“More than ‘Just a Friend:’” Biz Markie, Hip-Hop’s “Clown Prince,” Dead at 57
Biz Markie, “The Clown Prince of Hip Hop” died June 16 at age 57, his manager said in a statement.
No cause was given.
“Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years,” the statement from Jenni Izumi said.
“I’m gonna miss my guy,” Ice T tweeted.
Markie released five albums between 1988 and 2003 and became a regular on “Yo Gabba Gabba!,” where a new generation became familiar with the “Just a Friend” rapper and beat boxer.
“To a lot of us he was more than ‘Just a Friend,’” Bootsy Collins posted on Facebook. “R.I.P.”
The Aquabats! called Markie “our pal … a great big guy with a great big heart.”
“If you knew him, you loved him,” they said on Facebook. “He was one of a kind.”
They Might be Giants have used Markie’s recordings as pre-show music for years and said, “It would never fail to rouse the audience into a deliriously uplifting singalong.
“Thank you, Biz,” the band tweeted. “Rest in power.”
Shock G, the co-founder of the iconic hip-hop group Digital Underground, has died. He was 57.
The rapper, born Gregory Jacobs, was found dead on Thursday.
“Our son, brother and friend,
Gregory Jacobs, also known as Shock G, suddenly passed away today,” his
family said in a statement provided to PEOPLE. “The cause of death is
currently unknown. We truly, truly appreciate all the out-pouring of
love and concern. Please keep us in your prayers at this very difficult
time.”
Jacobs’ father, Edward Racker, told TMZ
that his son was discovered in a hotel room in Tampa, saying
authorities will conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
Digital Underground’s Chopmaster J also confirmed Jacob’s death in an Instagram tribute to the artist.
“34 years ago almost to the
day we had a wild idea we can be a hip hop band and take on the world,”
he wrote, “through it all the dream became a reality and the reality
became a nightmare for some. And now he’s awaken from the fame long live
shock G Aka Humpty Hump and Rest In Peace my Brotha Greg Jacobs!!!”
Jacobs started Digital
Underground with Chopmaster J and the late Kenny-K in the 1987 after
relocating from the East Coast to Oakland, California.
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