Marcel Theo Hall, known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a top 40 hit in several countries. In 2008, "Just a Friend" made No. 100 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest hip hop songs of all time. Markie was sometimes referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop".
Check Your Head is the third studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, released on April 21, 1992 by Capitol Records. Three years elapsed between the releases of the band's second studio album Paul's Boutique and Check Your Head, which was recorded at the G-Son Studios in Atwater Village in 1991 under the guidance of producer Mario Caldato Jr., the group's third producer in three albums. Less sample-heavy than their previous records, the album features instrumental contributions from all three members: Adam Horovitz on guitar, Adam Yauch on bass guitar, and Mike Diamond on drums.
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was well-received critically and commercially, helping the band break into popularity, and was adapted into a musical in 2012.
Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known, revered, and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. Christgau spent 37 years as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music, and was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world – when he talks, people listen."
Ill Communication is the fourth studio album by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys. It was released on May 31, 1994 by Grand Royal Records. Co-produced by Beastie Boys and Mario C., the album is among the band's most varied releases, drawing from hip hop, punk rock, jazz and funk. As with their prior release Check Your Head, this album continues the band's trend away from sampling and towards live instruments. It features musical contributions from Money Mark, Eric Bobo and Amery "AWOL" Smith and vocal contributions from Q-Tip and Biz Markie. Beastie Boys were influenced by Miles Davis' jazz rock albums Agharta and On the Corner while recording Ill Communication.
Electric Warrior is a 1971 album by Marc Bolan's band T. Rex, their sixth since their debut as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968, and their second under the name T. Rex. The album marked a turning point in the band's sound, moving away from the folk-oriented music of the group's previous albums and pioneering a flamboyant, pop-friendly take on electric rock & roll known as glam rock.
Rockstar Leeds Limited is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Leeds. The company was founded as Möbius Entertainment in December 1997, by Gordon Hall, Jason McGann, Dave Box and Ian J. Bowden. The company developed numerous titles for Game Boy Advance, including an adaptation of Remedy Entertainment's Max Payne (2001), which was published by Rockstar Games in late 2003. In April 2004, Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, announced that they had acquired Möbious Entertainment. As part of the agreement, the company became part of the Rockstar Games label, and was renamed Rockstar Leeds.
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper The Village Voice and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year absence from the Voice, each year from 1974 onward. The polls are tabulated from the submitted year-end top 10 lists of hundreds of music critics. It was named in acknowledgement of the defunct magazine Jazz & Pop, and adopted the ratings system used in that publication's annual critics poll.
"Just a Friend" is a song written, produced and performed by American hip hop artist Biz Markie. It was released in September 1989 as the lead single from his album, The Biz Never Sleeps. It is Markie's most successful single, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
Buhloone Mindstate is the third studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul. It was released on September 21, 1993, by Tommy Boy and was the group's last record to be produced with Prince Paul.
A weekend warrior is someone who engages in sports or outdoor pursuits at the weekend.
Mario is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mario. It was released on March 19, 2002, by J Records. Mario was supported by three singles: "Just a Friend 2002", "Braid My Hair" and "C'Mon".
Who Got the Gravy? is the fifth album by rap group Digital Underground, which reached #91 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
Later That Day is the debut solo studio album by Lyrics Born. It was released on Quannum Projects in 2003. It peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.
Goin' Off is the debut studio album by American hip hop musician Biz Markie. The album was released by Cold Chillin' Records, and produced by Marley Marl. Big Daddy Kane wrote the lyrics of the album's first five songs. The album also showcased Biz's talent as a human beatbox on the song "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", and his skill in the game of dozens on the track "Nobody Beats the Biz". One of his most widely known songs, "Vapors", was on the album.
"Vapors" is a song co-written and performed by American hip hop musician Biz Markie, issued as the fifth single from his debut studio album Goin' Off. The song peaked at #80 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1988. The song features an unauthorized sample/interpolation from James Brown's 1974 smash "Papa Don't Take No Mess".
The Biz Never Sleeps is the second studio album by Biz Markie. It was released on October 10, 1989, on Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records and was produced by Biz, his cousin Cool V and producer Paul C, instead of Cold Chillin' in-house producer Marley Marl. The album proved to be a success, peaking at #66 on the Billboard 200 and #9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, as well as producing his most famous song and biggest hit, "Just a Friend," which made it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Hot Rap Singles.
I Need a Haircut is the third studio album by Biz Markie. 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.
All Samples Cleared! is the fourth studio album by rapper Biz Markie. Produced by Biz Markie and his cousin Cool V, it was released on June 22, 1993, and was Biz Markie's final studio album released by Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records. The title references a court battle over a sample Markie used on his 1991 song "Alone Again".
Let Me Clear My Throat is the third and final studio album by DJ Kool, released on April 23, 1996 on American Recordings. Let Me Clear My Throat was DJ Kool's most successful album chart-wise, becoming his only one to reach the Billboard 200, where it peaked at 161. The album is best remembered for its title track, "Let Me Clear My Throat", which became Kool's only top-40 hit and reached gold certification for sales of over 500,000 copies. "I Got Dat Feelin'," which sampled Naughty by Nature's "Uptown Anthem", also made it to the Billboard charts.
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