electronic games

from I guess the '70s.

These are the whole set
of "Charlie's Angels."

And here's Farrah Fawcett.

INTERVIEWER:
Would he, like, just...

He obtained it.

He obtained it and moved on
to the next thing to collect.

Oh, yes.
Yes, yes, yes.

When Biz was hospitalized,
when I called 911,

and the ambulance came
and they took him

to the hospital, I wasn't able
to go to the hospital with him.

And immediately,
I just grabbed, you know,

our daughter's composition book
just to make notes,

you know, to just be clear
on what the doctors

or nurses had to say to me,
you know, about his condition.

I mean, I wrote
every single thing down.

I really advocated for him
every single day

for over a year.

BIZ: As we go back into time...

[vocalizing]

[machine beeping]

Biz.
Biz.

It's Tara.

Oh my goodness,
with all the COVID mandates,

I had to sneak in.

Oh, God, but I'm here.

Look at you.

You look so crusty,
oh my gosh.

And your beard
grew so much.

It's okay.

We're gonna get through
this together, all right?

Put the ball up again, Biz,
towards your head.

Good, good.

Now, throw it
to the other hand.

You got it, you got it.
Perfect, perfect, perfect.

I'm so proud.
You're doing great.

BIZ: I grew up in Harlem,
Colonial Projects,

159th and 8th,
you know what I mean?

I'm gonna show you what building
I used to--

where I grew up
from like one to 10

till we moved to Long Island
to the Deluxe with no Sky.

This is where
I used to live at.

Look.

Okay, now let's go.

[laughing]

To the beat, y'all

Our big story
of the next 10 years

is what happens when the city
comes to the suburbs.

DIAMOND SHELL: My mom tells the
story how he ended up with us.

Sadly, his mom died.

BILL PARKER: And it was a very
unexpected death,

but it was very
unsettling to him.

I would ask Mark about it,

and he wouldn't discuss it.

He kind of would go on
to another conversation.

Mark didn't like
to dwell on bad things.

And he used to always say,

if Biz is good,
everybody's good.

The father just couldn't
take care of Biz anymore,

and they ended up,
you know, losing their house,

and they ended up living
under a bridge in a tent

in Long Island.

[keyboard playing]

And that's how he ended up
in foster care, 1973.

DIAMOND: His dad
was having trouble

with caring for the family,

and he did what he thought
was best.

MC BAAL: Long Island's
very segregated,

especially Suffolk County.

It wasn't minorities
getting the houses,

it was mostly white.

Then, once they got older

and started moving out,
Black people started moving in,

they started renting out
their houses,

that's where it became
a Black enclave.

DIAMOND: I remember
my mom telling me

"There's gonna be
a new member in the house.

Try to be nice to him."

I was outside
when he got dropped off

with the social worker.

The first thing he said is,
you know, "Hey.

I'm allergic to grass."
That was Biz.

What kid is allergic to grass?

That's the first story
he told me.

The second story he told me
as he's walking by is,

"I can only wear Pro-Keds
on my feet.

The doctor only prescribes
Pro-Keds for me."

BILL: He did say that.

We played ball in the street.

You threw Mark a ball,
he'd catch it,

and he would run
in slow motion.

Like, it was like
the NFL films.

You're like,
"What are you doing?"

And he'd be calling out
guys' names,

like Rocky Bleier,
and this and that.

He'd be run-- and you're like,
"What are you doing?"

And he couldn't stop acting.

DIAMOND: We'd get up,
go to church.

I was an altar boy,
Biz sang in the choir.

He was terrible,
he could not, oh my.

They asked if somebody
wanted to sing lead.

He raises his hand
and he tries to sing

"We are Soldiers in the Army."

I'm crying,
'cause he sounds terrible.

But he had support.

They're not gonna boo you
in church.

If Biz wasn't good enough,
then neither was I.

If he was ugly, then so was I.

But as long as we were crew,
we were crew.

Bill had a paper route.

He'd spend his money
on certain rap music.

Then one day,
one of our boys--

my man Dap, he bought
a tape from the Bronx.

BIZ: That's the first
rap tape I ever heard.

He let me hear the L Brothers,
there's Theodore,

Master Rob, Kevie Kev,
Busy Bee, Cordeo.

One, two,
are you ready?

Yes, yes, y'all,
and to the beat, y'all

Rock, rock, y'all,
you don't stop

Keep on to the break of dawn

And then you dip-dop...

We had the best parents
in the world.

They would never tell us
to turn music off,

no matter how annoying it got.

That allowed us
to build into that culture.

Anybody from Long Island
in the house?

Long Island is always
gonna be my home.

The reason
Long Island's my home,

because the real is here.

It ain't about trying to be real
or faking like you real.

They're real.

Long Island

Long Island,
what's up...

ERICK SERON: Hip-hop was heavy
in Long Island.

I would have thought
that we started hip-hop too.

We had a lot of influence,
DJs, breakdance, MCs,

you know, we had everything.

That's where I got my--
my drive from

and my skills
to become a rapper,

from Brentwood, Long Island.

PRINCE PAUL: There was
definitely a scene

in Long Island,
but the only thing

that really mattered back then
was power.

It was focused on
if you could be heard,

how many speakers
you got stacked up,

how much power you got.

I didn't have the power,
but as time went on,

was able to get
better equipment

and worked on my skillset.

You know, just as far
as technically DJing.

DIAMOND: One of our favorite
crews was Cold Crush.

So, Biz would say,
"You know what?

I'm-- I'm Grandmaster Caz."

And I'd say,
"Yo, I'm JDL."

And we would write
these rhymes.

And then one day,
we got a Busy Bee tape.

...all the streets
all through the night

And you hang with Busy Bee,
you got to be all right

DIAMOND: And he loved the name,
and he said,

"I think I'll be
Bizzy B Markie."

And I looked at him like,
whatever, man, you not Busy.

BAAL: This was our introduction

- when we'd do a show.
- ELROY: We'd cue up, yeah.

When you come through
the door, you pay your cash

And then you check
out the sounds

More quicker than Flash

And if you bet your cash,
your time will pass

'Cause then we will kick Flash
right in the ass

We get down,
rocking and get down

We get down, rocking
and get down

Yo, and then
we'd break into a routine.

And then we'd break off
into separate rappers.

- Into routines.
- We had routines.

We joined a group
of older guys that were DJs,

they were called
New York Employees.

And basically,
everybody was unemployed.

[both laugh]

Groove line on time
with the rap of rhyme

Not only one of the best,
but one of a kind

And then we would
break it up

like the Treacherous 3.

Grooveline Crew was just
a gathering of adolescent kids

that just gravitated
to each other

for their love of music.

I was an MC in the group,
I was MC Groove.

So, we had MC Groove, Bazooka,
MC Jam, and Cool Breeze.

That was the dynamic four,
and then Biz would turn around

and jump in whenever he could.

He was always on the back.

[music]

ELROY: There are so many stories
about Biz,

so we don't know where...
nobody can remember.

I can't remember
the first time I saw Biz.

- In fact, he just popped up.
- He just sorta showed up.

- Popped up.
- And he was always around.

And he wanted to be down
with us.

BIZ: I was cool,
but I wasn't like

the super cool kid
with the gear.

I tried to try out
for this rap group, tried--

and you know, they said,
"You can't be down,

we got our people."

So, that made me go practice
and practice.

Last subject of the story
is about Biz Mark

I had to work for mine
to put your body in park

DIAMOND: We're in
the Source Crew garage.

I can still see him
egging this dude,

"Yo, when they pass you the mic,
let me get it next."

"B, you got it, I got you.
You got it next."

Then after he says his rhyme,
he passes it around Biz,

and the deflation was so bad,

it was one of the moments
where you're like,

who do you have to be here
just to be part of something

that everybody else
is already part of?

And I think that affected him
as a teenager

more than-- almost more
than anything.

[rapping]

And I don't eat spaghetti,
without the meat sauce

Whether Ragu, Prego,
Hunt's, or Aunt Millie

You wanna get dissed,
then try to get illy

That was his biggest thing,
"Get me on the mic.

Get me on the mic."

I think there was always
a sense of jealousy there

or envy there,

as somebody does have talent,

they kinda want to keep
them away.

But what he learned to do,
and he taught me how to do,

was laugh.

Somebody would say,
"Hey, you're ugly,"

and he would say...

Your mother got no neck,
talking about,

"Nod your head to this.
Nod your head to this."

And boom, a new way out of it.

Biz is infamous for playing
the dozens and stuff like that.

Like, you know, because people
cracked on him so much,

he was really good at it.

- At one-liners.
- At one-liners.

Yo, when he take a shower,
he's so bald,

he wash his dreams away.

Well, humor comes in
from slavery,

not just hip-hop,
'cause you know, it was hot

picking that cotton out there

in that fucking cotton field
all day,

so we only had three things
to keep us really afloat.

And that was joking,
music, and sex.

Why you think Black people
have so many kids all the time?

'Cause that's what
kept us alive, B.

SCOOB: We all snapped.

If you went into McDonald's
after Latin Quarters,

either you was getting robbed,

or you had to know how to snap.

And we would trade snaps,
and I would get stuff from him,

and I know he got stuff from me.

It's the same thing as comics,
you know what I'm saying?

Like, you gotta know
when to say the right thing.

To be good as a freestyler,
and battles and stuff,

snapping and rapping
are one and the same.

It's similar, like,
you have to be able

to say the most wittiest thing
to throw your opponent off.

Guess what?

Mark was very good
at closing doors.

So, any door that he did not
want you to go through, he shut.

I'd ask him about his family,
and you know, the holes,

and he would say,
"No, no, change the topic."

SUE: There are things that he
just didn't wanna talk about.

