All Samples Cleared 1993 Album

Biz Markie

After kicking off his last two albums with dull shout-outs, Biz Markie's opening here feels much more positive. 'I'm the Biz Markie' delivers, while 'Young Girl Bluez' fully justifies why, in my review of 'The Biz Never Sleeps', I mentioned looking forward to his later work. The '93 production shines, bolstered by a Slick Rick sample who's been flipped countless times but always still works well. Unfortunately, after the strong first three tracks, the album starts to lose momentum. 'Groovin' drags things down with yet another shout-out session—this time placed awkwardly in the middle of the record. It doesn't stop there: 'Singin' follows with more shout-outs at the end. That one’s at least fun, with Biz belting out his best singin' in the rain impression on the hook. But as if that wasn’t enough, the closer piles on a full five minutes of thank-yous. Sure, being grateful is admirable, but someone really should’ve told Biz to ease up it 'Funk Is Back' lands a notch below the album's top-tier tracks. 'Let Me Turn You On' takes a dive into disco territory, and 'The Gator (Dance)' is more of a quirky mumbling experiment from Biz. Meanwhile, 'Hooker Got a Boyfriend' offers a classic Biz storytelling moment—this time about a hooker’s boyfriend repeatedly crashing his good time. The top two tracks here easily rank among my favorite Biz cuts from his first four albums. However, after binging his last two records recently, the formula is starting to wear thin. While the '93 production is more consistent overall, the songs themselves just aren’t as captivating. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: I'm the Biz Markie, Young Girl Bluez