All Up in the Biz on Showtime: Release date, trailer, and more details revealed

All Up in the Biz is all set to be released and is slated to premiere on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, August 11, 2023.

All Up in the Biz is a 100-minute-long documentary that delves into the life of the late great rapper Biz Markie. The film features never-before-seen footage, interviews, musical interludes, puppetry, and animation, providing a comprehensive chronicle of Biz Markie's journey from humble beginnings, including growing up in foster homes after his mother's demise, to becoming a hip-hop cultural icon.

Directed by Sasha Jenkins, All Up in the Biz is produced by Andre Wilkins, Djali Brown-Cepeda and is executive produced by Vinnie Malhotra, Tara Hall, Doug Banker, Ashley Garrett, Peter Bittenbender, and Kerry Gordy. The documentary features appearances by Nick Cannon, Tracy Morgan, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Joe, Rakim, Prince Paul, Dapper Dan, Doug E. Fresh, and others.

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All Up in the Biz is a celebration of Biz Markie's life and career

The trailer for All Up in the Biz was released on Showtime's official YouTube channel on July 18, 2023. It begins with Biz's close ones reminiscing about certain characteristics of the late rapper, with one of them remarking that "he was the music," "the style," and "all the aspects of hip-hop."

It then showcases archive footage of Biz visiting an apartment that he grew up in, with a voiceover touching on his life at foster homes following his mother's death and how he learned to laugh at life. A snippet from one of the interviews reveals more about him, noting how Biz had no vices and was instead an ardent collector of all kinds of memorabilia.

The trailer ends with glimpses of guests, including Tracy Morgan, lauding the rapper, with a voiceover quoting Biz, saying,

"I'm going to take rap in a whole 'nother direction and I'm going to be me."

The official synopsis for All Up in the Biz, as per Showtime, reads:

"Acclaimed director Sacha Jenkins shines a spotlight on the life and rhymes of the ‘clown prince of hip-hop’, Biz Markie, best known for his Top 40 hit, “Just a Friend.” A who’s who of legends like rappers Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E Fresh, and actor/comedian Tracy Morgan share how Markie’s playful approach to the genre made him a hip-hop icon and left an indelible mark in the world of music."

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All Up in the Biz marks Sasha Jenkins' fifth outing with Showtime

The upcoming documentary is director Sasha Jenkins' fifth outing with Showtime and comes after Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, Bit**in': The Sound and Fury of Rick James, Burn Motherf**ker, Burn!, and Word is Bond. Jenkins opened up about the documentary, in a press release, calling it a "special film."

The 52-year-old filmmaker stated:

"Biz Markie is the pure essence of hip hop. He believed in, he lived it, he harnessed its powers. Most people don't know that he used those powers to power up some of the culture's greatest poets and then some. I was fortunate to meet with Biz when he was alive so to have the opportunity to bring him back to life now that he isn't here... it's a special film."

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Produced by Mass Appeal, All Up in the Biz is slated to premiere on Showtime on August 11, 2023.