by John BushChastened by his court battle over a sample from pop crooner Gilbert O'Sullivan, Biz Markie returned with All Samples Cleared!, a safe record, both legally and artistically. Sampling conservatively, Markie nevertheless opened with a forceful statement of purpose (I'm the Biz Markie), but elsewhere hoped for another hit with the same blend of great storytelling and artless balladeering that had made Just a Friend his only Top Ten hit. Young Girl Bluez, one of the few outside productions, was a solid return to form, but his reinvention as a disco diva for Let Me Turn You On was a step too far. All Samples Cleared! had a few amusing songs, including I'm a Ugly Nigga (So What) and The Gator (Dance), as well as an interesting blend of humor with social topic (Hooker Got a Boyfriend), but for the most part Biz Markie was keeping his head down, and it showed.