Biz Markie

Twenty-something viewers of typical VH1 programming -- the stuff in which desperate comics make wisecracks about pop-culture topics they only pretend to remember -- can be forgiven for assuming that Biz Markie was the William Hung of his era. After all, the Markie moment most often spotlighted is the 1989...

By Michael Roberts

January 20, 2005

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Twenty-something viewers of typical VH1 programming -- the stuff in which desperate comics make wisecracks about pop-culture topics they only pretend to remember -- can be forgiven for assuming that Biz Markie was the William Hung of his era. After all, the Markie moment most often spotlighted is the 1989 video for the left-field hit "Just a Friend," in which Biz sits at a grand piano, a powdered wig atop his noggin, yowling the song's hook with the innate tunefulness of a hippo in heat. That's too bad, because while Markie can't be categorized as a major hip-hop figure, he's held in high esteem by some pretty impressive peers; his credits include discs by the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, De La Soul, Prince Paul and many other notables. Markie remains a beat-boxer par excellence, and his spontaneous raps set a standard for surreality that wouldn't be topped until the rise of Ol' Dirty Bastard. As a historical footnote, he also helped establish the current approach to sampling compensation by losing a suit filed against him by Gilbert O'Sullivan, a shlockmeister unhappy not to be paid for Markie's use of the hideous ditty "Alone Again (Naturally)." Sounds like a VH1 item in the making.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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