Calling all Hip Hop aficionados! The Tribeca Film Festival recently hosted a worldwide screening of ‘All Up In The Biz’ – an enlightening star-studded documentary paying homage to the late and great iconic rapper and beatbox wiz.
Directed by Sacha Jenkins, ‘All Up In The Biz’ tells the illuminating story of the legendary “Just A Friend” rapper, weaved together through never-before-seen archived footage, photos, rare audio clips, and puppetry reenactments and animation.
‘All Up In The Biz’ is executive produced by Peter Bittenbender, and produced by Djali Brown-Cepeda, Tara Davis, Brian Turner, and Andre Wilkins.
Known for directing and producing documentaries that give audiences a colorful sneak peek into the lives of larger-than-life artists such as Louis Armstrong, Rick James, and the Wu-Tang Clan, it seems only right that Hip Hop chronicler, Jenkins showcased the legendary Biz Markie.
“Biz Markie is the essence and epitome of what Hip Hop is and was; to have the opportunity to make a film like that here was amazing.”
With a smile, Jenkins recalls his first time hearing Biz and what that experience was like as a fellow New Yorker.
“I first heard “Nobody Beats The Biz” when it dropped around 86’ or 87… and that was a song that was all over the radio; it gives me such fond memories of being a kid, Jenkins says. “That energy that Biz Markie had, that child-like energy stays with us and I think Hip Hop needs that more than ever so I’m glad to be a part of this.”
Biz Markie’s often-referenced playful and comedic side coined him ‘The Clown Prince of Hip Hop’, and influenced much of his music and relationships. Dj Hurricane, a long-time friend to Biz Markie as well as producer, and rapper, recalled some of their shared amusing conversations.
“Biz was a funny guy – Biz would call me up all times of the day and ask me if I knew a certain record, DJ Hurricane says. “If I said yes, or no he would just hang up and say “ok bye!”, and he would call me back and say “you don’t remember this?” and if I was like ‘no’, he would just hang up again, end of conversation.”
Reflecting on his best memories of Biz, Dj Hurricane hopes that audiences will I hope “understand what kind of man he was”, and “the talent that he left”, noting that he was “a great guy.”
Deeming Biz Markie as an all-around good person, and essentially as the personification of Hip Hop, is a common sentiment echoed throughout the documentary, with personal stories shared by music and media moguls such as Fat Joe to Nick Cannon to Tracy Morgan.
Documentary producer , CEO of Biz Markie’s Just A Friend Foundation and late wife to Biz, Tara Davis, also took a moment to talk about his whimsical and spontaneous personality that seemed to add to his ubiquity and charm.
As detailed in the documentary, it was that same persona that helped Biz overcome a major sampling lawsuit that took place in 1991 and further ushered his career to new heights and toward the tops of music hit lists.
Showcased through a flurry of classic photos, and rare video clips Biz’s unwavering determination and wicked sense of humor also allowed him to pave the path for several ground-breaking artists such as Rakim, Big Daddy Kane to The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z, and LL Cool J.
“Everyone that got interviewed, they all had the same thing to say about Biz,” Davis says. “So if you keep hearing the same thing over and over from many many people, that’s who he was. It’s a testament to who he was.”
And who was Biz Markie exactly?
Take it from friend and fellow Hip Hop pioneer, Paradise “the Arkitech” Gray, when it came to Biz, “there was nothing else like him.”
Gray fondly recalled a 30-year-long friendship with Biz, and recounted Biz performing at the popular 90’s nightclub, Latin Quarter – a haven and network for aspiring Hip Hop artists.
“Biz was one of the first people I put on stage… in over 2 and half years, he launched the careers of over 200 rap stars, Gray says. “It was an unreal time, and Biz was right in the center of it and he was one of the spark plugs that set it all off.”
Get ready to get ‘All Up In The Biz’, by streaming this heart-warming documentary from June 19th until July 2nd by visiting the Tribeca website!
