1988 was a huge year for full-length Hip-Hop albums. Public Enemy, Ice T, Big Daddy Kane, NWA, Too Short, EPMD, and many other artists crossing different regions and styles dropped some of their most celebrated music in that pivotal year.

Marley Marl was a go-to producer for both underground and mainstream Hip-Hop and his squad The Juice Crew and their recording home Cold Chillin were both at their apex. Marley, The Biz and singer TJ Swann dropped a classic trifecta of singles in '86 and '87 that solidified all involved and created a great demand for a full-length release. "Make The Music With Your Mouth Biz," "Pickin Boogers" and "Nobody Beats The Biz" stand as time-tested classics and some of Marley's best work.

It is impossible to leave Marley and his production out of a conversation concerning 1988 and Goin' Off. The momentum from his In Control compilation (featuring Biz, Heavy D, Roxanne Shante', Masta Ace, Kool G. Rap, Craig G, Tragedy, MC Shan and Big Daddy Kane), Kane's Long Live The Kane and MC Shan's Born To Be Wild all contributed to the success of Biz's debut. Each of those releases fed off of each other, strengthening Marley and establishing the Juice Crew and Cold Chillin' as a force to reckon with.

Each of Biz's previous singles was released on Lenny Fichelburg's Prism Records. Fichelburg wanted to move away from the dance music that Prism specialized in, and in 1986, he structured a deal with Cold Chillin' Records co-founder Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams to release music by Biz, Big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap until Fichelburg, Fly Ty and Marley Marl created Cold Chillin'.

Goin' Off contained the three previously released Biz singles along with six new songs. The Big Daddy Kane-penned "The Vapors" is a tale of people who don't show love until one has accumulated success. The song and video were hits and added to the success of the album. The Vapors even became a term in popular culture to describe those who wanna be down when it's too late.

The title track "Goin Off" and its video were also successful and added to the album's popularity. The video perfectly captured Biz's "clown prince of Hip-Hop persona and it was popular and in heavy rotation on the newly formed Yo! MTV Raps. "Cool V's Tribute To Scratching" highlighted Biz's cousin and DJ Cool V and his skills on the wheels of steel and "The Albee Square Mall" was an ode to Biz's favorite spot to cop jewelry and fly clothes.

Goin Off remains one of Biz Markie's most celebrated projects and one of Hip-Hop's most solid debut albums.