"Just a Friend" is a song written, produced and performed by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artist

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer who gained prominence during hip hop's golden age. He was particularly recognized for ...

. It was released in September 1989 as the lead single from his album ''

The Biz Never Sleeps ''The Biz Never Sleeps'' is the second studio album by Biz Markie. It was released on October 10, 1989, on Cold Chillin'/ Warner Bros. Records and was produced by Biz, his cousin Cool V on Cold Chillin' Records. The album proved to be a succes ...

''. It is Markie's most successful single, reaching number 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1990.

Background

The song interpolates the 1968 song "(You) Got What I Need" recorded by Freddie Scott, whose basic chord and melody provided the base for the song's chorus. Markie's lyrics describe romantic frustration after pursuing a woman who is actually romantically involved with another man who she falsely claims is "just a friend." Due to the widespread popularity of the song along with its acclaim and its influence on

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

(and Markie's failure to have another charting Hot 100 song), Biz was classified by

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

as a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with ...

, and "Just a Friend" was ranked 81st on VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders in 2000, and later as number 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop in 2008. Karma, a staff record producer for

Cold Chillin' Records Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during 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 (1930–November 4, 2 ...

, told ''Vibe'' magazine in 2005 that he produced the single, but never received credit. The single was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

on April 12, 1990. In 2021, it was ranked at No. 480 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".

Music video

The music video, directed by Lionel C. Martin, acts out the lyrics humorously and includes a scene of Biz Markie singing the chorus dressed as

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

in 18th-century clothing with a powdered wig in a candlelit room while playing the piano.

Legacy

In 1993, Akinyele's song I Luh Hur from his album Vagina Diner mentioned "Just a Friend". In 2006, American rock band

Tally Hall Tally Hall (sometimes stylized as tallyhall) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2002, and publicly active until the conclusion of their Good & Evil (album), ''Good & Evil'' tour in 2011. The band is ...

recorded a cover of "Just a Friend", later releasing it on streaming platforms in 2019. In 2007,

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

and

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fil ...

sang "Just A Friend" in a scene from the movie ''

I Think I Love My Wife ''I Think I Love My Wife'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film starring Chris Rock, Kerry Washington and Gina Torres. Rock co-wrote the film with Louis C.K. and also directed and produced it. It is a remake of the 1972 French film '' Love ...

''. In November 2010, actor

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( ; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. Goldblum ...

performed the song in a duet with Markie on ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,

''. The duet was highly requested by fans of the show and was set up by Fallon and

the Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

. In June 2023, his widow, Tara Hall, announced the Just a Friend Foundation and confirmed a documentary about Biz Markie’s life, ''All Up in the Biz,'' which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Just a Friend 1989 songs 1989 singles 1980s ballads Biz Markie songs Cold Chillin' Records singles Music videos directed by Lionel C. Martin Song recordings produced by Biz Markie Songs written by Biz Markie Torch songs Songs about friendship Breakup songs