MUSIC VIDEO

"Just a Friend" by Biz Markie - 

In 1989, Rap songs could still be goofy and fun, and some rappers who weren't so concerned about establishing street cred were happy to record self-deprecating songs with a wide appeal. On this track, Biz Markie raps about a girl who he meets at a show. When he asks her if she has a man, she says she doesn't, and that she only has a friend. He enters into a relationship with her, where it would become apparent to most people that her man is much more than a friend, but poor, hapless Biz doesn't figure this out until he surprises her one day and finds her kissing her "friend."
 
Biz Markie sings on this song - very poorly. About 10 years later, it became a trend for rappers to sing on their records, as Ja Rule and Nelly had hits where they were singing poorly, but without irony.
This is based on Freddie Scott's 1968 R&B song "(You) Got What I Need." On his next album, Markie did a similar interpretation of "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan for the track "Alone Again." At the time, rappers could sample without consequence, as there was no legal precedent. This changed when O'Sullivan sued Biz Markie in 1991, resulting in a landmark decision that unauthorized samples were considered theft. Markie was forced to pull the album and re-issue it without "Alone Again." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
 
This song entered the Hot Digital Songs chart for the first time in 2009 thanks to its inclusion in a Heineken TV commercial, "Let a Stranger Drive You Home."

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=9731


94. Just A Friend » Biz Markie