Biz's Baddest Beats: The Best of Biz Markie

Album review

Biz Markie's reputation as hip-hop's clown prince looms large, but the full scope of his talent and impact stretches far beyond that: he's an all-time great beatboxer, a charismatic raconteur, and an inspirational catalyst for nearly every Golden Era rapper to emerge from NYC's outer boroughs. This 1994 compilation is the first (and most definitive) entry-level snapshot of Biz's first decade of classics—a run that had recently been sabotaged by the lawsuit over his sample of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)" (not included here), which also gives this phase of his career a sense of closure. The roughly chronological sequencing of Biz's Baddest Beats sets up his bonafides—kicking off with a selection of crucial cuts from '86 (legendary beatbox showcase debut "Make the Music With Your Mouth Biz"; the absurd, physically questionable how-to "The Biz Dance") and '87 (the eternally funky mic-control showcase "Nobody Beats the Biz")—before letting loose with the more deliberately silly likes of "Pickin' Boogers" and the career-defining, wounded-romantic warble of "Just A Friend." For someone who could even sound good-natured making fun of haters-turned-hangers-on (the autobiographical lore of "Vapors," which is more sheesh than seethe), Biz is served well by a collection that shows the breadth of his style when he was at his early peak. And that carries all the way through to the overlooked highlights of the burned-out 1993 swan song All Samples Cleared—check out disco-rap loverman goof "Let Me Turn You On," where he sings even more unhinged than on "Just a Friend"—and the exclusive best-of throw-in "The Doo Doo," a brief but welcome dose of Juice Crew-repping, and no-nonsense mic rocking. Biz's Baddest Beats highlights his humor, but it also proves that the Biz was no joke. © Nate Patrin/Qobuz