He always had another story,

and another story,
and another story,

and that's how he would
keep you off-topic.

I think sometimes he would
use that as a diversion.

BIZ: My pops, I guess
he won the lottery,

and then we relocated
in Long Island.

TARA: He didn't have much.

I think they had
to share clothes,

share pairs of pants,
and stuff like that.

He ended up collecting
when he started to make money.

So, I'm sure with this
collection that he has,

it's everything that he wanted,

everything that an
eight-year-old

or nine-year-old boy would want.

Somebody mention a toy to him,

he might tell that person,
"I got that."

But if he don't,
he gonna have it tomorrow.

"I bet you ain't got this."

[laughter]

"I bet you ain't got this."

Like, "Hurricane."
Like, "What's up?"

"I got something
I know you ain't got."

He's the only guy
from being a child to adult

who stayed a child,
you know what I'm saying?

Whose chips are these?

End of this segment.

Yo, I'm like the rendition
of a military mutt

when it come to Long Island.
[laughing]

You know, I lived
in different places.

I lived in Holbrook,
I lived in Patchogue,

I lived in Bellport.

I lived in Ronkonkoma,
I lived in Coram.

I was known
for being everywhere.

PRINCE PAUL: He just kinda
just was accepted

in every group
on every neighborhood,

you know, where I would
think I'm special and go,

"Yeah, you know,
Busy Bee--" back then--

"Busy Bee came to my house
and made a tape.

"He was just at my house
last week.

He was just in--"
whatever town.

I don't know how he got around,
what he did.

I knew he took the Long Island
Railroad occasionally.

But he was everywhere.

Everywhere.

The reason I really
took it serious

is because in New York City,

they wasn't taking
Long Island serious.

They looked at us
like we were Martians

or from the country
or something, right?

So, my thing was,
I wanted to make sure

that Long Island rap
was gonna make

a breakthrough regardless.

Biz Markie,
believe it or not, man,

he used to come to the school.

And he used to come through
on lunchtime,

and be in the lunchroom,
and hitting the table,

and rapping.

But he didn't get thrown out,
which is weird,

'cause he didn't go there.

We attended Amityville
High School,

and Biz used to come
to our high school

like every other week,
just hanging out

and handing out flyers,
pretty much.

I knew of Biz Markie
because Sheldon,

his younger brother,
was a friend of mine

who went to East Junior High
as well.

I'm in my seventh grade
classroom,

and they tell us
that we're going down

to the auditorium.

And there's this guy Biz
sitting there.

So, Biz came in
and he talked the principals

into, one, buying him
Burger King.

And shutting down the school
for one day at first,

and he proceeded to tell us

that he has this song out
called "La Di Da Di."

You know what,
yo, peep this

La-di-da-di,
we like to party

We don't cause trouble,
we don't bother nobody

We're just some men
that's on the mic

And when we rock up on
the mic, we rock the mic right

And that's how I heard
about "La Di Da Di."

"La Di Da Di" was Biz's song.

BIZ: La-di-da-di

CROWD: We like to party

BIZ: Sing loud.
CROWD: Da-di

[Biz beatboxing]

You know what, Biz,
la-di-da-di, we like to party

He literally lied his way,

and he faked it
till he make it.

Biz could lie his ass off,
or exaggerate, if you may say.

If I said, "Yo, Biz,
I got these ill Cazals,"

he would say, "Yo, I just
went to the store.

I own half
of the company of Cazals."

His stories
was extra exaggerated.

I never believed
anything Biz said,

but everything I told him,
like, "Yeah, right, Biz."

That was my common response
to Biz.

It was like, "Yeah, right, Biz."

TARA: He's doing
great today, right?

All right, come on, Biz,
let's make a fist

with your left--
with your hand.

[Biz grunting]

Good.

Excellent.

Now, can you do it
with the other hand?

Okay.
Don't worry 'bout that.

Can you squeeze my hand?

[phone buzzing]
Okay.

[sighs]
He's coming along, right?

Excuse me.
[chuckles]

Hello?

Who-- excuse me,
who is this?

[scoffs]
No, he's very much alive.

Oh yeah, no.

You know, TMZ, can you guys
give us some respect,

some space, some privacy?

[scoffs]
You're gonna do what?

VOICE: I'm a lawyer.

Yeah, I'll see about that.

I'm calling my lawyer.

Yeah, bye.

[sighs]

Yeah, don't worry 'bout that.

Yeah, anyway,
he's coming along nicely, right?

All right, come on, Biz.

Yep, move your head
left, right.

Make a fist again.

Good.

RAKIM: There was three
lunch periods,

fourth, fifth, and sixth,

and I would wind up
being down here.

As long as you could duck,
you know, security,

you're good.

And one day, Biz walks up
in the school, bro.

Now, you know, Wyandanch
is notorious, like, you know.

It was a rough school,
you know what I mean?

And you know,
people from out of town,

we ain't like that too much.

Biz had that, you know,
that energy, man,

where people knew, you know,

he wasn't trying
to harm nobody.

So, he started
doing the beatboxing,

and somebody ran and got me.

It's that little section
right there when you walk in,

the acoustics over there
is crazy, you know what I mean?

So, Biz is over there rocking,
"boom-boom-boom-boom-boom,"

doing the beatbox.

Crowd around, you know,
everybody from the lunch period,

people got up out the,
you know, cafeteria.

So, I walk up,
and people's like, "Yo, Ra,

yo, start--
you know, say a rhyme."

So, I walk up and just
start rhyming.

Didn't even, you know,
know who he was,

what his name was or nothing,
just started rhyming.

[beatboxing]

BIZ: I've been doing it
since, like, eighth grade.

My parents thought I was crazy,

I used to have
to go to a psychiatrist,

Dr. Kondry,
'cause I would just do beatbox,

bang on the table and stuff.

INTERVIEW: And they thought
you were, like, mental?

BIZ: They thought I was crazy.

INTERVIEWER: What did
your friends think?

BIZ: I would do records like...
[beatboxing]

[beatboxing continues,
crowd chanting]

DOUG E. FRESH:
There's a tradition in Harlem

where you walk down the block,
and every single block

there was usually a record shop.

So, I'm walking up the street,

and every street
I'm hearing the music

that's coming out--
Spoonie Gee new record,

I'm hearing Grandmaster Flash
and Furious Five.

I'm hearing the bass line...

[singing bass line]

I'm like, damn,
that bass line is crazy!

So, I'm just doing it,
humming it all the way.

And I say, damn, but I hear
the beat up under there.

So, I started
trying to do the...

[beatboxing]

Then I thought, say man,
I wonder if I can do

the bass line with the beat,

and if I put that together,
that'll be crazy.

So, I went--
and I'm trying to do it,

you know, 'cause you can't
think about it,

it's-- you gotta feel it.
So I'm...

[beatboxing]

Then I'm saying,
oh man, I got that.

Then there's another sound,
and I put the hi-hat in there.

[beatboxing]

Then I can put the hi-hat
in there,

then you gotta put this other
little sound,

a click thing, or piano.

So, I'm walking.
[beatboxing]

So, I go to my man
Barry B's house to practice.

I'm starting to do
what I was doing going home.

[beatboxing]

And he was in
Lincoln Projects too.

He said, "Yo, you know what,
you should do that outside."

I said, "I'm not doing that,
you trying to play me,

get outta here with that."
He said, "Yo, I'm telling you."

He said, "That was crazy
what you just did.

You should do it outside."

So, what happened
is I went outside,

and we was doing a jam
at the big park.

So, when the music came,
they said,

"Yo, cut the music down,
do it right now!

Do it right now!"

I turn around, said all right.

[beatboxing]

Motherfuckers say "Ahh!"

[beatboxing]

BIZ: I got addicted to this
thing called hip-hop,

because that was
the cool thing to do.

It was costly though,
'cause you know,

you always had to go to
the city and get some records

whenever somebody cutting
on the tape.

[beatboxing]

PETE NICE: Biz lives on
at this museum.

Biz was a mainstay
at the Latin Quarters,

so he shows up all over.

That's like a recreation

of the sign at the LQ.

But this is Biz actually doing
the Biz dance at the LQ.

Any time you would go
to the Latin Quarter,

you would see Biz there
in the, you know,

iconic Biz Markie trucker's hat.

DJ HURRICANE: Once Biz
knew what he wanted to do,

he didn't miss any hip-hop event

and he didn't have
any records out at the time.

To get into the business,

I met my man EK Mike C
on the train,

I was coming from Long Island
going to New York.

He told me, "Yo, I'm gonna
introduce you to Mike and Dave.

"You hook up with them,
hand out flyers,

start learning the business."

I met a whole bunch people at
this time, you know what I mean?

PETE: He would show up
on the flyers.

I think the earliest flyer
he showed up

was like either late '82
or '83 at the Savoy Manor.

DOUG: So, then there were some
promoters named Mike and Dave.

They put me on a show
in Long Island, Shirley Arena.

And on this show
is Biz Markie.

Lovebug Starski was on,
and the Cold Crush.

MAN: Everybody in the house!

[cheers and applause]

DOUG: So, I felt like
I was big-time now.

When he got off, I said, man,
I see what you're doing, man.

Just keep on doing
what you're doing,

and you gonna pop.

Doug E. Fresh,
he's the original.

Anybody know him,
put your hand up in the air.

And he turned around, he said,
"Yo, what you did just now, man,

was crazy, man, that was crazy.
I never seen nothing like that."

He said, "Yo, can I come
to your house?"

I was like, damn.
I said, this is crazy.

He asked me to come to my house
like out of nowhere.

He said, "I got these two girls
that wanna meet you though."

And I just said "Oh, yeah?"
After he threw the girls in,

I said, "Yeah, you can
come to my house."

