Largely written by Big Daddy Kane and produced by Marley Marl, this has all of the hallmarks of an '88 album. Listening to this, so much has been influential. The amount of his lines that have been flipped to be classic hooks or just memorable bars from other artists demonstrates this. It's tough to evaluate older projects because I can't put myself in 1988, but all of this other albums have more going for them listening to them these days. Some of the mastering of the vocals sound very low quality too. I can barely understand him on 'This Is Something for the Radio' and he's just talking giving shout outs. If you’re a fan of ’80s hip-hop, you’ll likely appreciate this more than I do. For those who enjoy Biz’s style but prefer a more polished, modern approach to production, his later albums might be a better fit. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Biz Is Goin' Off, Vapors 1. Pickin' Boogers 50 2. Albee Square Mall 54 3. Biz Is Goin' Off 70 4. Return of the Biz Dance 60 5. Vapors 73 6. Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz 60 7. Biz Dance (Part One) 55 8. Nobody Beats the Biz 65 9. This Is Something for the Radio 45 10. Cool V's Tribute to Scratching 60

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

I just wrote a review criticizing Biz for starting an album with four minutes of shoutouts, and he follows on from his previous album to do it again here... The production is nice too, but it's wasted. On the chorus of the next track, Biz off key and drunkenly sings "American Woman" borrowing from the Guess Who song, but I thought he was ahead of his time and yelling "MAGA woman" until i checked the lyrics. 'Let Go My Egoo' is slow and drags on with its repetitive loop of keys. Not a great start so far. Thankfully it improves from there. 'What Goes Around Comes Around' adds some more life to the production sampling some vocals from 'A Feeling Is' by The Emotions. You'll have to like the instrumentation because it continually loops for four minutes with Biz just spitting a story about karma for the entirety of the song without any hook to speak of. 'Romeo & Juliet' has one of the best instrument on the album. It's kind of dark and the hook stands out. 'Toilet Stool Rap' again offers a step up in terms of its beat compared to the album's opening tracks, but unfortunately, its theme revolves around brainstorming ideas while sitting on the toilet. The sample in 'I Told You' made me save the original for later. Like 'Romeo & Juliet', this adds someone of a dark feel to the song. On this song Biz has messages for all of those who doubted him. 'Take it from the Top' is a posse cut of sorts. None of the features ring a bell. - Backspin, Capital T, Diamond Shell or Force Fell and the beat is very standard. The sample used on 'Alone Again' was uncleared, causing this album to be pulled from shelves and later re-released without the track. It’s a straightforward piano loop that leaves you wondering why they didn’t simply create a replacement. The finale, 'On and On' is a fun track that sees Biz rapping with a different style. There are some good uses of samples here, but there are a number of tracks that are fairly forgettable. In comparing to his previous album, 'The Biz Never Sleeps', there isn't a lot in it, but I'd say the hooks are a step down from his last album as is the consistency, but the high points of the best tracks listed below, are higher. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Romeo & Juliet, I Told You 1. To My Boys 35 2. Road Block 51 3. Let Go My Eggo 44 4. What Comes Around Goes Around 60 5. Romeo and Juliet 78 6. T.S.R. (Toilet Stool Rap) 60 7. Busy Doing Nuthin' 70 8. I Told You 80 9. Buck Wild 65 10. Kung Fu 61 11. Take It From the Top 50 12. Alone Again 64 13. On and On 60

The Jerry Springer Shows was so interesting, but I don't think this was a well put together documentary at all. Why aren't there more interviews with previous guests? They gloss over some aspects that leave you asking questions. It seems like the budget for this wasn't too large.

Do not open your album with a boring track full of shout-outs. It was unfortunately common to use these at the end of albums, but starting with one makes for an incredibly underwhelming opener. From there, 'Check It Out' encourages kids to stay in school and borrows from 'Let Your Hair Down' by Yvonne Fair that is a great sample. It creates a dark mood though and at first I didn't think it really matched the content. The dragon roar on the hook of 'Dragon' is cringe. I hope he was trying to add comedy with that... It ruins the song. 'Spring Again' gets us back on track with its positive message about not letting a bad relationship get you down over my favourite production on the album. 'Just a Friend', famously referenced in 'It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia', is his most well-known song. While I don't love it, I can understand its popularity. 'She's Not Just Another Woman (Monique)' has a nice soul sample as its hook. It's another storytelling song that Biz does a lot of. In the middle of the album, 'Mudd Foot' is one of the weaker moments. "And I want this to be one of the hottest dances comin' out / It's called the "Mudd Foot". Was this an actual dance? The production is decent, but the lyrics go nowhere. 'A Thing Named Kim' has copped some flack from the SJW brigade through a lens of presentism. However, I don’t think Biz telling a story about feeling deceived by someone who wasn’t what he expected is inherently transphobic. Does that never happen? Can’t he tell that story? Incidentally, I just watched a Law and Order episode where that was a small feature of the plot. Granted, referring to Kim as a "Thing" isn’t the kindest choice. Still, Biz’s line—"And thought that's a damn shame, he had nice tits"—made me laugh. 'Me vs. Me' features beat boxing creating an original instrumental that is its strength. Next, 'My Man Rich' is about a close friend of Biz's. It's not bad either, backed by a recognisable sample. 'I Hear Music' is a tribute to the joy of music/hip hop, carried by its pleasant instrumentation. 'Biz in Harmony,' as the title suggests, features Biz crooning over smooth, harmonious female vocals. Finally, 'Things Get a Little Easier' rounds out the album with more storytelling and solid production, keeping the overall quality consistent to the end. Overall, this is a solid ’89 rap album that holds up reasonably well. Unlike many artists I review, Biz truly is different, bringing unique elements to his work. While he isn’t technically impressive with his rhyme schemes or delivery, his storytelling and creative flair are his greatest strengths. There’s probably nothing here I’ll return to for future listens, but I enjoyed spinning this one a few times. I look forward to checking out his next couple of projects from an era when hip-hop production was evolving significantly beyond the sound of the '80s. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Check It Out, Spring Again, Just a Friend, My Man Rich 1. Dedication 40 2. Check It Out 66 3. The Dragon 41 4. Spring Again 74 5. Just A Friend 66 6. She's Not Just Another Woman (Monique) 60 7. Mudd Foot 55 8. A Thing Named Kim 65 9. Me Versus Me 60 10. My Man Rich 68 11. I Hear Music 65 12. Biz In Harmony 60 13. Things Get a Little Easier 62