Mark Howard James, the producer known as “DJ Mark The 45 King” who worked with such rap hitmakers as Queen Latifah, Jay-Z and Eminem among many others, has died at 62.
His manager confirmed the death, but provided no further details.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y., James started producing in the mid-1980s as hip-hop became a cultural force He produced Queen Latifah’s debut album All Hail the Queen in the late ’80s, then was behind the board for such rap classics such as Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) and Stan by Eminem .
He earned his professional name by culling bits from obscure 45 singles His breakout track, The 900 Number, was released in 1987, and featured a prominent saxophone snippet from Marva Whitney’s 1968 song, Unwind Yourself. The song has been sampled and remixed by artists including DJ Kool, Public Enemy, Breakestra, and Ced Gee.
James was part of the...
His manager confirmed the death, but provided no further details.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y., James started producing in the mid-1980s as hip-hop became a cultural force He produced Queen Latifah’s debut album All Hail the Queen in the late ’80s, then was behind the board for such rap classics such as Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) and Stan by Eminem .
He earned his professional name by culling bits from obscure 45 singles His breakout track, The 900 Number, was released in 1987, and featured a prominent saxophone snippet from Marva Whitney’s 1968 song, Unwind Yourself. The song has been sampled and remixed by artists including DJ Kool, Public Enemy, Breakestra, and Ced Gee.
James was part of the...
- 10/19/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Mark Howard James, better known as the celebrated hip-hop DJ and producer the 45 King, who helped craft hits for Jay-Z, Eminem, and many more, died on Thursday. He was 62.
DJ Premier first announced James’ death on Instagram, noting his death came three days after his 62nd birthday. Paul Martinez, a spokesperson for the producer, confirmed James’ death to Rolling Stone but did not specify a cause.
“His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” Premier wrote. “His vinyl releases...
DJ Premier first announced James’ death on Instagram, noting his death came three days after his 62nd birthday. Paul Martinez, a spokesperson for the producer, confirmed James’ death to Rolling Stone but did not specify a cause.
“His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” Premier wrote. “His vinyl releases...
- 10/19/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
DJ Mark The 45 King, best known as the producer of classic hits by Eminem, Jay-Z, and Queen Latifah, has died at 62 years old.
The news was first shared on Thursday, October 19th by DJ Premier, who posted a statement on Instagram that the Bronx native had died in the morning — just days after celebrating his birthday. No cause of death has been revealed, but Premier mentioned that The 45 King had recently been in the hospital.
Born Mark Howard James, The 45 King helped form Flavor Unit — a group of rappers and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey which counted Queen Latifah, Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, and Apache among its members — in the late 1980s. Latifah signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1989, and featured his production heavily on her debut album, All Hail the Queen, including her breakout hit, “Ladies First.”
After battling drug addiction in the early 1990s,...
The news was first shared on Thursday, October 19th by DJ Premier, who posted a statement on Instagram that the Bronx native had died in the morning — just days after celebrating his birthday. No cause of death has been revealed, but Premier mentioned that The 45 King had recently been in the hospital.
Born Mark Howard James, The 45 King helped form Flavor Unit — a group of rappers and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey which counted Queen Latifah, Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, and Apache among its members — in the late 1980s. Latifah signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1989, and featured his production heavily on her debut album, All Hail the Queen, including her breakout hit, “Ladies First.”
After battling drug addiction in the early 1990s,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Eminem’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction is a complicated honor given the institution’s history of overlooking hip-hop’s most influential and pioneering Black artists, but Saturday night’s induction ceremony was a celebration of his contributions to the genre nonetheless.
The rapper himself acknowledged that fact in his induction speech, quipping that there were probably a few reasons why he wasn’t supposed to be there Saturday night. “I know that I’m a rapper, and this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and there...
The rapper himself acknowledged that fact in his induction speech, quipping that there were probably a few reasons why he wasn’t supposed to be there Saturday night. “I know that I’m a rapper, and this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and there...
- 11/6/2022
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
'It's my job to say something,' rapper tells 'RapFix Live' of his responsibility as 'Master of Ceremonies.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Styles P
Photo: MTV News
Styles P takes the title of Mc very seriously. On his upcoming album Master of Ceremonies, the Ghost expands the acronym to exemplify what it means to be a rapper of the highest caliber. The Lox rhyme spitter broke it all down with Sway on Wednesday's "RapFix Live."
"I named it Master of Ceremonies because I'm an Mc and I felt like I'm gonna bring something to the table that a lot of people forgot about — a lost art," Styles told Sway of his album, which drops October 4.
In the beginning, it was the DJ who was the star in hip-hop. During the early house parties and park jams, the Mc's main function was to toast to the...
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Styles P
Photo: MTV News
Styles P takes the title of Mc very seriously. On his upcoming album Master of Ceremonies, the Ghost expands the acronym to exemplify what it means to be a rapper of the highest caliber. The Lox rhyme spitter broke it all down with Sway on Wednesday's "RapFix Live."
"I named it Master of Ceremonies because I'm an Mc and I felt like I'm gonna bring something to the table that a lot of people forgot about — a lost art," Styles told Sway of his album, which drops October 4.
In the beginning, it was the DJ who was the star in hip-hop. During the early house parties and park jams, the Mc's main function was to toast to the...
- 9/28/2011
- MTV Music News
'It's my job to say something,' rapper tells 'RapFix Live' of his responsibility as 'Master of Ceremonies.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Styles P
Photo: MTV News
Styles P takes the title of Mc very seriously. On his upcoming album Master of Ceremonies, the Ghost expands the acronym to exemplify what it means to be a rapper of the highest caliber. The Lox rhyme spitter broke it all down with Sway on Wednesday's "RapFix Live."
"I named it Master of Ceremonies because I'm an Mc and I felt like I'm gonna bring something to the table that a lot of people forgot about — a lost art," Styles told Sway of his album, which drops October 4.
In the beginning, it was the DJ who was the star in hip-hop. During the early house parties and park jams, the Mc's main function was to toast to the...
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Styles P
Photo: MTV News
Styles P takes the title of Mc very seriously. On his upcoming album Master of Ceremonies, the Ghost expands the acronym to exemplify what it means to be a rapper of the highest caliber. The Lox rhyme spitter broke it all down with Sway on Wednesday's "RapFix Live."
"I named it Master of Ceremonies because I'm an Mc and I felt like I'm gonna bring something to the table that a lot of people forgot about — a lost art," Styles told Sway of his album, which drops October 4.
In the beginning, it was the DJ who was the star in hip-hop. During the early house parties and park jams, the Mc's main function was to toast to the...
- 9/28/2011
- MTV Music News
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