BIZ: So, I just started
going places by myself.

I started being a nomad.

I thought making
as many friends

and meeting as many people
as possible,

so when your record come out,
they'll pick up your record.

DOUG: And he said,
"Yo, I'm gonna be in Harlem.

I'm gonna come by."
He had the address.

I didn't know
he was coming by this day.

I come in the house, man,
he's in the house!

And he was like,
"Hey, Doug E.!"

I was like,
who is this dude, bro?

So, he came to the house.

He's like listening
to the tapes.

I'm letting him listen
to Hollywood.

I got him
listening to everything.

He's like, "Oh my God.
Oh my God!"

Like, his mind is getting blown.

He take the tapes
back to Long Island,

and he started coming
to the house every single day.

And then, when I would do
the beatbox,

he would stand there,
looking at me like this.

Just looking at me,
just looking at me.

And then he couldn't--
he couldn't go...

[beatboxing]

He couldn't do that.

So then, he was starting
to figure, like,

"What could I do?
How could I..."

You know, then he started
to orchestrate his own style.

[beatboxing]

One of the things with Biz
that was, like,

literally the most iconic things
that he wore

were the Shirt Kings
airbrush shirts,

like the "Pickin' Boogers"
sweatshirt.

And when we visited Tara,

sure enough,
we open up one-- one box,

and there's a denim
airbrushed Shirt King jacket.

This is pretty cool.
This is from the Shirt Kings,

you know,
from 30, 40 years ago.

PHADE: I think my--
one of my funniest stories

is we were in front
of Dapper Dan's,

and you know, he popped up
to pick up a suit,

and there was some kids
out there

that used to work for Dap.

And they was like,
"Yo, that's Biz, that's Biz."

So, this one little chubby kid
was like, "Yo, I'll battle you."

Biz was still into it,
he was like...

[beatboxing]
...battling, the kid was like,

"All right, my go."

And he just kept beatboxing,
kept beatboxing, like...

[beatboxing]

Biz always told me this,
he said do something,

and be just as good as everybody
in the room when you do it.

But once you're just as good
as everybody else,

be better than everybody else.

And then do it because...

you want to excel.

[machine beeping]

WOMAN: Hello, Mr. Hall.

How you doing today, good?

All right, that's good.

Well...

Okay.

All right, so you know
why I'm here, yes?

All right,
don't give me no trouble.

All right.
Give me your hand.

I'm gonna squeeze this here.
Okay.

That.

- Ah. Biz!
- [laughing]

You know, I can get you
in trouble for that.

And you know
I'll call your wife.

- [shudders]
- Exactly.

Feet hurt, working a double.

Come on.
The only one.

[sighing, muttering]

BIZ: I was born in 1964

Well, I'm 18,
born on 90

When he was at Wyandanch
High School with Rakim,

he was a better MC then,

than when he started
making records and stuff.

We had a little charade
in the gym,

as you call it back then,
everybody got together

and they just having
a good time.

Ra brought him through,
introduced him,

gave him the pass to the town.

RAKIM: ...Rakim is in the house.

I came all the way up here
to tear shit up,

you know what I'm saying?

But check it out...
[overlapping chatter]

I know you people came
to see me do the beatbox, right?

EDDIE: And once he started
doing the beatbox thing,

it was over, like,
everybody fell in love with him,

and Biz took off.

[Biz beatboxing]

- Right there.
- Over there.

DJ was set up
under the rim over there.

Yo, I used to time
my shit just right.

Like, I make sure
I come in at the right time,

you know what I mean,
everybody-- everybody waiting.

Come up in here, our man
go straight to the booth,

- grab the mic.
- That's what it was.

Everybody waiting.

You call me Kid Wizard,
on top, y'all

The president of poetry,
that's what I am

You can call me a wiz,
they call me Rakim

Every time I rock a mic,
it's so unique

So check it out, y'all,
because I'm reaching my peak

Biz.
Biz Markie, y'all.

Give him a round of applause.

These are our Biz's
Gucci sneakers.

Biz was always
into the high-top sneakers.

He's got the Converse
in his first promo picture,

and sneaker culture
was big with Biz.

Welcome to
the Albee Square Mall.

This is my second home
away from home.

Here to talk about
the Albee Square Mall

Letting people shop
in downtown Brooklyn

Biz pops up in
Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn.

People would just pop up,
you know, and start performing.

And I remember Biz and guys
that I saw in jams

that were, you know,
the Brooklyn crew.

TRACY: My house is
the Albee Square Mall

My house is the
Albee Square Mall

I lived up the block
in Thompkins,

so I used to go down
to the Albee Square,

see Kane, and Biz,
and all them down there.

I met Kane
in front of McQuarry's

across the street
from Albee Square Mall.

BIG DADDY KANE: This guy named
Wayne, he kept telling me

about this dude in Long Island
around his way named Biz Markie.

I'm like, "Where he at?"
"He's in the mall."

So, I was like, "All right,
introduce me to him."

So, he took me inside
the Albee Square Mall.

And before we got to him,
I was like,

all right, now look,
I'm gonna ask your man

for a battle, and after
this battle,

I don't want you telling me
nothing else about this dude.

And then, after the battle,
you know, Biz is like,

you know, with that crazy laugh,
you know, he's...

[laughing]
"That was dope."

You know, and he's like,
telling me,

"Yo, you dope, man,
you should get down with me.

"I be doing shows in Harlem,
Long Island,

"and I promise you,
if you get down with me,

I'm gonna get you
a record deal one day."

And I said okay.

I always could get
in any club anywhere.

So, what I would do
is bring him with me.

I'd do the beatbox, he'd rhyme.

And from that point on,
I was doing shows

for these promoters,
Mike and Dave.

Can I get my man
Big Daddy Kane?

Come out here.

What is it, uplifted,
my rhymes are exquisite

And Biz would have me all over

at these Mike and Dave parties
performing.

And they used to pay us in
one-dollar bills like strippers.

Yo.
Bring that down.

Bring that down,
bring that down.

Yo.
[indistinct]

RAKIM: Kicking it with Biz
and seeing the passion

that he had for hip-hop
started to rub off on me.

I remember when Biz was like,
"Yo, it's a battle in Harlem."

So, I'm like,
I'm not going to Harlem

to no battle, bro.

You know, I knew I was good.

You know, I ain't think
I was nice.

I knew I was on the outside
looking in.

Biz told me,
"Ra, you nice, man.

"I'm telling you, man,
yo, they gonna love you.

All you gotta do
is just rhyme, Ra, just rhyme."

Like I said, 45 minutes later,
I made my mind up,

we gonna get on the train
tonight and go to Harlem.

We go to 132nd, I think
Harriet Tubman in Harlem.

Mike and Dave production.
Doug Fresh was there.

You know, I just remember,
you know,

saying to myself, like, yo,
what the hell am I doing here?

Like, you know,
what'd I get myself into?

Biz entered us in a contest.

I just got up there
and did my thing.

I rocked the show.
I didn't win.

Kid named Kid West.

He lived right around
the corner,

but that was his spot,
you know what I mean?

And he was more prime than me,
you know what I mean?

I wasn't used to rock--
especially no Harlem crowd.

You know, the pen started
getting a little bigger

after that, 'cause now
I've been inside,

you know what I mean?

CROWD: [chanting]
Go Biz Mark! Go Biz Mark!

Go Biz Mark!

BIZ: Saying the new dance
was the Pee-Wee Herman.

I would do the Biz dance,

and they would forget
the Pee-Wee Herman.

These are like some
of the rarest pieces

of hip-hop history that exist.

And you know, they represent
the Juice Crew.

You know, Sir Juice
right here, Mr. Magic,

one of the most seminal figures
in hip-hop history,

you know, through the radio.

MR. MAGIC: WBLS 107.5,
in a class by itself.

Good evening
to you super listeners.

How you doing tonight,
all you fly guys and fly girls?

Welcome once again
to the world-famous

Mr. Magic Rap Attack
on your radio.

FRED BUGGS: WBLS had been
in the market

as WBLS since 1972,

and had garnered
a major part of the marketplace

by being number-one
general market radio station.

All right, let me
introduce myself.

My name is Ty Will.

I produce a show
in New York City

known as the world-famous
Mr. Magic Rap Attack

that made the man
DJ Marly Marl famous.

Y'all know about the bridge?

Y'all know
about the bridge?

I don't believe you.
Y'all don't know, y'all don't.

The bridge,
the-the bridge

The bridge, the-the bridge

The bridge,
the-the bridge

I was lucky enough
to do an internship

at Unique Recording,

kinda like a fly on the wall

and see the technology
that they was using.

And not to say
they wasn't using it right,

but I felt other needs
for that technology.

You know, they was putting
vocals in the sample.

I was like, yo, hold up,

I could put breakbeats
in the sample.

[laughing]

REPORTER:
Sampling is the process

of electronically copying
bits of sound

from another artist's recording.

MARLY: Then, we realized,
hold on,

I got all these records
in my house.

That's why I took
everybody by storm,

because nobody was thinking
about it.

I just kinda outthought
everybody at that minute

and started using
hip-hop in the sampler.

I used to be on the set
with Bob Lee,

and I'm playing remixes
and doing my thing.

Mr. Magic like, "Yo, man,
that sound fire right there.

Who did that?"
I said, "Yo, I did it."

I did a remix of "Buffalo Gals"
or something.

Two buffalo gals
go around the outside

Round the outside,
round the outside

And he's like, "Wow,"
he's like, "Oh, shit.

What you do on the weekends?"

I work at Club Pegasus.

"Yo, I'll double your pay,
you come up here."

That's how I got my job at BLS.

