Legendary Rapper Biz Markie Dead at 57

 The Biz is finally sleeping.

Biz Markie 

Legendary rapper, singer, DJ, actor, comedian, and writer Biz Markie died Friday in Baltimore at the age of 57 following what had been reported to be a long battle with complications from diabetes. No official cause of death was provided in the official statement sent out to several media outlets by his representative Jenni Izumi. “It is with profound sadness that we announce, this evening, with his wife Tara by his side, hip hop pioneer Biz Markie peacefully passed away,” Izumi said. 

“We are grateful for the many calls and prayers of support that we have received during this difficult time. 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. He leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent banter. We respectfully request privacy for his family as they mourn their loved one.” 

Born Marcel Theo Hall, the Harlem native was perhaps best known for "Just a Friend" a single off his second album, "The Biz Never Sleeps" that reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989, and earned a place in pop-culture history with its combination of narrative-rapping and outlandish singing propelling it to cult-favorite popularity that persists today.

Notorious B.I.G. goes Big with Budweiser

 

"This Bud's for you...Notorious B.I.G. fans.  The company is paying tribute to revered MC by collaborating with Biggie's estate, for "The Notorious B.I.G. Tall Boy Budweiser Cans."  The new cans have a hand-drawn sketch of Big and the Brooklyn skyline.  

It's well known by most hip-hop fans that Big was from "BK," Brooklyn, New York.  Budweiser wanted to make sure the borough was represented with the fallen Hip-Hop star, which also includes lyrics from Biggie's classic "Ready to Die" album single, "Unbelievable."

Pretty Fly.

Peloton King Of Streaming Services When It Comes To Artists' Payouts

Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal… Pure trash. If you really want to be bout-it-bout-it in the music game and stop stacking pennies, the only thing that makes sense is to get your music viral on one of the best-paying streaming services around —Peloton.

Did I stutter? Yes, that Peloton — the same one upper-middle-class suburban wives, young professionals and all kinds of weekend warriors flocked to in order to fulfill their fitness goals during the heart of 2020s Covid-19 spurred pandemic.

According to the music industry blog The Trichordist which aggregated the data the glorified exercise bike payout rate per stream based on 2019 data was 3.1 cents, a sum that made the totals of streaming juggernauts like Spotify (.35) Apple Music (.68), YouTube (.15) and Tidal (.88) seem pale in comparison.

Only Facebook, with a relatively massive 6 cents per stream payout — boosted by the platform’s direct monetization deals with artists as well as songs streamed on its gaming platform, fared better. 

Still, it’s probably not the time to devote too many tracks to riding dirty in one’s living room. Overall fitness accounts for still a very small share of the total market and Peloton’s revenue through streaming is only 1.28 percent of the industry total. Spotify brings in more than half of global revenue and YouTube is responsible for more than half of globally licensed music streams.

The whole study is available to read here.