Mark Howard James, better known by his stage name The 45 King, was a hip-hop producer who worked with greats like Jay-Z, Queen Latifah, and Eminem.
- Died: October 19, 2023 (Who else died on October 19?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 62.
- We invite you to share condolences for The 45 King in our Guest Book.
The 45 King’s legacy
James gained his stage name from his preference for using 45 RPM records to make beats. He turned that preference into gold on his instrumental 1987 hit, “The 900 Number,” which sampled a catchy saxophone solo from the 1968 song “Unwind Yourself” by Marva Whitney. But his career would unfold more in production than in making his own hits, beginning with his production of Queen Latifah’s 1989 debut, “All Hail the Queen.” James became the leader of the Flavor Unit, a group of rappers and emcees whose leadership was later transferred to Queen Latifah.
Among James’ biggest hits for other artists were Jay-Z’s 1998 track “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and Eminem’s “Stan” in 2000, sampling “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the musical “Annie” and Dido’s song “Thank You,” respectively. James also produced music for such artists as Madonna, Salt-N-Pepa, and Digital Underground.
Notable quote
“I just get a drum machine. That’s the best approach to making a beat. It’s not what you use to make a beat, it’s what you come up with, what you have, I guess. There’s really no rule to make it up. If you want, start up with the drums. But some people make up the [bass line] first. There are really no rules to anything artistically if you ask me.” —from an interview for WHO?MAG Multimedia
Tributes to The 45 King
Full obituary: The New York Times
