Questlove Remembers Biz Markie: ‘I’m Using All the Education He Taught Me’
Questlove paid tribute to his friend Biz Markie Friday following the death of the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop” at the age of 57.
“He taught me ALOT. I’m using ALL the education he taught me,” the Roots drummer wrote on Instagram.
“Biz built me man. In my early early stages it was Biz who taught me the REAL places to cop records….Biz taught me what cities had good digging…..Biz taught me where to collect 45s……Biz taught me where to collect 8TRACK TAPES!!…. Biz ‘tried’ to get me into Star Wars action figure collecting.”
View this post on Instagram
In his remembrance, Questlove reminisced about their playful attempts to one-up each other — “Biz got a lunchbox collection? I GOT A LUNCHBOXIER collection…….Biz got a weird turntable?…..I got a weirder turntable….” — and shared an anecdote about attending a White House Correspondents Dinner together during the Obama administration.
“This cat was one in a million,” Questlove wrote. “I’ll never forget my first time at #NerdProm during O’s first term & Biz was the dj & i asked him ‘what’s the Wobble’ —BIZ loved getting you if you weren’t up on something— especially a know it all like me— ‘AYE VAUGHN he don’t know The Wobble!!!!’ (Whole crew eye rolling me….he plays it & I never seen a black song transform & entire room of suits—the press/White House staff/even Rachel Maddow ran from behind her bar (she was serving drinks) & got down.”
Questlove added, “We will miss him. But he will be here forever. Love you Biz.”
Following premature reports of Markie’s death in late June, the rapper born Marcel Hall died Friday after dealing with numerous health issues over the past few years stemming from his decade-long battle with Type 2 diabetes.
