Busy Bee Starski

David Parker (born October 26, 1962), known by the stage name Busy Bee,^[1] is an old school hip hop musician, and MC. First coming on the New York City music scene in 1977, Busy Bee worked with many of hip-hop's founding fathers, including Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa, and Kool DJ AJ.

Career

Known for his comedic rhymes, Busy Bee originally gained a large following through MC rap battles in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. He was famously roasted by Kool Moe Dee at Harlem World in Manhattan, NY, December 1981, in one of the earliest documented rap battles.^[2] In 1985, he won the New Music Seminar's MC World Supremacy Belt. In the early 1980s Afrika Bambaataa asked Busy to join his Zulu Nation where the young MC would DJ for Bambaataa's Zulu Nation parties.^[3] Busy Bee continues to rhyme today, most recently appearing on KRS-One and Marley Marl's collaborative 2007 album, Hip-Hop Lives.

Busy Bee was featured in the 1983 film Wild Style, billed as the first hip-hop motion picture, directed by Charlie Ahern. More recently, he played himself in the 2002 inner-city drama Paid in Full. In 2007, he was included in the video documentary Hip Hop Legends.^[4]

Personal life

He currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with Michelle, his wife of over 20 years. He has two daughters.

Discography^[5]

Albums

• Running Thangs (Strong City/Uni/MCA Records UNID-2, 1988)
• Thank God for Busy Bee (Pandisc Records, 1992)
• Look In da Sky Who Do Ya See (Jazz Child Records, 1998)

Singles

• "The Marvelous Three and the Younger Generation" (Busy Bee, DJ Small, AJ, Cowboy, Kid Creole, Melle Mel, Mr. Ness, Rahiem) - Rappin' All Over (Brass Records - 1980)
• "School Days" (Master Five - 1981)
• "Making Cash Money" (Sugar Hill - 1982)
• "Busy Bee's Groove" (Sugar Hill - 1985)
• "Suicide" (Strong City/Uni/MCA - 1987)
• "Express" (Strong City/Uni/MCA - 1988)
• "Keep It Movin'" (Blazin' - 2002)
• "Rock the House" (Blazin' - 2002)

Guest appearances

References