Streaming now: Netflix's latest action-thriller 'Heart of Stone,' an affectionate profile of Biz Markie, and an underrated classic by the late William Friedkin.
As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary on Aug. 11, The Times looks back at the artists, songs and innovations that changed the course of popular culture.Before Marcel Theo Hall became the beloved hip-hop artist
, he was an orphan growing up on Long Island, drifting from town to town, crashing on couches and making friends with seemingly every future rap legend in the area. In Sacha Jenkins’ buoyantly entertaining, life-affirming documentarysome of those people who knew Biz as a teenager — including Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, the members of De La Soul and more — tell funny stories about how he was just sort of always around, making everyone laugh with his absurd boasts, weird dances and beatboxing skills.
Jenkins follows Biz’s lead. He can’t really get to the bottom of Biz Markie’s private life, so he just rolls with the affectionate anecdotes, and puts them in the context of hip-hop’s late ‘80s creative boom. Even when Jenkins covers the rapper’s 2021 death, he re-creates the final days by putting an adorable-looking puppet in a hospital bed.
“All Up in the Biz” does get into some thorny issues, including the way a lawsuit over an uncleared Gilbert O’Sullivan sample pushed Biz to shift from being a recording artist to becoming a goofy, up-for-anything celebrity. Yet even then he approached his opportunities with a sense of joy — whether he was DJ-ing at parties or popping up for a scene in “Men in Black II.” The Biz Markie story is not framed as a tragedy here. It’s a celebration of a lovable weirdo who made people happy.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Heart of Stone Review: Gal Gadot’s Bland Action ThrillerFilm critic Jonathan Sim's review for Heart of Stone, a new Netflix action thriller movie starring Gal Gadot.
Read more »
Heart of Stone Director Reveals Weather Challenges While FilmingHeart of Stone director Tom Harper is sharing details about the extreme weather difficulties they faced while making the film.
Read more »
Jamie Dornan Reveals Why He Wanted to Star in Netflix's Heart of StoneHeart of Stone star Jamie Dornan is revealing the primary reason he chose to join the new spy-thriller film for Netflix.
Read more »
Heart Of Stone 2: Sequel Set Up, If It's Confirmed & Everything We KnowIs Heart of Stone 2 confirmed by Netflix?
Read more »
Heart of Stone (2023) | ScreenRantAll the latest movie news, movie trailers & reviews - and the same for TV, too.
Read more »
‘Blue Beetle’ Review: DC Superhero Entry Gets By With Heart, Humor & Sterling CastGive the waning days of the old era of DC movies at Warner Bros some credit for going out in style. I might have been something of a dissenting voice, but I thought June’s big-screen The Flas…
Read more »