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Rapper Biz Markie has been hospitalized for WEEKS battling a 'serious illness'


Rapper Biz Markie has been hospitalized for WEEKS battling a ‘serious illness’ connected to type 2 diabetes

Legendary rapper Biz Markie has been in the hospital for weeks dealing with a serious illness.

The 56-year-old musician has been hospitalized while treated for type 2 diabetes, TMZ reports.

The beatboxer is currently located at a hospital in Maryland, though the seriousness of his condition isn’t known.

Not feeling great: Biz Markie, 56, has been hospitalized for weeks due to type 2 diabetes, according to TMZ; pictured in May 2018

Not feeling great: Biz Markie, 56, has been hospitalized for weeks due to type 2 diabetes, according to TMZ; pictured in May 2018

Although having type 2 diabetes increases the likelihood of severe complications with the novel coronavirus, according to the CDC, representatives for Biz said he doesn’t have COVID-19.

‘He is receiving the best care from an amazing team of medical professionals and we remain positive about the outcome,’ his representative said. 

In 2014, the Just A Friend rapper bragged about his impressive weight loss after he dropped from 385lbs down to 244lbs via exercise and diet, rather than weight loss surgery.

‘I wanted to live,’ Biz told ABC News at the time. ‘Since I have to be a diabetic, If I didn’t make the changes, it was going to make the diabetes worse. 

‘I’m trying to get off [the Diabetes medications]. The way you gotta do it is lose the weight. I’m off half my meds, I just got to get off the rest.’

Health scare: His rep clarified that the hospitalization was related to his diabetes and not the novel coronavirus. Biz went from 385lbs to 244lbs in 2014 to treat his diabetes; shown in February

Health scare: His rep clarified that the hospitalization was related to his diabetes and not the novel coronavirus. Biz went from 385lbs to 244lbs in 2014 to treat his diabetes; shown in February

According to the CDC, diabetes affects 34 million Americans (or one in 10), with the vast majority of those people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

The disease occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to insulin, a hormone that helps them absorb sugar from the bloodstream.

Obesity can be a risk factor for the condition, though weight loss can help alleviate the effects. 

Iconic: Markie has been a fixture since the early '80s, but he's best known for his platinum hit Just A Friend (1989), which sampled Freddie Scott's (You) Got What I Need; shown in 2006

Iconic: Markie has been a fixture since the early ’80s, but he’s best known for his platinum hit Just A Friend (1989), which sampled Freddie Scott’s (You) Got What I Need; shown in 2006

Biz is best known for his hit single Just A Friend, which samples Freddie Scott’s 1968 song (You) Got What I Need.

In 1991, he was sued for his song Alone Again (Naturally), which contained an unauthorized sample of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Alone Again.

The influential ruling in O’Sullivan’s favor required Markie to pay for sample clearance and changed the sound of hip-hop forever, as sample-heavy tracks became prohibitively expensive to produce.

In addition to his hip-hop career, Biz has made on-screen appearances in everything from SpongeBob SquarePants to Empire and Black-ish.



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