Government Name
Marcel Hall (Born April 8, 1964 in Harlem, NY)

Group
Juice Crew:
Marley Marl (Born Marlon Williams, September 30, 1962 in Queens, New York City)
Big Daddy Kane (Born Antonio Hardy, September 10, 1968 in Brooklyn, NY)
Kool G. Rap (Born Nathaniel Wilson, July 20, 1968 in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, NY)
Masta Ace (Born Duval Clear, December 4, 1966 in Brooklyn, NY)
T.J. Swan
Biz Markie (Born Marcel Hall, April 8, 1964 in Harlem, NY)
MC Shan (Born Shawn Moltke, September 9, 1965 (or maybe July 11, 1965 (Fuckin' Wikipedia!)) in Queensbridge, Queens, New York City, NY)
Craig G (Born Craig Curry)
Tragedy Khadafi (Born Percy Chapman, August 18, 1971, in Queens, NY)
Roxanne Shanté (Born Lolita Shanté Gooden, November 9, 1969 in Queensbridge, Queens, New York City, NY)
DJ Polo
Cool V

See Also: Kool G. Rap, Big Daddy Kane & Marley Marl

Albums
Biz Markie - Weekend Warrior (Promo)
Biz Markie - Weekend Warrior
Biz Markie - Ultimate Diabolical

Also Featured On...
America Is Dying Slowly
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane
Frankie Cutlass - Politics & Bullshit
FunkMaster Flex Presents The Mix Tape Volume 1: 60 Minutes Of Funk
Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep
In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap: Tha Originals
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
New Jersey Drive Vol. 2
Redman - Red Gone Wild: Thee Album
Chris Rock - Bigger & Blacker
Snoop Dogg & Daddy V Present O.G. T.V. 2 The Soundtrack
Space Jam
The Wood
X-ecutioners - Built From Scratch

Bio From AllMusic.Com
Biz Markie's inclination toward juvenile humor and his fondness for goofy, tuneless, half-sang choruses camouflaged his true talents as a freestyle rhymer. Biz may not have been able to translate his wild rhyming talents to tape, but what he did record was worthwhile in its own way. With his silly humor and inventive, sample-laden productions, he proved that hip-hop could be funny and melodic, without sacrificing its street credibility. His distinctive style made his second album, The Biz Never Sleeps, a gold hit and its single "Just a Friend" into a Top Ten pop single. While its success made Biz a semi-star, it also cursed him. Not only was he consigned as a novelty act, but it brought enough attention to him that Gilbert O'Sullivan sued him over the unauthorized sample of "Alone Again (Naturally)" on Biz's 1991 album, I Need a Haircut. The lawsuit severely cut into his career, and 1993's All Samples Cleared! was the last record he released during the '90s. However, Biz's reputation was restored somewhat in the mid-'90s, as the Beastie Boys championed him, and other alternative rap groups showed some debt to his wild, careening music.

A native of New York, Biz (born Marcel Hall) first came to prominence in the early '80s, when he began rapping at Manhattan nightclubs like the Funhouse and the Roxy. Biz met producer Marley Marl in 1985, and began working as a human beatbox for Marl-connected acts MC Shan and, later, Roxanne Shanté. He also recorded his first set of demos, and by 1988, had signed with Cold Chillin'. Later that year, he released his debut, Goin' Off, which became a word-of-mouth hit based on the underground hit singles "Vapors," "Pickin' Boogers," and "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz." A year later, he broke into the mainstream when "Just a Friend," a single featuring rapped verses and out-of-tune sang choruses, reached the pop Top Ten, and its accompanying album, The Biz Never Sleeps, went gold.

The Biz Never Sleeps put him near the top of the hip-hop world, but he fell from grace as quickly as he achieved it. Biz's third album, I Need a Haircut, was already shaping up to be a considerable sales disappointment when he was served a lawsuit from Gilbert O'Sullivan, who claimed that the album's "Alone Again" featured an unauthorized sample of his hit "Alone Again (Naturally)." O'Sullivan won the case in a ruling that drastically changed the rules of hip-hop. According to the ruling, Warner Bros., the parent company of Cold Chillin', had to pull I Need a Haircut from circulation, and all companies had to clear samples fully before releasing a hip-hop record. Biz countered with his 1993 album, All Samples Cleared!, but his career had already been hurt by the lawsuit, and the record bombed. For the remainder of the decade, he kept a low profile, occasionally guesting on records by the Beastie Boys and filming a freestyle television commercial for MTV2 in 1996. The alliance with the Beasties raised his profile considerably, but Biz began DJing instead of continuing to record. Finally, in 2003, he released Weekend Warrior for Tommy Boy, though it was his appearance (and victory) in 2005 on VH1' s Celebrity Fit Club that brought him more attention than the actual record. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Official Sites: Biz Markie & MySpace