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By Geoffrey Huchel

Biz Markie, the hip hop artist who soared to fame with his 1989 hit “Just a Friend”, died July 16, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland, from complications from diabetes. He was 57.

Biz Markie was born Marcel Theo Hall on April 18, 1964 in Harlem, New York. He was an American rapper, singer, DJ, record producer, actor, comedian and writer. He produced five studio albums: “Goin’ Off” (1988), “The Biz Never Sleeps” (1989), “I Need a Haircut” (1991), “All Samples Cleared” (1993) and “Weekend Warrior” (2003). “Just a Friend” became a Top 40 hit single in several countries and made the list of the 100 greatest hip hop songs of all time. Biz Markie made appearances in several film and TV productions including THE METEOR MAN (1993), IN LIVING COLOR (1990-1994), MEN IN BLACK II (2002), FASTLANE (2002-2003), EVE (2003-2006), SEVEN POUNDS (2008), SHARKNADO 2: THE SECOND ONE (2014), and EMPIRE (2015-2020).