Busy Bee | |
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Birth name | David James Parker |
Also known as |
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Born | Bronx, New York, United States | October 26, 1962
Origin | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
Genres | Old-school hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Years active | 1977–present |
Labels |
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David James Parker (born October 26, 1962), known by the stage name Busy Bee, [1] is an American old-school hip hop musician from New York, NY. First coming on the New York City music scene in 1977, Busy Bee worked with many of hip-hop's founding fathers, including Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa, and Kool DJ AJ.
Known for his comedic rhymes, Busy Bee originally gained a large following through MC rap battles in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. He was famously roasted by Kool Moe Dee at Harlem World in Manhattan, NY, December 1981, in one of the earliest documented rap battles. [2] In 1985, he won the New Music Seminar's MC World Supremacy Belt. [3] In the early 1980s Afrika Bambaataa asked Busy to join his Zulu Nation where the young MC would DJ for Bambaataa's Zulu Nation parties. [4] Busy Bee continues to rhyme today, most recently appearing on KRS-One and Marley Marl's collaborative 2007 album Hip Hop Lives .
Busy Bee was featured in the 1983 film Wild Style , billed as the first hip-hop motion picture, directed by Charlie Ahearn. More recently, he played himself in the 2002 inner-city drama Paid in Full . In 2007, he was included in the video documentary Hip Hop Legends. [5]
Thirty years after the song's initial release, in 2018 Robert Rippberger directed the official music video for “Suicide” by Busy Bee, the single off his gold album Running Thangs. The video features a cameo by artist Ice-T. [6]
He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Michelle, his wife of over 20 years. He has two daughters.
Albums
Singles [8]
Year | Song | Artist | Album |
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1982 | "MC Battle" "Street Rap" "Chief Rocker Busy Bee & DJ AJ At The Amphitheatre" | V/A | Wild Style OST |
1985 | "Vice" | V/A | Miami Vice Soundtrack |
1989 | "Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa)" | V/A | Hip Hop Artist Against Apartheid |
1991 | "First Black History Jam Live At The Bronx River Centre" | V/A | Afrika Bambaataa & The Universal Zulu Nation In Conjunction With Music Of Life Presents Hip Hop Funk Dance Classics Volume 2 |
1992 | "First Black History Jam Live At The Bronx River Centre (Part 2)" | V/A | Hip Hop Funk Dance Classics Volume 2 |
"Hip Hop Throwdown" | V/A | Afrika Bambaataa & The Universal Zulu Nation In Conjunction With Music Of Life Presents Hip Hop Funk Dance Classics Volume 3 | |
1994 | "Real" | V/A | Raiders of the Lost Art... |
1998 | "Freestyle" | Funkmaster Flex | The Mix Tape Volume III: 60 Minutes Of Funk |
2000 | "Words From The Chief Rocker" | De La Soul | Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump |
2002 | "Make It Hot" | V/A | Legends Of Hip Hop |
2007 | "House of Hits" | KRS-One & Marley Marl | Hip Hop Lives |
2008 | "Busy Bee Shout Out" | KRS-One | Maximum Strength |
2009 | "Intro" "Dance Sucka (Interlude)" "Hip Hop Is Something We Live (Interlude)" "Kickin' Flava (Interlude)" "We'll Be Here Forever (Interlude)" | V/A | Wilshire District Music Presents: Miracle Mile Volume One |
2010 | "Married Girl 3462" | Greenie | It's All Good |
Old-school hip hop is the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music and the original style of the genre. It typically refers to the music created around 1979 to 1983, as well as any hip hop that does not adhere to contemporary styles.
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