This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
It only makes sense that Biz Markie’s comeback album shares its title with a Ted Nugent disc. After all, the Biz is the hip-hop equivalent of a classic rocker. And on Weekend Warrior — his first new material in a decade — he’s rocking the mic in an old-school way.
In the tradition of classic two-turntables-and-a-microphone albums by Run-DMC and LL Cool J, Biz’s minimalist tracks are constructed from funky midtempo beats, simple samples and squiggly scratches. Over these no-frills backdrops, the mush-mouthed Biz lazily drops the sort of goofy, intentionally wack rhymes (“I flip so many styles, my name should be Flipper / On Three’s Company, I wish I was Jack Tripper”) that made him rap’s clown prince and inspired Beastie Boys. At least you hope the rhymes are intentionally wack; hearing Biz name-check has-beens like Spuds MacKenzie and frequently repeat lines like “I got more rhymes than Muhammad Ali” makes you think maybe he’s been away a bit too long. Still, anyone in the mood for a blast from rap’s past oughta be happy that the Biz is back.
