Following Biz Markie’s death on Friday evening, numerous tributes honoring the rapper’s legacy flooded social media. On Saturday, Mike D of the Beastie Boys remembered the trio’s longtime friend in a tribute posted on the group’s social media platforms.
“We are so grateful to have had so many unforgettable experiences with the truly unique and ridiculously talented Biz Markie. We will miss his presence deeply in so many ways. In the ’90s, Biz would often show up at our G Son studio in Atwater [Village], CA. Naturally every visit would start with a trip to the candy store — which in this case was actually a liquor store across the street. Regardless, he would always return happy with a brown paper bag full of treats. Once he had his sugar fix, he would typically grab a mic and sing whatever song he wanted, looking at us as if we’d know exactly what to play — and somehow he was usually right,” Mike D wrote.
“Biz was a completely unique musician. No one else could beatbox — making beats and grooves and sounds the way he did,” he added.
“He didn’t miss a beat, human beatboxing and singing a cappella without amplification. He could not be stopped. Biz, we love you and we miss you and we are so grateful for everything we got to do together and make in the time we had,” Mike concluded.
Biz Markie appeared on the Beastie Boys’ 1992’s Check Your Head on “The Biz Vs. the Nuge” and later on a cover of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” that appeared on the 1999’s The Sounds of Science anthology. Biz also performed sets at the Beastie Boys’ Tibetan Freedom Concerts in the late ’90s as well.
See the full statement posted on the Beastie Boys’ social accounts below.
