Mark Howard James (October 16, 1961 – October 19, 2023), professionally known as The 45 King and also known as DJ Mark the 45 King, was an American hip hop producer and DJ from The Bronx, New York. He began DJing in the mid-1980s. His pseudonym, the 45 King, came from his ability to make beats using obscure 45 RPM records.
Life and career
The 45 King first gained fame with his breakbeat track "The 900 Number" in 1987. The song featured a looping of a baritone sax solo from Marva Whitney's "Unwind Yourself" (1968). The 45 King signed with Tuff City Records that year and was given a production deal. "The 900 Number" remains his signature work, having been resampled by many artists. He was also featured on the 1989-Hustlers Convention album on the UK label Music of Life, which is considered by many to be hip-hop's first-ever live album.
Using his popularity from the previous release, the 45 King was able to help the other members of his crew, dubbed the Flavor Unit, which included many well-known hip-hop acts including Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, Apache, and Queen Latifah. The 45 King's big break came when Queen Latifah signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released the album All Hail the Queen. The 45 King did extensive production on this album, and it is considered by critics to be among his best production work. Over the next few years, many other Flavor Unit members also signed with Tommy Boy, and the 45 King frequently contributed to their albums with his productions. In November 1989, the re-release of "The King is Here" / "The 900 Number" peaked at #60 in the UK Singles Chart, his only appearance in a UK chart.
In the early 1990s, drug addiction caused him to lose a production deal that he signed with Warner Bros. Records. Around this time, the 45 King released multiple series of breakbeat records (the Lost Breakbeat series, the Breakapalooza series, etc.) and remixed Madonna's Top-10 single "Keep It Together", but he stayed mainly with his breakbeat record franchises.
In July 1990, Manchester-born DJ Chad Jackson sampled "The 900 Number" on his single "Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)", which reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart. A remixed version was also a minor UK hit in 2007. Jackson was apparently unaware that the song had itself been sampled from the original "Unwind Yourself", as he credited himself, and King, as co-writers of the song.
In 1996, Washington, D.C.-based go-go artist DJ Kool had a hit with the song "Let Me Clear My Throat". It was call-and-response vocals over a chopped half of the "900 Number" beat. DJ Kool did not just sample the track: he also acknowledged the 45 King as the song's originator. The 45 King then remixed the track for Kool.
In 1998, the 45 King produced "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" for Jay-Z. The song was a hit and featured a looped chorus from the original cast album of the Broadway musical Annie. In an interview, Jay-Z spoke on the 45 King's importance to hip hop and called him a true pioneer of the business.
Following the success of Hard Knock Life, the 45 King heard the Dido song "Thank You" in the 1998 film Sliding Doors. He looped the sample and added a bassline, then sent the result to Interscope Records. The recording was later used for the Eminem song "Stan", as the rapper interpreted Dido's lyrics as being about stalking.
The 45 King died on October 19, 2023, at the age of 62.
