Biz Markie Loves the Kids, Talks ‘Yo Gabba Gabba!’

Legendary rapper/'Yo Gabba Gabba!' cast member Biz Markie is preparing a kids show that he hopes will air on Nickelodeon later this year.

"I just like kids," Markie said in an interview with The Boombox. "Children [are] our future. I like to do anything for our kids. I'm going to try to get my own kids show. There ain't no real TV shows for kids right now."

'Yo Gabba Gabba!' is a children's television series currently airing on the Nick Jr. and Noggin cable networks in the United States. Markie offers his "Beat of the Day," demonstrating different beat-boxing skills. He became involved with the show after "this dude" called his office and expressed an interest in hiring Markie, he said.

"Since it was for kids, I said I'd be down with it," he said. "It brings me back to my youthful age. I love kids. Every time I go around people neighborhood, they're like, 'Biz! Yo Gabba Gabba!' They want me to beatbox all the time for them.

"I love 'Yo Gabba Gabba!' because it's a real kids show. There hasn't been a real kids show since 'Dora the Explorer.' It mixes hip-hop with being a kid. Hip-hop came from youths anyway. It's just a great, funky show."

He initially signed up to do the pilot, but his beat-boxing segment, which is featured on the album "Yo Gabba Gabba!", was such a hit, that he was inked to be a regular cast member. Markie said he makes up his spots just before filming.

"It was such an overwhelming success that we just kept it as part of the show," Markie said. "Plus, I like the dudes who do the show. We were cool anyway. It ain't like I had to deal with some random person. I was cool with them anyway."

In 2009, he plans to get more involved with the show, but he's keeping his ideas under wraps. Markie is also considering recording a children's album, although he hasn't started writing anything yet.

"It only takes me about four days to write an album," Markie said. "It don't take that long. I just gotta have the feeling. If I don't have the feeling, it's a different story. I gotta be in the mood. It's going to be a real children's album. I think I'm going to do a version of 'He's Got the Whole World in His Hands,' you know: (sings) 'I got the whole world.' I'm going to do a version of that."