The 45 King, a hip-hop producer well known for his work on hits such as Eminem’s “Stan,” Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and producing Queen Latifah’s breakout album, All Hail the Queen, has died at 62, his rep confirmed to Variety and Rolling Stone on Thursday (Oct. 19).
Born Mark Howard James, the producer’s career kicked off from his Bronx, N.Y., hometown in the mid-1980s with the arrival of the hip-hop scene. He started off as a DJ, and his stage name came from his unique ability to cut samples and spin tracks out of obscure 45 RPM records. His began to take off in 1987 with the arrival of his signature track, “The 900 Number” — the song featured a sax solo from the 1968 tune “Unwind Yourself” by Marva Whitney. The track prompted his signing to Tuff City Records.
