Parents' Guide to All Up in the Biz: The Life and Rhymes of Biz Markie

Movie NR 2023 100 minutes
All Up in the Biz movie poster: Black and white high-angle image of Biz Markie from the eyes looking upward, wearing a light-colored necklace, dark-colored top, and dark-colored baseball cap with gold yellow letters of the film's title and white letters featuring the streaming distributor's name, Showtime and Paramount+ and release date of August 11th

Common Sense Media Review

Sabrina McFarland By Sabrina McFarland , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Bio docu celebrates life of iconic rapper and DJ; language.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Still from All Up in the Biz: Biz Markie speaking while seated in front of a collage of clips about him, wearing a white T-shirt and gold chain necklaces
  • Still from All Up in the Biz: Tara Hall, the wife of Biz Markie, with a graphic illustration of her husband in the background, seated with hands folded together while in a white chair in front of a white desk, wearing a black V-neck halter top with cutout shoulders and long sleeves
  • Still from All Up in the Biz: Big Daddy Kane duo dancer Johnny Famous a.k.a. Scoop Lover speaking while seated on the brownstone stoop, wearing designer glasses, a watch, a ring, white shorts, white sneakers, and a multicolored top

Parent and Kid Reviews

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What's the Story?

In ALL UP IN THE BIZ: THE LIFE AND RHYMES OF BIZ MARKIE, hip-hop artists, business colleagues, friends, and family reminisce about the of beatbox rapper and DJ. Born Marcel Theo Hall in New York City's Harlem in 1964, Biz quietly mourns the loss of his mother, experiences homelessness, and becomes a foster child before attaining fame in the pop and rap music worlds with hits such as "Just a Friend." Firsthand interviews, archival footage, photos, and reenactments offer clear-cut channels inside Biz's bouts of ups and downs.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Director Sacha Jenkins (Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues) scores another big hit with this superb bio music documentary. All Up in the Biz: The Life and Rhymes of Biz Markie concisely shares the story of the gifted singer and DJ. Biz was awkward in behavior and had a goofy look that not everyone appreciated, but he kept going on. He was determined and funny, and any type of adversity wasn't going to get in his way. "Do something and be just as good as everybody in the room when you do it," Biz once told his foster brother and hip-hop artist Diamond Shell. "But, once you're just as good as everybody else, be better than everybody else. And then do it because you want to excel."

Shell says the kids in their family had lots of support, especially when it came to interests and ambitions. "We had the best parents in the world," he remembers. "They would never tell us to turn music off. No matter how annoying it got, that allowed us to build into that culture." Biz also embraced the lifestyle of being a good stepdad to wife Tara's daughter. "Children were just drawn to him by his looks, his demeanor," she recalls. "Children really see the good in you." Viewers may come to see through this film that on so many levels Biz Markie was truly the real deal.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the communication of the cast in All Up in the Biz. How do they also demonstrate courage, perseverance, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

  • What do you think of Biz Markie's musical technique and fashion sense?

  • In the film, Biz Markie offers career help to others. Would you do the same? Why or why not?

  • How does this documentary compare with other films about hip-hop artists that you've seen?

Movie Details

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All Up in the Biz movie poster: Black and white high-angle image of Biz Markie from the eyes looking upward, wearing a light-colored necklace, dark-colored top, and dark-colored baseball cap with gold yellow letters of the film's title and white letters featuring the streaming distributor's name, Showtime and Paramount+ and release date of August 11th

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