MR. MAGIC: About that time
for my engineer all-star,

Marly Marl, to put on
his golden mixing gloves.

[music playing]

FRED: And later on in 1983,

folks were listening
to 98.7 Kiss-FM.

98.7 Kiss-FM.

TYRONE WILLIAMS:
Kiss is the competition,

so now we can't get exclusives
like we used to,

so that forces us
to make our own records.

So, a few weeks later,
that's when I met Shante,

and then we put Shante on.

Then Craig G was from
our building.

That's when I met Shan
in the park.

SHAN: I was doing records
for six months

without having a record,

traveling around
and things like that.

And then next came along
Biz Mark.

You took him in
like a big teddy bear.

Because I remember times
when I would sneak Biz

into my house.

He would just say, "Thank you,

I just need to sleep
till in the morning."

And before you knew it,
it was like once Biz

got his foot in that door,

I knew that he was gonna
keep that door open

for a very long time.

I will actually
pop open this case.

And this is like the first time
Biz was actually in the studio

to cut a record with Shante.

And this was for
the Def Fresh Crew,

recorded December 11th, 1985.

And of course,
it was released in '86.

And that's where
it all happened right there,

where you hear Biz
doing that meow mix,

and you know, you see
that classic performance

of them together on video.

We came here tonight
to get started

Cold, act ill,
or get retarded

[beatboxing]

You wanna hear my first demo
I made with Biz?

[laughing]

[hip-hop music playing]

CRAIG G: Marly had this thing
where he'd invite you

to the studio on 12th Street

and make you wait
four or five hours outside.

I waited every day
for like three weeks.

You know, I waited on the bench,

waited around there
till nighttime.

MARLY: You know, it was cats
in the building saying,

"Yo, Marl, check this cat out.
He's dope, he's dope."

I was like, nah.
I kept it moving.

My man Mark ran back,
then he came back up to me.

"Yo, you gotta go check
this kid out, he's dope."

I was like, all right,
come on, let's go.

So, I went back.

[beatboxing]

He did the bass.

I was like, yo,
that's different.

"You should come to my house."

He came to my house
a few days later-- boop.

We made the first original

"Make the Music
With Your Mouth, Biz."

I'd like
to introduce myself

My name is Biz Markie

Well, I'm the human orchestra
called Biz Markie

Making music orally
is my specialty

TRACY: Make the music,
make the music

Make the music
with your mouth

When he dropped that,
as soon as the beat come on,

you just grab your head, like...

They call action,
when you hear me do it

You will be shocked
and amazed

It's the brand-new thing they
call the human beatbox craze

Make the music
with your mouth, Biz

MARLEY: The early Juice Crew
was battlers.

They was like really trying
to battle to get on.

Biz was friends with everybody.

TYRONE: Biz was persistent.

So, that showed
he wanted to do it.

So, we started bringing Biz.

Biz, come here.

The first show
was right here,

Coney Island,
that we used Biz.

And he was MC Shan's beatbox.

BIZ: Don't take me seriously

He's only bugging

[vocalizing]

SHANTE: He went in,
opened up doors,

he opened up windows.

He was pulling everybody
in with him.

He was putting
all his people on.

He's responsible
for a lot of careers.

Y'all ready for
something raw?

You think they ready
for something raw?

They ready for something raw,
they ready.

All right, y'all stay tuned.

Around '85,
he came to me with this beat

and said that he wants
to make a song

called "Make the Music
With Your Mouth,"

and he wanted me
to write the rhymes.

And I'm like, whoa, hold up,

um, I thought you
was the beatbox.

Don't you mean
I write the rhymes for me to say

about you making the music
with your mouth,

and then you make
the music with your mouth?

And Biz said, "Okay, Kane."

I ain't see his ass no more.
[laughing]

Nine months later, you know,
I'm here,

I hear Mr. Magic, you know,

"World-world-world
premiere-miere-miere."

And him and Shan,
they're doing our routine,

the routine that me and Biz
used to do,

with the "One-two, one-two."

I'd like to introduce myself

- Who are you?
- My name is Biz Markie

- Who am I?
- And that is MC Shan

Shortly after that,
Biz came back to my high school,

and he was like,
"Yo, I'm working on a new song.

"I want to use the slogan from
'Nobody Beats the Wiz,'

but saying
'Nobody Beats the Biz.'"

Nobody beats the Wiz

ANNOUNCER: Don't miss
the sensational

Sharp home entertainment sale
at the Wiz!

KANE: I wanted the style
to just be like...

[vocalizing]

And since he left my ass
with the "Make the Music,"

this time, I ain't--
"Okay, whatever you want.

What?
Okay, got you, no problem."

MARLY: Kane came to my house
one day,

said, "Yo, I was supposed
to meet Biz

"at the train station
and give him these.

You know, I write
for Biz, you know."

I was like, oh, word?

I thought Biz
wrote his own stuff.

He's coming with it written,

and just recite it
and put it down,

and you know,
that was that.

But that's when I met Kane.

You have been playing
the background

for a little while.

- You were Shante's DJ.
- Yeah.

And you were writing for her
and writing some stuff for Biz.

KANE: Like, I showed up
from Brooklyn,

and Marly was talking to me
with the chain on the door.

He's like, "Yo, I don't know
what to tell you, money.

Biz ain't here."

I'm like, "All right.
Well, here's the rhymes

he's supposed to use
for the day."

So, I gave the rhymes to Marly,

and he was like,
"You wrote this?"

I'm like, yeah.

You know, he spit
a rhyme for me

that nobody knew
that Biz recorded already.

I was like, oh yeah,
he's definitely--

he's definitely the writer.

He's like, "Yo, you rhyme too?
Let me hear something."

And I kicked a verse for Marly,

and then Marly took
the chain off the door

and was like, "Yo, come on,
you wanna work on something?"

He invited me in, and we worked
on "I'll Take You There."

Daddy, Daddy

Hear ye, hear ye
from far and near

The one they call
the Big Daddy Kane is here

KANE: You know,
Biz had me convinced

that you know,
I should be a member,

and you know, he got them
to sign me.

Every Friday,
I had something new

from somebody in the crew.

That's how we blew up.

TYRONE: Stetsasonic,
Eric B and Rakim,

all them came from us.

Why are we giving this away?

And we weren't really interested
in the record industry.

We were just interested
in having exclusives,

which led to us creating
a label called Cold Chillin'.

We had "Down by Law"
by MC Shan.

[hip-hop music]

The partners were myself,
Marly, Magic, and Lenny.

Those were the partners.
We had success.

We got Fly Ty,
got my man MC Shan.

My road manager, Bernard.
Hey!

He came to me and said,
"Bernard, I need your help.

You're helping Erick
and Parish."

And then I left.
Biz like, "Yo, Bernard,

I wanna rock with you."

And I became Biz's manager

through his last days
with Cold Chillin'.

TYRONE: So, now we got
"Pickin' Boogers"

with Biz Markie.

- And it's called
- CROWD: Pickin' boogers!

Now what I am saying
might not be kosher to you

But it's still something
we all have to do

CRAIG: "Make the Music"
and "Nobody Beats the Biz"

was on the air
all day long.

I'm the original
B-I-Z M-A-R-K-I but the E

And I came to have fun
and not to be number one

TYRONE: So, Cold Chillin' is now
kind of a viable label.

That's when the majors
are knocking on the door.

JAZZY JEFF: Biz was a part
of the Juice Crew,

and the Juice Crew
was pretty much everything.

You know, Marly was, you know,
pretty much the Dr. Dre

before Dr. Dre.

You know, everybody wanted
beats from Marly.

Marly had a squad of MCs.

What you knew was Biz
was a part of the Juice Crew,

which was ultimately Wu-Tang
before Wu-Tang.

TRACY: Water seeks its own
level, that's hip-hop.

Biz was there with Rakim,
Slick Rick, all of them.

That was Biz era.

[music]

The Biz Mark dance
is second to none

TYRONE: Cold Chillin' artists
were cocky.

Cold Chillin' artists felt like
nobody else was as good as them.

They thought
everything else was wack.

Cutmaster Cool V,
Mr. Loverboy, TJ Swan.

- Word.
- Yeah, and I am

the diabolical, energetical,
poetical,

numerical, nu-lyrical man,
B-I-Z,

M-is the M-is the A-R-Kie.

That picture on the jet
when Biz is throwing

the towel up in the air,
I met Biz that day.

And he's cracking jokes
about me.

Like, he's-- he's nudging Kane.

"Yo, Kane. Yo, Kane."

And I'm like, man,
who is this guy?

Like, dissing me?
He don't even know me.

But he didn't say it
to me directly,

so it was kinda like,
I guess that's who he is.

ERICK: Biz knew that me
and Parish

were making a demo too,
so he used to be like,

"Yo, I heard you
making a record,"

but kinda laughing,
like he was kinda like,

a little bit disrespectful
in the beginning.

'Cause one time, I saw him
at the House of Pancakes,

and I happened to come in there,
he's with some girls.

And he was like, saying,
"Yo, so how your demo going?"

Like not supporting, whatever.

We came out and--
and we took off.

After that came out,
then he was like,

"Oh yeah,
Erick Sermon's my brother."

I'd like to bring up
my man here, Erick from EPMD,

the E Double.

Yo, say what's up.

ERICK: You know, that's how
he used to tell people.

We had lost contact
with each other

for a good, like, eight years
after we graduated.

And a mutual friend
said to me,

"Biz is trying to contact you,
he's going crazy."

Ended up calling him,
and he said,

"Story, where you been?"

He's like, "I just made
a video about you,

"and the whole song
is about you,

"and you have to put--
you have to take the lead

in the whole song."

