Biz Markie performs at the Mecca Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Aug. 1, 1988. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images.

Last week the world lost Biz Markie, the Clown Prince of Hip-Hop. I won’t go over everything from his obituary again but despite often being considered a one-hit wonder, Markie is a legend who came up in hip-hop with legends, and he deserves your respect.

In his honor, this week’s column is about fellow rappers who dare to be humble and funny. Hip-hop, and music in general, is often hesitant to be lighthearted out of fear of not being taken seriously. Because musicians are remarkably insecure. But there are rappers who follow in Markie’s footsteps, who aren’t afraid to crack jokes or skewer the culture or talk about those insecurities, and we salute them.

Digital Underground — “The Humpty Dance”

I know, I put Digital Underground on every list, but they’re my favorite rap group. And more importantly for the premise of this column, we also lost Shock G in April, so we can just keep stacking memorials for under-appreciated legends.

Shock G and Biz Markie really had parallel careers. Both only had one major crossover hit, but both are geniuses who had long careers. Both bucked the trends of their era by hiding social commentary in often self-deprecating humor.

De La Soul — “Me, Myself and I”

Even if you don’t think you know De La Soul, you’ve almost definitely heard De La Soul; they did the rap parts of Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.,” for which they won a Grammy. It was everywhere in 2005, which wasn’t that long ago, so you’ve definitely heard it.

Anyway, this is about their non-guest work: “Me, Myself and I” is their biggest hit from their first and best-selling album, and it’s also their least serious. But even their second album, the much better De La Soul is Dead, manages to maintain a sense of humor despite its heavier subject matter.

Sure, it was a reaction to the increasingly violent hip-hop of their era rather than a conscious choice to specifically be funny, but it was still funny.

Childish Gambino — “Sweatpants”

In 2013, when Donald Glover released Because the Internet, he was primarily known as a comedian and so, while not laugh-out-loud funny, a lot of his songs had a distinct satirical slant. “Sweatpants,” for example, is from the perspective of a rich person, with the title referring to the fact that if you’re rich enough, you can wear whatever you want. Even to a nightclub. And it is not kind to the rich person.

Of course, that all seems quaint in 2021. While Glover was absolutely hilarious on “Community,” thanks to “Atlanta” and “This Is America,” the world has come to realize that he’s just an absolute genius polymath who can do whatever he wants and excel at it. He’s basically Jordan Peele but with musical talent, too.

It’s kinda infuriating, honestly. Save some talent for the rest of us.

Skee-Lo — “I Wish”

If there was a Self-Deprecating Hip-Hop Hall of Fame, it would just be “Just A Friend” and “I Wish.”

“I Wish” isn’t as funny as “Just a Friend,” but it’s got its moments. The reason it makes the list is because it’s so brutally honest. Especially now when it seems like two thirds of hip-hop is dudes bragging about how rich they are, someone frankly talking about their lack of romantic success and their insecurities seems revolutionary.

Also, for someone whose car in high school was a silver 1987 Toyota Corolla hatchback with a four-speed manual transmission and an engine about the size of my fist, who got laughed at everywhere he went, the song was intensely relatable, and I appreciate it.

Lil B — “Like a Martian”

Look, I don’t know.

I love Lil B. I am based for life. I love the irreverence and positivity. I am obsessed with his Twitter account. Lil B is the best. But I spent an embarrassingly long time listening to my favorite Lil B songs to find one that was overtly funny or satirical and I honestly couldn’t find one that fit the bill.

So why did I put him on the list? Well… I just explained that I love Lil B, and it’s my column so I do what I want. But also, despite the lyrical content not overtly matching the premise, his whole vibe is exactly what I mean. He’s a good dude who takes his work seriously without taking himself too seriously. He’s not shy about loving what he does, and he has fun doing it. Also he has the power to issue binding curses and I don’t want to risk it.

#TYBG

Follow editor Daniel J. Willis and tweet column ideas to him at Twitter.com/BayAreaData.