Square Biz

"Square Biz"
Single by Teena Marie
from the album It Must Be Magic
B-side	"Opus III (Does Anybody Care)"
Released	1981
Genre	Funk[1][2] R&B[3]
Length	6:26
Label	Gordy
Songwriters	Teena Marie, Allen McGrier
Producer	Teena Marie
Teena Marie singles chronology
"Young Love" (1981) "Square Biz" (1981) "It Must Be Magic" (1981)

"Square Biz" is a 1981 song by American R&B singer, Teena Marie. Bass player and frequent collaborator Allen McGrier is credited as the co-writer along with Marie. The song was released as a single from the album It Must Be Magic, and became one of Marie's signature songs. The song includes a rap break, an unusual feature at the time.^[4][5]

Cover versions and appearances in media

In 2002, a new version of this song, titled "Hollywood Square Biz", was used as the theme to the popular game show Hollywood Squares when it was known as H2 at the time from 2002 to 2004.^[6]

In 2000, the song "Crip Hop" (Tha Eastsidaz featuring Snoop Dogg), featured on the Baby Boy soundtrack and released by Universal Records on June 19, 2001, sampled Square Biz.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, En Vogue performed a cover of the song on their concert DVD, Live in the USA.^{[citation needed]}

Missy Elliott uses an interpolation of a verse from Square Biz in Ciara's 2004 hit single, "1, 2 Step".^[7]

The Firm's "Firm Biz" contains a sample based on the song featuring Dawn Robinson from their first and only album The Album in 1997.^[8]

"Real Love" by Master P featuring Sera-Lynn, 2002.^{[citation needed]}

In 2022, a cover of the song was performed by JoJo^[9] on YouTube.

Chart performance

The song managed to peak at #3 on Billboard's R&B Charts, becoming Marie's highest peak on the chart at the time. The song managed to peak at #12 on Billboard's Club Play Singles, while performing moderately on Billboard's Pop Singles, peaking only at #50, becoming her second single to chart on the Pop Singles chart.

Charts

Chart performance for "Square Biz"

Chart (1981)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[10]	50
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[11]	12
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12]	3

References

1. Breihan, Tom (December 26, 2010). "Teena Marie R.I.P." Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
2. Deggans, Eric (January 1, 1998). "Teena Marie". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 374–375.
3. Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "Everything Rock Vs. Collage Rock". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 138. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.
4. Weisbard, Eric (2007-11-01). Listen Again: A Momentary History of Pop Music. Duke University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-8223-9055-8.
5. "Teena Marie, a hip-hop pioneer". The Virginian-Pilot. 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
6. Foley, Aaron (2010-12-27). "Playlist: Eleven of Teena Marie's best songs". mlive. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
7. "Ciara feat. Missy Elliott, '1, 2 Step'". Rolling Stone Australia. 2025-10-13. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
8. "Billboard". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1997-10-18. p. 31.
9. JoJo (2022-09-27). JoJo - Square Biz (Teena Marie Cover - Live). Retrieved 2025-09-13 – via YouTube.
10. "Teena Marie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
11. "Teena Marie Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
12. "Teena Marie Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.