The late Biz Markie was honored at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards earlier this month with a star-studded performance of his iconic hit “Just A Friend.” Now, fellow Juice Crew member Big Daddy Kane has been tasked with bringing a similar energy to the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards. According to a press release, Kane is expected to do a special tribute for the “Clown Prince of Hip Hop” during the ceremony.
The two Hip Hop legends had been incredibly close over the years. When Biz passed away in July, Big Daddy Kane penned a moving eulogy to his fallen friend on Instagram. The post included throwback footage of Biz Markie beatboxing on Tim Westwood’s show and Kane rapping. Simultaneously, he credited Biz Markie for essentially making Big Daddy Kane who he is today.
“Thank you for believing in me,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you for giving me a career. Thank you for the beats to ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin,’ ‘Warm It Up Kane’ and convincing @thereal45king to give me the beat to ‘Set It Of.’ Most importantly, thanks for being a true, genuine, loving FRIEND!!!! LOVE YOU FOREVER EMAZA!!!”
Biz Markie has been honored in numerous ways in the nearly three months since his passing. Times Square in New York City commemorated his life on a giant marquee, LL COOL J shed tears in an emotional Instagram send-off and Cut Chemist crafted mix solely dedicated to his “Moonlightin’ With The Biz” collaborator.
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There’s no doubt Biz Markie was a beloved member of the Hip Hop community. The funeral, which was held on August 2 in New York City, found Juice Crew member Roxanne Shanté, Biz Markie’s DJ Cutmaster Cool V, Montell Jordan, Rev. Al Sharpton, Fat Joe, Ice-T, Erick Sermon, Parish Smith, Redman, Big Daddy Kane, Kid Capri and De La Soul’s Maseo on hand to pay their respects to Biz, who was laid to rest in a gold Gucci tracksuit custom made by Dapper Dan.
Biz Markie Laid To Rest In Custom Gold Gucci Suit Courtesy Of Dapper Dan
During an interview with HipHopDX, DJ Cutmaster Cool V talked about what it felt like in the days after his passing.
“It’s still like the Twilight Zone right now,” he said in August. “That’s something we used to watch and we would apply to our lives. They had so many scenes that we used as metaphors to how we lived, what we liked, what made us laugh and what made us think. So, right now I’m really just dealing with it like it’s an episode of the Twilight Zone, but it’s a new one.
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“Biz always said when we would get to heaven, we would be able to see the tapes. He’d say, ‘I can’t wait till we get to heaven and see all the tapes of all the funny times, of all the things we did.’ That’s how his mind works. He said, ‘Yo, we see the things, we going to be laughing.’
“He would always say that — ‘Wait ’til we see the tapes.’ And nobody knew what he was talking about but me. We were supposed to be watching the tapes together. Now he got the chance to watch the tapes without me. Nobody beats the Biz.”
The 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards take place on Tuesday (October 5) inside the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in New York City where HipHopDX is nominated in the Best Hip Hop Platform category for the second consecutive year.