What comes around
goes around

What comes
around goes around

Uh-uh-uh, uh-uh-uh

What comes around
goes around

What comes
around goes around

You know what
I'm talking about

STORY: "What Goes Around
Comes Around,"

basically, he was saying,
oh, you know,

you had all this great stuff
in high school.

You had the big house,

and you were having
all these parties.

Look at me now.

WOMAN: Now, Biz, check this out.
- Yeah.

I know Joe's your man
and all that.

Of course, 50 grand.

But is his stuff the bomb
like, you know?

I'ma tell you.
Joe's the bomb

because he had heart.

He had determination.

He didn't stop
when people told him

that he couldn't do it,
just like me.

I guess Biz just wanted
to be a regular guy,

you know what I'm saying?

[overlapping chatter]

I had a shop, FJ 560,
560 Melrose.

Biz would come and work
the cash register for no reason.

He was the biggest rapper
on Earth.

Could you imagine,
you got one of your idols,

one of the biggest guys
in the world?

Like, and Biz was up in there
selling t-shirts,

and socks,
and mixtapes, and shit.

And I gotta be truthful,
all right?

It's not gonna sound pretty.

People would say to me--
and I would get so upset--

"Why you got that
retarded guy with you?"

And I would have to defend Biz
all the time.

Just as much as people
would think I was a DJ

because I had-- they'd say,
it was like, "Yeah, DJ."

"You don't look like a DJ."
What does a DJ look like?

Well, I'm a little
goofy skinny kid.

Well, he was a goofy big guy,
you know what I'm saying?

We just didn't--
we didn't fit the mold

of what an MC looked like,
you know?

An MC looked like Rakim.

You know, a DJ looked like
Eric B., you know?

That's what they look like.

And Biz was a-- might have been
the first humorous rapper.

Everything about Biz was funny.

He did it to make you laugh.
He did it to make you have fun.

He wasn't trying to make you
feel like a killer.

G-rap did stuff to make
you feel like, "Ahh!"

'Cause I'm murder,
homi-cide, comma

Crush, kill, destroy
with excitement and drama

Speaker, sound seeker

Biz made you feel stuff
that made you happy.

In fact, he might be
the only one to do that

for a long time.

Right about now,
I'ma rhyme backwards

[vocalizing]

That means
Black people number one today

And I rock

We did at least five
or six videos for Biz.

The first one we did,
me and my partner Lionel,

"Biz is Goin' Off."

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,
check out this bizarre

Rapping style used by me

The B-I-Z
M-A-R-K-I with the E and

Biz had his ideas ready
before you even started.

Biz would go like,
"Okay, so this part right here,

"I'm gonna be dressed
like a woman.

"And this part right here,

you know, we gotta do it
at Harlem World."

So, he knew in his mind
what he envisioned.

Very rare did an artist come

with that type of vision
at that time.

Word up with the kids.
Ha!

MAN: Tail slate.

I met Biz with my sister

when she was working
on a job in New Orleans.

One of her DJs
happened to be Biz at the time.

And he was like,
"Well, what's your name?"

And I said,
"My name is Tara."

He said, "What-- what city
do you live in?"

I said, "I live in New York."

He was like,
"What's your phone number?"

So, I just yelled out my number,
123-4567,

knowing he would
never, ever remember it.

Wasn't writing anything down.
And I just left it at that.

That Monday came around,

and my phone rang,
and it was Biz.

He was like, "I told you I was
gonna remember your number."

I was like, oh my God.

People didn't understand
how much of a ladies man

Biz was in his younger days.

Give me-- give me a kiss, child,
give me a kiss, give me a kiss.

Ah, she gave me a kiss!

- Yo, we going...
- We love him.

NICK: Biz is the one
that put me up on game.

Biz is the one that showed me
how to maneuver

and how to, you know,
charm a woman.

One Christmas holiday,
this young woman would come in,

and she'd drop off this gift.

Was he impressed?
Um, probably not,

'cause then the next woman
came in

and she dropped off a gift.

That's me seeing him
in a different light,

that people are more impressed
with him now.

And then, I'm like,
okay, so this little jean shirt

that I bought you
from the Gap or wherever,

I'm taking it back
and getting my money back.

'Cause you know,
now he's in a different--

at a different level.

CRAIG: Biz started to get
some money, he was doing shows.

He started to get the jewelry
and the fresh gear,

and he was having
the Dapper Dan jackets.

Ooh, whoa, whoa

Biz, he had a style
of his own with the sweatsuits.

No way, no way

For you to stop me now

One of the main pieces
that I made for him

was a Louis Vuitton
canvas short set.

He was a big guy,
but he had--

he wanted, like,
a regular guy's look,

and that's what
I always gave him.

You know how some big guys,

there's no styles for them?

Yeah, so, I create those pieces

that a smaller guy
would be more--

ordinarily would be seen in,

but I would create those
for big.

Size didn't matter.

What you wanna look like
mattered to me.

[sighs]

Biz designed this.

He understood
the Shirt Kings.

You know, he really understood,
because he was visual, you know.

So, any idea that he had,

we were able to bring
his ideas to life.

So, this was all him, you know?

He's like, "I got this idea,
I'm sitting on a toilet."

And I was like, oh no,
what are you doing, bro?

Like, come on.

You know, he just said,
you know,

"I'm gonna take rap
in a whole 'nother direction,

you know, and I'm gonna be me."

BIZ: This is the official
station identification maker.

He made my Biz Mark hat,

and that's what my hat
is known for.

Official, y'all see it?
Official.

So, this is one
of the original ones

that he made when he was young.

And as you can see here,
I guess he ran out of the "R."

But he used to make these hats
all the time.

And you doing good
with it, Biz.

I mean, look at this big ring,
which I--

Biz, you're not gonna let me

walk out of here
with this, right?

I'll let you hold it
for a couple days.

- Okay.
- Just give me the camera crew

to film me for 60 years.

TRACY: People love Biz, man.

I don't know who cut Biz
in Club 2000,

but that happened.

That must have been a low-life
that did that, man.

JEFF SPENCER: I got
the phone call,

"Yo, go to the hospital quick.

Biz got slashed,
he ain't gonna make it."

I know they took his chain
and his bracelet.

You know what,
Biz being angry

and me being angry
was two different things.

If I'm angry, you know I'm mad.

Biz would-- it would
motivate him

to push his self harder.

So, his thing to me was,

"Jeff, don't worry
about that jewelry.

I could always get more,
bigger and better."

And he did.

His jewelry also
is a collection of toys,

but very expensive toys.

Biz loved jewelry
that moved.

And these are black diamonds.

School pencil
with a real eraser.

That was him,
just always happy,

even in his jewelry.

Benny the jeweler.

Okay, this is the place
that I met Biz, Biz Markie.

First item that Biz
bought from me was a rope chain,

and he still have it.

TARA: This is very old,

meaning, you know,
'80s, '90s.

This is one is too.

This is really old,
this has gotta be

circa '82, '83, maybe.

When I met Biz Markie,
we both had full hair.

I lost mine, he lost his.

This picture
is over 25 years ago.

That was a time that, you know,
I started seeing Biz Markie.

And this picture has always
stayed in my office.

And any time
I'm looking at the picture,

I-- I believe he's still alive,
and he's talking to me,

and he's coming up with ideas.

DAPPER DAN: If I was to describe
a loyal customer,

Biz Markie would probably
be one of the top three.

He came as a friend
from day one.

Biz Markie used to come
to the store

after he'd do shows
and things like that,

and we would break day together
sitting in front of the store.

You know what I mean?
Just talking.

You know, Biz Markie had the
greatest stories in the world.

We'd just talk
and watch the sun come up.

BIZ: Said what's the meaning
of V-A-P-O-R-S

The meaning of this word
without no doubt

Means nobody wanna be there
when you're down and out

Say, how true is that?

That is definitely true.
Every-- every episode

that I talked about is true.

Everybody looked at--
underrated me as a rapper.

And, but then I just sat down
and wrote stuff to myself.

And it's like more
of a revenge thing,

you know, like putting it
back in your face.

I remember "The Vapors"
came out.

I was selling crack.

Yo, when you listen
to "The Vapors,"

it was real, is what it was.

The vapors, man,
he was telling his story.

And it spoke to me,

because I grew up very,
very poor.

I grew up with nothing.
Least likely to succeed.

You know, everybody would
think I'm--

you know, talk down to me
or whatever the case may be.

One thing about Biz though,
he gravitated toward the haters,

because his thing was to love
to show somebody up.

Okay, they made a record
about sneakers?

Fuck it, I'm gonna make
a record about boogers.

They gonna make a record
about wanting to be on?

I'm gonna make a record about
vapors and people hating.

So, there was a beauty
that invigorated

and elevated
the hip-hop culture.

Biz was the personification
of that eternally.

So, when I got my first Beamer
with the system,

I would be so annoying.

I would drive around my projects
for hours,

and all I would be blasting
is "The Vapors."

But now things switched
without belief

"Yo, Biz, do you remember me
from Noble Street, chief?

We used to be down
back in the days"

It happens all the time
and never cease to amaze

They caught the vapors

MAN: He has a blood clot
in his right arm.

We're managing it,
we're controlling it.

He's good, he's not great.

We're gonna hold off
on surgery for now.

We're doing the best we can
under these circumstances.

Look, every hospital
all over the world

is stretched to its limits.

And by the grace of God,
and on behalf of my team,

we're gonna make sure
that we do everything we can,

make sure we keep him
here with you.

Thank you, Dr. Carly.

- Good night, Tara.
- See you tomorrow.

[music playing in headphones]
So, Biz.

Biz?

Biz!

Oh my God, does this
have to be this loud?

[groaning]

Hip-hop don't stop, huh?

Marly had this beat
that I heard it,

and I was like, what's that?
I wanna use that.

