I Need a Haircut | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 27, 1991 | |||
Recorded | May 1990–May 1991 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 52:38 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Biz Markie [1] | |||
Biz Markie chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Calgary Herald | C [3] |
Robert Christgau | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I Need a Haircut is the third studio album by the American rapper Biz Markie. [7] It was released on August 27, 1991, on Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records, and was produced by Biz Markie. The album was a minor success, making it to #113 on the Billboard 200 and #44 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. As of 2025, the album is not available on any streaming services.
The album forever changed the hip-hop industry due to the album's 12th track, "Alone Again". [5] [8] Biz was served a lawsuit by Gilbert O'Sullivan because "Alone Again" contained an unauthorized sample from O'Sullivan's 1972 song, "Alone Again (Naturally)". [9] The resulting case was Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc. , in which the court granted an injunction against the defendants to prevent further copyright infringement of the plaintiff's song by sampling and referred them for criminal prosecution. [10] The judgment changed the hip hop music industry, requiring that any future music sampling be pre-approved by the original copyright owners to avoid a lawsuit. Biz would poke fun at his misfortunes, titling his next album All Samples Cleared! [11]
After Cold Chillin' ended its deal with Warner, the album was re-pressed without the illegal track.
Trouser Press called I Need a Haircut "a fairly diverting record that could have been suppressed on the basis of good taste." [12] Billboard wrote that the "delivery here is rhythmically slack and mush-mouthed, and production values are skimpy." [1] The Indianapolis Star wrote: "Markie wants his humor to have bite, but his jokes never go beyond intentionally singing off-key and a recurring I-told-you-so admonishment to ex-friends who never thought Markie would make it big." [13] The Calgary Herald wrote that Markie is "entertainin' enough but after a while his one- dimensional thumping-as-music and five-minute listing of friends becomes dull." [3]
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [14] | 113 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [15] | 44 |