The New Zodiac 2 Presents Again, Giants Fridays with M.C. Shan and Biz Markie, May 22 and May 29, 1987
This flier advertises a performance in the Bronx by MC Shan and Biz Markie who were two of the original members of the Hip-Hop super group, The Juice Crew.
MC Shan (Shawn Moltke, b. 1965) is a native of Queens, NY and got his big break in 1983 with Cold Chillin’ Records. MC Shan was the cousin of iconic producer Marley Marl and took a chance at the opportunity to become a member of The Juice Crew. MC Shan was also a key player in the Hip-Hop Bridge Wars rivalry between the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions. The feud was started when Shan and Marley Marl released his hit song called “The Bridge” in 1986 as a B-side to “Beat Biter,” at the time it was an answer record directed at L.L. Cool J’s “Rock the Bells.” MC Shan’s “The Bridge” is a Hip-Hop classic that provided the blueprint for battle rap culture.
Biz Markie (Marcel Theo Hall, b. 1964-2021) is rapper, beatboxer and original member of the Juice Crew. Biz Markie is considered one of the most humorous and comedic cartoon-like rappers in Hip-Hop. Born in Harlem, Biz Markie grew up learning the electric keyboard and a respect for broad genres of music. He met producer Marley Marl who was mixing tracks for the Juice Crew and began his career performing as a human beatbox for Juice members MC Shan and Roxanne Shante. Markie was best known for his 1989 single, “Just a Friend, which became a Top 40 hit in several countries and was listed as No. 100 on VH1’s list of the 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs of all time. Known as the Clown Prince of Hip-Hop, Biz Markie was a human beat box pioneer and remains a prominent Harlem leader of Hip-Hop music.