And he's like,
"Nah, you can't use that.

That's for Biz."

Several months later,

when we're working
on my album...

I kinda hear through talks
and Marly just kind of venting

that Biz wasn't gonna be doing
any more recording

up at Marly's crib.

At that time,
Biz and Cool V

were doing a lot
of the production.

COOL V: Back in 1990,
we had enough money,

so we figured, why not
go buy our own studio?

ACE: And bringing
the almost-completed tracks

to Marly to finish.

And when it was all
said and done,

the credits would say,
"produced by Marly Marl."

And so, they kinda had
an issue with that.

BIZ: I mean,
I gots tapes and CDs

where it says
"coproduced by Biz."

You know, and then--
you know--

you know how the record
business is, it was shady.

In the streets, you might hear,

"Yo, Marly said
he produced that."

You have to really know
what a producer is.

The little bicker
and beefs with artists

probably not getting
proper credit,

I just think it maybe might
have been along that lines.

The producer's the cat
who's touching the machine,

playing the hi-hat,
playing the kick,

rocking the bass lines,
and putting that shit together.

That's producing it.

Once I found out
that Marly and Biz

weren't gonna be
working together anymore,

I was like, "Yo, I wanna
use this beat,

"but this is
a Biz-sounding joint.

"So, it would be cool
if I could get Biz

to be on the song with me."

And he's like,
"Well, if you can get him--

if you can get him
to do the song."

So, I was like, all right, bet.

So, I reached out to--
to Biz through Cool V.

He hit me back,
he said Biz heard it,

he likes the song,
he's down to do it.

He said, "If you can get Marly
to give you the tape,

"bring it to our studio,
Biz'll record it here,

and he'll give it back to you."

BIZ: I was gonna do
the record with Ace,

but since me and Marly fell out,
I wasn't doing nothing.

He was down with Marly
who wasn't having it.

Marly's like, "Absolutely not.

"Let's just leave it how it is,
'cause it's kinda cool.

"You know,
nobody never did a song

where they're mimicking
another artist."

I didn't wanna make
too many waves.

We left it with me,
with the version

that was supposed
to be just a demo

so that Biz could hear it,
memorize it, record it.

That became the song
"Me and the Biz."

I brought somebody with me,
someone you might know

He's bound to wreck your body
from the tip of your toe

So, once it came out,
I never really got...

direct feedback
from Biz about it.

Hey-hey-hey,
it's me the diabolical

Yes, y'all, and it's time
for me to fall

Into a funky beat to make
you have a ball and like jump

But I got-- I got a sense
from other people around

that he wasn't
necessarily happy about it.

People just love it
when the Biz starts to play

With my... [beatboxing]
And by the way

But that was my fault.
Like, I definitely should have--

should have had a conversation
with him.

Dear Biz,
this conversation is overdue

Tried twice before,
but obviously, I'm 0 for 2

This is about our song
together that never was

I thought this thought would
go away, but it never does

I should have spoke my mind
and been too honest

But I was caught in
the middle, I was a new artist

I should have said if Biz
ain't on it, we gonna scrap it

Was too afraid to make waves,
so the song happened

If nothing else, I should have
gave you a head's up

But when you young,
the money's new

And your bread's up

And you looking at
new apartments and used cars

You ain't think about
damage done from a few bars

Man, I just wanted to be
rhyming with Biz

Just like Kane, but I needed
more time in the biz

So I could learn how to
navigate that crazy crew

But yo, no need
to elaborate

Shout out to Cool V
for being the buffer

Without him, my connection
would have been tougher

I wanna thank him
for being the glue

And I want to thank you
just for being you

Nobody beats you
like Swan's song

This is a swan song,
where's the time gone

Man, that was
30-plus years ago

But these words was
never said, so here you go

I'm sorry.

Oh, this is...

Children playing,
women...

[singing gibberish]

SHANTE: No one was more obsessed

with buying records
than Biz Markie.

I remember him telling me
2:00 in the morning,

"Shante, just drop me off
right here."

I said, "Why?
This place is closed.

You gonna sleep outside?"

"Yep, and as soon
as they open up,

I'm gonna be the first
customer."

I said, "Oh my goodness,
you crazy."

This is what I used
for "Nobody Beats the Biz."

As you can see,
see, it's still brand-new.

COOL V:
Wherever they had records,

Biz was at the record shop
searching for that beat

that we could use
for our next record.

And actually, when we did
"Just a Friend,"

he was looking for that record

for three years
before we ever made a record.

Now, I gotta find this record.

I'm ready to go crazy,
I know I got it.

On my side of the room,
my dresser...

I found this rhyme book.

So, I'm going through this book,
and sure enough,

it's the book he wrote
"Just a Friend" in.

["Just a Friend" begins playing]

So, when he start talking
about "Just a Friend,"

everybody from
the record company,

to all the friends,
to other rappers,

"Don't do it,
don't do it, don't do it."

BERNARD: And Biz comes,
and he has a cassette,

and he plays "Just a Friend"
for me and Parish.

Nobody hears it.

I'm like,
"This is some bullshit.

What are you doing?"
And I literally

took the fucking tape
and I threw it

off of Parish's
back fucking porch,

like this is trash.

And he was like, "Yo, I got
this idea for this song."

And he starts singing the hook.

Oh baby, you

It seemed like
I heard it before,

because I'm a record digger,
but I couldn't put it together

exactly where he got it from.

I was like, "Yo, kid,
you are a genius."

BIZ: Try to get everybody
to sing it,

and everybody wouldn't sing it.

So I said, "Well, freak it,
I'll sing it myself."

JEFF: And he said, "Jeff, I know
I might lie to you sometime,

"but I never told you
something that didn't come true.

"I'ma do this record.

"I don't care if they don't
support it.

We can push it ourself.
Believe in me."

His eyes was red and they were
welled up with water.

And that's the first time
I've ever seen an emotional Biz.

He came up, I put it in,
and we was rapping, all this.

And he said, "Look,
whatever I'm trying to say..."

You, you got...

Yo, Dap,
I laughed so hard, I was crying.

So, he said, "Honestly, man,
so what you think?"

I said, "Biz...

yo... you gotta
let that out."

Oh baby, you

Got what I need

But you say
he just a friend

But you say he's just
a friend

Fast forward,
we are literally in Detroit.

The sound goes off,
Biz goes on last,

and all he says is...
You!

They turn the mic off,
and the crowd sings,

and literally,
you could look at his lips

telling me,
"I told you, Bernard."

I'm like, wow, he's not even
a rap star no more.

He's a pop star.

We were on "MTV Spring Break"
in Daytona with Biz

doing "Just a Friend,"
and it's just, you know, mayhem.

Sing along, you,
come on

You got what I need,
everybody, come on

Warner Brothers felt
the same way as everybody else,

especially the Black department.

They just could not--
and Biz is the only artist

in Warner Brother history

to rise in the charts
from sales.

Now you're here,
I was just wondering,

could you make America happy?

- Yes.
- You can?

I say yes.

If it's okay with Biz Markie.

Come on, Jeff.

I'll take it from here.

Oh baby, you

You got what I need

But you say he's just
a friend

And you say
he's just a friend

Oh baby, you

Got what I need

But you say he's just
a friend

But you say
he's just a friend

Oh baby, you

Got what I need,
got what I need, yeah

But you say
I'm just a friend

TARA: "Don't ever talk to a girl
that says she's just a friend."

[laughing]

[laughing]

He didn't, but it's all good.

We had a great base
to our relationship,

which is friendship.

Girl, relax,
let's go slow

TARA: I did a very famous
music video for Boyz II Men.

It was called
"I'll Make Love to You."

And I ended up doing
about 20 or 30 music videos.

I acted, I modeled for years.

I was with one of the biggest
model agencies in the world,

I was with Wilhelmina.

You know, and you made
pretty good money back then.

I was busy too, I was traveling
just as much as he was.

Biz never asked me
to be his girl.

We weren't dating,
we were friends, you know?

Just incredible friends.

So, this went on
for like months and months.

So, then it got to the point
where we were looking at houses.

I was buying plates,
I was buying stemware.

A maybe a couple of days
after that,

Biz asked me to marry him
in that house.

I was just like,
oh my God, I'm not ready

to get married yet, you know?

I'm not ready to just...

At the time,
what I was thinking,

just stop what I was doing
and be everything to someone.

He was just like, "Okay.
Go on, live your life.

I'll be here
when you get back," basically.

Maybe 10 years later,
I came back to this house.

And I looked in the kitchen,

and everything that I bought
in this house

was in the exact same spot.

I was like, "Biz,"
I was like, "Oh my God."

I'm like, "You still have
the glasses?

"You still have the plates?

"You still-- you know,
you have everything

the way I left them
10 years ago."

And Biz said to me,
"Because I knew you'd be back."

We got married
shortly after that.

It don't matter to me

WOMAN: Repeat after me,
with this ring...

- TARA: With this ring...
- WOMAN: I thee wed.

TARA AND BIZ: I thee wed.

- BIZ: Thank you.
- I now pronounce you

- husband and wife.
[Tara squealing]

You may kiss your bride.

Hoping to find

Time to go to find

It don't matter to me

[laughter and chatter]

Hey, move your body

Ha-ha-ha,
move your body

Ha-ha-ha, ha

[record crackling]

Here is...

the lawsuit when he got sued.

Sullivan Litigation.

- INTERVIEWER: Wow.
- Mm-hmm.

1991.

WOMAN: You know, I'm glad
that success is coming back

and everything after that
big fall

- with the sampling thing.
- But could I explain to you?

With the sampling thing,
only fall that it fell on

was the Warner Brothers,
it didn't really fall on me.

