Born Marlon Williamson this date in 1962 in NYC, the DJ, producer, and record label owner known as Marley Marl is a trailblazer of Hip Hop’s ever-evolving sound, being one of the first to use sampling as a means to gather elements for a song.
Starting with his days as the DJ for WBLS’ Mr. Magic in the early 80s, Marley used that leverage to break new artists and eventually form his own group known as the legendary Juice Crew. Based in his Queensbridge Housing apartment, “Marley’s House” became an epicenter for many Hip Hop legends in the early stages of their career including Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, MC Shan, Kool G Rap, and the Queensbridge Queen herself, Roxanne Shante. Marley’s production credits go on for eons, however, some of his most memorable work includes Craig G’s The Kingpin, Big Daddy Kane’s Long Live The Kane, Biz Markie’s Goin’ Off, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo’s Road to the Riches, MC Shan’s Down By Law and Born to Be Wild and Roxanne Shante’s only album Bad Sister.
Salute to Marley on his 59th born day and wish him many more to come!
The title of “super producer” is not one to be taken lightly. For every era of Hip-Hop, there is a man behind the keys set the tone. Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, RZA, Swizz Beatz, Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Mike Will Made-It, and Metro Boomin are among the few who have dictated what Hip Hop has sounded like over the years. Super producers have even spanned genres to influenced music as a whole, bringing the Hip Hop style to the masses.
On this day in Hip Hop history the culture’s first super producer, Marley Marl, released his debut compilation, In Control, Vol. 1, and forever changed the sound of Hip Hop. Before this album, Marley Marl’s true importance to Hip Hop had yet to be openly stated. It was known that he had a hand in some of the biggest records to have out at the time but this album put them all in the same place, proving what Marley Marl was doing to help Hip Hop evolve.
Before Marley Marl, Hip Hop production was quite primitive: the drums were sounded synthetic, the loops were monotonous, and as a whole production was more of a skeleton waiting to be filled by an MC. Marley Marl gave the instrumental life. His signature drum loops and soulful samples brought a new tone to Hip Hop. A Marley Mal beat served less as a compliment to the artist’s ability and more as fuel to jumpstart the intensity of the rapper, bringing out the best in him or her.
Commercially, this album was the success it was bound to be. Featuring Juice Crew members Biz Markie, Craig G., Roxanne Shante, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Heavy D, and more from Marley Marl’s private army. Pushed by the infamous Cold Chillin’ Records, the album peaked at #163 on the Billboard 200 and brought great publicity to Cold Chillin’ as a top label in Hip Hop. Following this album, the label rose to become a household name in Hip-Hop and Marl Marley grew to become an immortal icon of Hip Hop culture.
On this day in 1989, Big Daddy Kane released his sophomore album It’s a Big Daddy Thing on the Warner Bros./Cold Chillin label. Along with being a successful follow up to Kane’s classic debut, this album was the first to suggest Big Daddy Kane be Hip Hop’s sex symbol.
With a wider appeal than Long Live the Kane and a new and improved sound coming from an all-star production team (featuring Marley Marl, Prince Paul, Easy Mo Bee, Teddy Riley,
To date, It’s a Big Daddy Thing is Kane’s most successful project with over 500,000 copies in the United States. The album has been regarded by many major publications as a Golden Era classic. Album single “Warm It Up, Kane” even appeared on Playback FM in the 2004 cult classic video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
On this day in Hip Hop history, Biz Markie (real name Marcel Theo Hall), one of the most respected and successful artist/DJs in Hip Hop, was born. Born in Harlem, and growing up in Long Island, The Biz has been moving the crowd with his unique style of rhyming since he was 14. From his earliest gig as Roxanne Shante‘s beat boxer to a headliner at Grammy Awards after parties, he’s done it all. Whether it be on screen, on the mic, or on the 1s and 2s, The Biz has remained a consistent brand in entertainment booking, averaging 175 shows a year across the globe.
Over the past four decades, Biz Markie established himself as one of the most prolific rappers/DJs in music. Since his 1988 debut Goin’ Off (which peaked at #90 on the Billboard 200), he has grabbed hold of the hearts and ears of Hip Hop lovers everywhere. His second album, 1989’s The Biz Never Sleeps, contains his timeless hit “Just a Friend,” which has made a permanent impact on pop culture.
During the ’90s, The Biz reached his apex as an icon. His third LP, I Need A Haircut, unintentionally changed the scope of Hip Hop forever. The closing track from the album, “Alone Again,” contains a sample of the song “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan, which had not been cleared by Warner Bros. Records. In turn, Warner Bros. sued The Biz for his unlawful use of the sample, causing the courts to rule all samples must be cleared by the owning party before reuse from then on. The lawsuit prompted the title of Markie’s fourth LP All Samples Cleared!.After this incident, sample clearing was one of the main hurdles to jump as a recording artist in this genre.
As the new millennium approached, Markie never saw much of a decline in popularity. In 2002, he made his first major motion picture appearance in Men in Black 2. From then, he continued to make a plethora of television and big screen appearances. From Nick Cannon’s Wild N Out to Grand Theft Auto, The Biz is seen and heard throughout visual media.
During this decade, he also started his endeavors as a child educator through the children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba. Through entertainment, Markie has helped educate young children on music and artistic expression on the Nick Jr. hit show.
On July 16, 2021, Biz Markie passed away reportedly from complications of diabetes. H was 57 years old. No one has had a career in the Hip Hop game quite like “the human orchestra” Biz Markie and his impact on the game will never be forgotten. Especially on his birthday!
SOHH.com was front and center for the Verzuz event 80s Hip-Hop fans have been debating all week – KRS-One vs. Big Daddy Kane. Who won? Check out these up-close photos from our favorite moments below and vote on who you think took the crown. The Bronx vs Brooklyn Sunday night, KRS-One battled Big Daddy Kane […]
Hip hop legends Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One became the latest to battle each other in a Verzuz matchup. The showdown, which was in front of a live audience in Brooklyn, featured guests like Eric B., Mad Lion, Das EFX, and Roxanne Shanté. At one point, KRS-One broke out “The Bridge Is Over,” an iconic […]
Earlier this week, Verzuz announced that Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One would face off in the series’ next battle. It will be the third consecutive event between New York rappers following last month’s matchup between Fat Joe and Ja Rule and the one between The LOX and Dipset in August. Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One’s battle is a bit different than past hip-hop Verzuz events in that it will find viewers going a bit further back into the genre’s history, as the respective rappers both had their biggest moments in the late 1980s and ’90s. Speaking to HipHopDX, Big Daddy Kane explained why this Verzuz is important for hip-hop.
TrillerVerz III Weekend | Brooklyn, NY | October 16-17
“This is bigger than me and KRS,” he said. “This is about the Golden Era of Hip Hop, to show that artists like MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Public Enemy, Chubb Rock, Yo-Yo, Rakim, and Kwame are still putting in work and ripping stages.”
Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One’s Verzuz takes place on October 17 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The battle will kick off at 7PM EST and tickets for the event are available can be purchased here. Back in June, during a sit-down with HipHopDX, Big Daddy Kane called KRS-One and Rakim the only rappers who would make sense as opponents for a Verzuz.
“If we can get it to happen with me and KRS-One, I would rather it be like a battle format,” he said. “If it’s going to be me and Rakim, then we might as well just do it with the music. You know what I mean? I don’t really see him as a battle rapper.”
