Biz Markie Albums (6)
'All Samples Cleared!'
Release Date 1/1/1993
Tracks 12
Label Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Chastened by his court battle over a sample from pop crooner Gilbert O'Sullivan, Biz Markie returned with All Samples Cleared!, a safe record, both legally and artistically. Sampling conservatively, Markie nevertheless opened with a forceful statement of purpose ("I'm the Biz Markie"), but elsewhere hoped for another hit with the same blend of great storytelling and artless balladeering that had made "Just a Friend" his only Top Ten hit. "Young Girl Bluez," one of the few outside productions, was a solid return to form, but his reinvention as a disco diva for "Let Me Turn You On" was a step too far. All Samples Cleared! had a few amusing songs, including "I'm a Ugly Nigga (So What)" and "The Gator (Dance)," as well as an interesting blend of humor with social topic ("Hooker Got a Boyfriend"), but for the most part Biz Markie was keeping his head down, and it showed. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'I Need a Haircut'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 12
Label Cold Chillin'
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Biz Markie, rap's clown prince, can usually be counted on to deliver goofy humor, and I Need a Haircut is as wildly entertaining as anything he's ever done. Biz isn't one to rap about his sexual prowess, drive-by shootings near the projects, or Louis Farrakhan's ideology. In contrast to the sobering gangster rap of N.W.A. and Ice-T, the angry political protests of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, and the machismo of L.L. Cool J, Biz Markie seeks only to amuse, entertain, and have fun. Indeed, rap doesn't get much sillier than "T.S.R. (Toilet Stool Rap)" and "Kung Fu." The Brooklyn native's third album also contains "Alone Again," the song that incorporated Gilbert O'Sullivan's pop hit "Alone Again Naturally" (allegedly without the pop singer's permission) and inspired a major lawsuit. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'The Biz Never Sleeps'
Release Date 10/3/1989
Tracks 12
Label Cold Chillin'
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On the cover to The Biz Never Sleeps, Biz Markie's in the lab with his chemistry set, cooking up a concoction of colorful liquids that's bound to explode sooner or later. Inside, however, the music wasn't quite as dynamic; Markie decided to produce and write this record entirely by himself, instead of relying on help from Cold Chillin' beatmaster Marley Marl (who'd produced his excellent debut). The results veered dangerously close to the standard indulgent sophomore album, though Markie's natural charm and a blockbuster hit ended up carrying the proceedings. It certainly didn't start out very well, the opener being a long-winded "Dedications" that was little more than the title indicated, and "The Dragon," a one-joke track about odd smells. Rap fans with a sense of humor, however, were willing to forgive nearly anything after hearing "Just a Friend," the result of an intriguing story-rap interspersed with a bizarre bout of crooning that, once again, ably demonstrated how far Biz's charm could take him (in this case, all the way to the Top Ten). "Spring Again" and "I Hear Music" were yet more loopy productions with a universal theme, while Markie even sounded intoxicating while freestyling about a nonexistent dance over a simple loop ("Mudd Foot"). It was obvious the (teenage) lunatics had been released from the asylum; the wonders of visual technology allowed the Biz and T.J. Swan to have their thank-you lists superimposed, inside the credits, on their bared boxer shorts. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Cold Chillin' class clown, Biz Markie debuted with Goin' Off, one of the most unrelentingly amusing sets of productions and performances of anyone during hip-hop's golden age. Markie was an oversized teenager with lyrical talents (if not finesse) far beyond his years, and material opposed to most every rapper around -- trading in nightclubs for the mall and striking a pose for picking your nose. Yes, the rhymes were often rudimentary or obvious (and many of the best were actually written by Big Daddy Kane), but his infectious optimism and winning flair (plus the masterful production of Marley Marl) carried Biz Markie far beyond the status of a novelty act. His first single, "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz," introduced him as a human beatbox, but he went on from there to encompass a straight-ahead but hilarious game of the dozens ("Nobody Beats the Biz"), a tribute to his favorite haunts around Brooklyn ("Albee Square Mall"), and a track with some wry cynicism about the price of fame ("Vapors"). The rangy Marley Marl cued up some classic backing tracks for these songs, with any hint of braggadocio counteracted by his carnival-esque production sense. Since a 1995 reissue on Cold Chillin' substituted new Marley Marl remixes for a few of the originals, it's best to spring for the 2001 two-fer Goin' Off/The Biz Never Sleeps. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