Mike Jensen, our chief
financial correspondent,

says there is trouble backstage.

MIKE JENSEN: Michael Jackson,
Van Halen, Aretha Franklin,

and David Bowie
all have been sampled.

PRINCE PAUL: Our situation
with "3 Feet High and Rising,"

De La Soul, we had
this Turtles sample,

which is very small.

The label didn't clear it,
we got sued.

That set precedent
in the hip-hop world

as far as, like, sampling.

It's like, this is what
you don't do.

Biz comes out,
knowing what we went through...

[laughing]

And I think it's a bigger suit

and has a bigger impact
on hip-hop and sampling.

MIKE JENSEN: Now, however,
it's being challenged

in court, successfully.

[piano music playing]

That's the melody
of a 1972 hit,

"Alone Again (Naturally)" by
pop singer Gilbert O'Sullivan.

He sued when Biz Markie,
a rapper,

plucked off the melody
and used it

for one of his songs.

Listen to this.

I was on my way
to 125th

This was the first sampling
case to go to trial,

and the judge
threw the book at Biz Markie

and his record company,

ordered them to pay
Gilbert O'Sullivan--

nobody will say how much--

and to recall thousands
of copies of the album.

I don't know.
It was my favorite record

at a certain time, it still
is my favorite record.

But him, he could kiss my...
[imitates bleeping]

Biz tried to clear something,
and they said no,

and he sampled it anyway.

So, his issue
was a little bit greater

than everybody else's,
'cause it was kinda like...

Ask for forgiveness,
don't ask for permission.

And he asked for permission,
and they said no,

and he said,
"I'm gonna do it anyway."

TYRONE: That was Lenny's fault.

I had to say it, but...

And we knew about
the sample issue.

We knew about it beforehand,
to clear the sample.

We knew to clear the sample.

We called Lenny,
Lenny said he cleared it,

and he didn't, and we put
the million out, all right?

INTERVIEWER: Why do you think
he did that?

Because he was trying
to negotiate down.

That's why.

You know, Lenny,
Lenny came from an era

where $10,000 sounded like
a lot of money to him.

And he was trying
to get them to take $2,500.

INTERVIEWER: If Lenny would have
paid 10 grand,

- it would have been fine?
- It would have been fine, yes.

MARLY: People started, like,
oversampling

and taking
whole phrases of records,

and that's what happened
with Gilbert O'Sullivan.

They took part of the loop.

That was the sample
that broke the camel's back.

To me, that was only a testament
of the growth of hip-hop.

No one cared in the beginning.

Once you started getting groups
selling 20--

you know 10 million records,

being larger than some
of the guys

that they sampled,

it turned into
a major moneymaker,

and people started
coming after it.

And then, here's an 8-track,

okay, Gilbert O'Sullivan,
"I hate sampling."

I think that turned Biz,
you know, off,

as far as making albums.

Shortly after that, he just
was like, "You know what,

"let me just DJ.

Nobody's gonna, you know,
sue me for playing music."

[record scratching]

BIZ: I got bored with rap,

and you know how our label
used to be.

So, I just taught myself
how to DJ,

and bit off everybody
and make my own.

[record scratching]

[loop playing]

Party people,
that is what you call...

picking up the needle.

This is what Theodore,
Grandmaster Flash,

Cash Money,
Jazzy Jeff, Barry B,

all the great DJs--

God bless the dead--
Master Don,

and DST and all them,
they used to do stuff like this.

The gift and the curse
of being around

for a long period of time,
is there's a period

when all your shit
is on the radio,

and then there's a period
when it's not.

I wanna get
to a little something else.

MAN: Live on Street Life
with my man Biz, kicking it.

Cool-ass DJ, MC.

RALPH MCDANIELS: Biz knew music
as a DJ.

By the time he became,
you know,

like, this kind of corporate DJ
that everybody was hiring--

guys like Michael Jordan
and all these other people,

you don't wanna seem like,
you know, the old guy out there,

and you're just like, "I gotta
do something different, man.

I gotta figure out a new way."

And DJing gave him
access to the club,

which he still had--
still wanted to do.

MAN: Go ahead, Jada.
Go ahead, girl.

[record scratching]
Come on, now. Come on, now.

I went to do a surprise party
for Jada Pinkett Smith.

I see Biz.

Oh shit, Biz,
what's good, baby?

They invited you out too?
You performing?

"Nah, I'm DJing."

What?

For what?

"Everything."

Come on, come on

[crowd shouting]

BIZ: How many people
ready to party in here?

Throw your hands
up in the air.

RAKIM: Biz is the DJ
for the entertainers, basically,

and it didn't take long
to click.

Like, Biz had every record that,
you know what I mean?

If he ain't have it,
he knew about it.

So, being a DJ
I think was natural for Biz.

I love it.
DJing?

They let me--
they paying me

to DJ what I wanna DJ?

Are you crazy?

I will be until my legs
fall off.

He was a full entertainer.

Yes.

DJ, rap, enter...

- Host, everything.
- He did it all.

Like Big Pun,
I don't wanna be a player

I'm forever M-A-R-as in K-I

DJ GEMINI: We as DJs sometimes
get caught up on skill,

and these-- all this technical
mechanic crap sometimes.

And it was about
the show with Biz.

- It was about the fun.
- Entertainer.

You know, he didn't DJ for DJs.

- He DJed for the people.
- For the people.

- Exactly.
- You know what I mean?

NICK: Biz was the DJ
of all DJs.

I was like 17 years old
carrying Biz's crates

and records from gig to gig.

That was the only way
I could get into the parties.

But I just remember in the '90s,

going to the Nickelodeon
executives and like,

yo, you've gotta let
this dude be on my show.

And clap your hands, come on,
it's Nick Cannon

The one and only,
you don't know me

But I'm chilling with my
homies Big Will and Biz Markie

'Cause he was just that guy
that everybody loved.

When he did "Men in Black,"
I was like, yo.

We right on the edge here.

[device beeping]

Boo!

[beatboxing]

[Biz beatboxing and humming]

Those kind of moments
just made sense for him.

He was like a cartoon character.

Here's his "Yo Gabba Gabba!"
boat shoe that he wore on tour.

Hey, Mr. Biz.

We were just about to start
looking for the star

that's missing
from DJ Lance's hat.

Well, I got a super song
that just might help.

[all cheering]
Wow!

Look around, look around,
it's bound to be found

I'll look up high
while you look on the ground

On the ground

Look behind the couch

It's gotta be somewhere
inside this house

[machine beeping]

Biz has been in this hospital
for four months,

and the other hospital
for three months.

He has limited mobility
since the strokes.

He has a concerning amount
of mucus around his lungs,

multiple infections.

It's imperative--
we have to do a tracheotomy.

What does that mean,
Dr. Carly?

Will this affect his voice?

Will he be able to talk?
Will he able to perform?

Tara, this bed's
gonna kill him.

This is our best option.

How far Mr. Hall
continues his career

is up to Mr. Hall.

BIZ: We at the best
Jamaican restaurant

ever in existence,
it's called Genesis.

[beatboxing]

Got to do it good

When we first found out
that he was diabetic,

Biz just started saying,
"I don't feel good."

And for Biz to say
"I don't feel good,"

it's the worst.

So, we wound up taking him
to this hospital

out in Central Islip.

And the doctor said,
"It's blood sugar.

"He's gonna stroke out.

He's exhausted our meter."

He said, "If I had to guess,
his blood sugar's about an 800.

He should be dead."

TARA: And they couldn't believe
he was actually walking

and talking with his
blood pressure so high.

They told him, "Listen,
you know, you gotta lose

a little weight, and I'm sure
you have to change your diet."

Well, what Biz thought was,

"Well, if I just cut
half of my plate

"and still eat the good things
that I wanna eat,

that I'll lose weight,"
and he did.

That's how he ended up losing
close to 200 pounds.

This was after
"Celebrity Fit Club."

All right, Biz,
your weight tonight...

is 344 pounds.

Ah, I ain't know that.

How do you feel about that?

Don't feel that good.

You know, to his friends,
he didn't hide it.

"Yo, I got diabetes."
I used to always tell him,

I was like, "Yo, just exercise
and eat right, that's it.

"'Cause I know you got that
sweet tooth for them cookies,

but you know,
you got to lay off 'em."

TRAINER: The biggest challenge
for me with Biz

is that he just doesn't know
an awful lot about nutrition.

I eat from the roota
to the toota.

Cookies, cakes, pudding,

hamburgers, french fries.

All the stuff I love!

TRAINER: So, learning
good nutrition

from the ground up
can be almost as challenging

as learning a language.

I'm diabetic, man.

You have to get it
under control,

'cause you have to be here.

- Six, seven, eight.
- I like that, all right.

Come on, girlfriend,
walk it out, don't quit.

Don't quit.

Don't give up yet.
Come on, Biz!

'Cause onset is a beast.

Onset diabetes,
that's what I have.

And I just try to stay
on top of it.

I only allow myself
130 carbs a day.

He won, he won all
this workout equipment.

I feel good

TARA: And he lost
a lot of weight.

WOMAN: Actually, you have
surprised all of us,

because in the beginning,
we really weren't sure

how committed you were,

but you've turned out
to be extremely committed.

[grunting]

TARA: Wow. Biz!

Best birthday.

TARA: Averi made
the beautiful cakes.

TARA: He was like a big kid.

It felt like I had two kids

when I had them together.

They played together.

Averi, let's, "Wahh!"
Ready?

[both exclaiming]

And this is how
we do the James Brown.

Three, two, one, go!

[piano playing]

Yay!

If I, you know,
said to Biz,

like, "Okay, you know,
you're in town,

"you know, for a couple of days,
you know, let's go out,

you know,
let's have date night."

