I Need a Haircut
Encyclopedia
I Need a Haircut is the third studio album
by Biz Markie
. It was released on August 27, 1991, on Cold Chillin'
/Warner Bros. Records
and was produced by Biz Markie and his cousin Cool V. The album was a minor success, making it to #113 on the Billboard 200
and #44 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
; however, the album forever changed the hip-hop industry because of the album's 12th track, "Alone Again." Biz was served a lawsuit by Gilbert O'Sullivan
because of "Alone Again" featuring an unauthorized sample from his song "Alone Again (Naturally)
." The resulting case was Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., in which the court granted an injunction against the defendants to prevent further copyright infringement of the plaintiff's song by sampling and referred them for criminal prosecution. The judgment changed the hip hop music industry, requiring that any future music sampling be pre-approved by the original copyright owners to avoid a lawsuit. Biz would poke fun at his misfortunes, titling his next album All Samples Cleared!
After Cold Chillin' ended its deal with Warner, the album was re-pressed without the illegal track.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Biz Markie
Biz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...
. It was released on August 27, 1991, on Cold Chillin'
Cold Chillin' Records
Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released some important music in the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released some...
/Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and was produced by Biz Markie and his cousin Cool V. The album was a minor success, making it to #113 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #44 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
; however, the album forever changed the hip-hop industry because of the album's 12th track, "Alone Again." Biz was served a lawsuit by Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan is an Irish-English singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again ", "Clair" and "Get Down". The music magazine, Record Mirror, voted him the No...
because of "Alone Again" featuring an unauthorized sample from his song "Alone Again (Naturally)
Alone Again (Naturally)
"Alone Again " is a song by Irish singer–songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. It was released in 1972, and in total spent six weeks, non-consecutively, at #1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In Casey Kasem's American 'Top 40 of the 1970s', "Alone Again " ranked as the fifth...
." The resulting case was Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., in which the court granted an injunction against the defendants to prevent further copyright infringement of the plaintiff's song by sampling and referred them for criminal prosecution. The judgment changed the hip hop music industry, requiring that any future music sampling be pre-approved by the original copyright owners to avoid a lawsuit. Biz would poke fun at his misfortunes, titling his next album All Samples Cleared!
All Samples Cleared!
All Samples Cleared! is the fourth studio album by Biz Markie. It was released on June 2, 1993; produced by Biz and his cousin Cool V; and was his final studio album released by Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records. The album was not much of a success, only peaking at #43 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop...
After Cold Chillin' ended its deal with Warner, the album was re-pressed without the illegal track.
Track listing
- "To My Boys"- 5:10
- "Road Block"- 3:56
- "Let Go My Eggo"- 3:54
- "What Comes Around Goes Around"- 4:05
- "Romeo and Juliet"- 3:42
- Toilet Stool Rap"- 2:34
- "Busy Doing Nuthin'"- 3:53
- "I Told You"- 3:55
- "Buck Wild"- 4:31
- "Kung Fu"- 5:00
- "Take It from the Top"- 6:44
- "Alone Again- 2:54
- "The Dudes of Hair" - 2:38