And Biz would say, "Okay.
Averi, you ready?"

You know, Averi would have
to come along too.

They were like two kids.

He was-- he was amazing.

Yo, it's the diabolical
Biz Markie.

Come check me out Sunday,
June 16th,

at 99 Scott Street.

Open air for the vinyl barbecue.
We spinning all 45s.

It's me, Danny Krevitz,

Operator Ms,
Miss Behavior, and more.

You can get your tickets
at Eventbrite.

Happy Father's Day.

TARA: It was Father's Day.

I remember it was pouring down
raining that day.

It was Sunday, it was quiet.

I was upstairs,
he was downstairs.

He was kinda laying around,
you know, all day,

but I didn't think
anything of that.

JEFF: So, he called me, "Oh,
listen to this beat I just did.

Yo, I did your girl,"
and he put Anita Baker on.

And we sitting there vibing.

We laughed,
he hung up the phone.

He was laying on the couch,
he was sweating profusely.

He just looked like
he was disoriented and confused.

And I didn't even ask
any questions,

I jumped up, called 911.

And I was just like,
please hurry,

there's an emergency here.

OPERATOR: Prince George's County
911 Center.

TARA: My husband
is non-responsive.

OPERATOR: Diabetic at all?
- Yes, he is.

OPERATOR: He is, okay.
Do we know when the last time

his blood sugar was checked?

- No.
- Okay.

[sirens wailing]
- Are they there?

TARA: Well, yeah, they're here,

but I don't know what
they're doing.

OPERATOR: They're probably
gonna-- they have to put on

protective equipment
before they come in.

[sirens continue]

Yo, Biz, it's your brother.

It's your baby brother, baby.
You know what I mean?

Yo, listen,
I'm sending my prayers, man.

You know, I just want you
to know, yo, I love you, B.

You're a good friend, Biz.
I love you.

The B-I-Z would always
let DMC in his house

when this motherfucker
was drunk off of Olde E.

Hey, Biz, we want--
we rooting for you, brother.

Fast quick recovery.

You already know that you done
put a legacy

out in these streets
that can never be touched.

And we still here to tell it,

so we want you here
to tell it yourself.

I would call him, and they
would let me talk to him,

and COVID was a part
of why we couldn't see him.

And I would say, "Yo, B,
I love you, man," and...

"When you get better...

"we got places to play
and places to go.

I got you."

Now, the U.S. rapper
Biz Markie has died

at the age of 57.

Born Marcel Hall
in New York City,

he was beloved
in the music industry.

TRACY: I was in my house,
in my office.

And I just stared
at the screen

and tried to take in
all the information.

He a good cat.

Shit, shit hit me
just like it hit me now, bro,

you know what I mean?

You know...

Shit brought me
right back here.

And I'm sitting here, man,
word up, but...

Yeah, G, they told me,
you know, Biz passed away,

and the first thing
I thought of

was rhyming in this school, bro.

Meeting him right over here,
that's the first shit

that I thought of
when they said that shit.

Yeah, I was stuck,
you know, for a minute.

'Cause like I said, it's--

for somebody to be constantly
in your life since you was 14,

I grew up with him,
you know what I'm saying?

Like, so yeah, it was strange.

In hindsight, knowing that
the last time

I got a chance
to spend some time with him

was he was full of life,
he was on stage,

he was having fun
at "Wild 'N Out."

I'm the lord of beatboxing,
the rap

This goes out to my man...

My last memory of him
is a great one.

Rest your soul

Take my hand

Lead me on

And let me stand

I am tired

I mean, you know,
hearing about it, man,

I was like, you know...

the first thing came to mind
was, you know, um...

Damn.

You know?

Where the fuck
would I be right now...

if not for this dude,
you know what I mean?

Where would my life be
if it wasn't for him?

The person that believed in me,
gave me a shot,

gave me a chance.

And now I can't see him
no more.

Biz's legacy to me
is being yourself.

He wasn't ashamed
of who he was.

He knew he was different,
and he used it as a strength.

And he entertained
the world doing that.

Once Biz passed away

and that became worldwide news,

I said, you know,
it would be nice

if we were able to have
a street sign named after him

because of his history
here in Patchogue

and his contributions
to the hip-hop community,

Long Island, New York,
and basically the world.

TARA: Decorating his room.

There were so many reasons
why I was in the hospital,

but I wanted to humanize him,
you know, for the staff.

He wasn't just
Patient Number 1234,

he was a real person.

He was a husband,
he was a father,

he was an entertainer,
he was a friend.

So, every day
when I went into the hospital,

I would tell 'em stories
about him,

or show them pictures,

or you know, his friends
would call on the phone,

and the nurses and doctors
would be in the room,

and I'd have 'em on speaker,

just so he would get
as much love as possible.

Now, look at him.

[camera clicking]

MAN: Take three, mark.

- Rolling.
- Stand by.

- Gigantor.
- There you go.

Gigantor.

Any time you arguing
about a toy,

"I got the first Gigantor.
Nobody got that."

That was his thing,
that Gigantor.

PHADE: All up in the Biz.

KANE: Yo, shout out
to my brother

that made it possible
for me to be here

and to have a career.

Biz Markie, the image
of just a friend, no.

Bro, you was way more
than just a friend.

SUE: Oh, wow!

- Wow.
- Look at that.

Amazing.

Biz Markie
have what we need

Your laugh's for the feed,
I'm glad to proceed

You wanna know the story,
let's begin

He put a lot of effort in

'Cause he was more
than just a friend

- We miss you, baby.
- Biz Markie

Have what we need

Your laugh's for the feed,
I'm glad to proceed

You wanna know the story,
let's begin

He put a lot of effort in

'Cause he was more
than just a friend

- Wow.
- You know the story

About the light
and how we shine

Well, listen up, the one

I'm 'bout
to tell you 'bout is mine

Sometimes people come inside
your life and touch you

Sometimes people come and
change things like the budget

Sometimes people see
your flaws and don't judge it

And then inspire you to change
your life for nothing

- Oh!
- It's crazy that the way

That I remember you

When everybody else
was saying similar

The way you made 'em
laugh and smile

Is not the average child

'Cause homie,
that's your style

- RAKIM: Biz being Biz.
- You showed many

What they could accomplish

It sounded like nonsense,
but then you made us conscious

- You led by example
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

You'd always have the room
crying laughing

By attacking
with your jokes

- That you spoke frequently
- What a tribute.

One love, there can
only be one of

The B-I-Z M-A-R-K-I-E
eternally

I thought there'd be more
to come

Things change,
but I'ma still story some

Just thinking 'bout the joy
your brung in hip-hop

You was kind of our own
Forrest Gump

Touched the lives of many,
never strapped on envy

Unique positivity
is what your vibe was simply

Every breath of me will be
supporting till the end

You gave me what I need
and you was more

Than just a friend

Biz Markie
have what we need

Your laugh's for the feed,
I'm glad to proceed

You wanna know the story,
let's begin

He put a lot of effort in

'Cause he was more
than just a friend

Biz Markie
have what we need

Your laugh's for the feed,
I'm glad to proceed

- I love it.
- You wanna know the story

Let's begin, he put
a lot of effort in

'Cause he was more
than just a friend

BIZ: Say what?

Oh, baby, you

You got what I need

You say he's just a friend

And you say
he's just a friend

Have you ever met a girl
that you tried to date

But a year to make love
she wanted you to wait

You hear about
hoochie daddy shorts?

He was wearing those back then.

They made you way more buff
than you were too.

I don't know about that, man.

Was you in charge
of this picture, Biz?

No, like, really?
How you got muscles?

I ain't never see you
with a muscle.

Love you, brother.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,
check out the bizarre

Dedication that's to
my Juice Crew all-star brother

The B-I-Z M-A-R-K

In any situation
he could brighten your day

He loved hip-hop, always up
at Latin Quarters

And that "Vapors" video,
he showed all the reporters

The story on how people
thought he was kinda strange

Then he dropped
"Make the Music"

And that opinion changed

Followed that up with
"Nobody Beats the Biz"

"Pickin' Boogers" only proved
he's a wiz, you couldn't quiz

Especially with that album,
he was going off

Could tell he was an artist
cut by a different cloth

Up at the rooftop
sporting Dapper Dan

Shut the party down
when the mic touches his hand

Always had exclusive things,
was like a gift

Sometimes I hear his voice,
"Bet you ain't got this"

Show him something,
he be like, "I got that too"

Show pride when he beatboxed
in "Men in Black 2"

And you ain't wanna challenge
him to a snaps session

I tried it once and quickly,
man, I learned that lesson

The tears couldn't stop
when I got that phone call

Remember the last show
I had at Sony Hall

Keeled over laughing
from jokes he told me

He was more than just a friend
that I showed the door three

Losing him was really
a tough pill to swallow

Remember that stage prop
he used at the Apollo

Used to stand in awe
every time he killed shows

Crazy how we slide
right out that big nose

"Yo Gabba Gabba!"
entertaining the kids

"SpongeBob SquarePants,"
it makes you flip your wig

Something for the radio,
Biz Mark forever

Now him and Heavy D
are writing songs together

'Gether, 'gether

Okay, now I'm gonna
talk about, like,

some real stuff right now.

I know, you know,
Biz was an amazing person.

This was so important for me
to let people know

what happened to Biz
in the last year of his life.

It's so important for me
to let you know

that he was not alone.

I was with him
every single day.

He didn't die alone.

He went with love.

But unfortunately,
after Biz died,

there's a lot of people
that shocked me...

that, number one,
tried to sue him.

Misappropriated
some of his funds.

It all wasn't so pretty.

But you know, Biz fought
for a whole year for his life.

And I'm gonna continue
that fight until my last breath.