The 45 King dies at 62

Mark Howard James — better known as the hit-making producer The 45 King — has died. The news was first posted on Instagram this afternoon (October 19) by DJ Premier and later confirmed to Variety and Rolling Stone by The 45 King’s spokesperson. No cause of death has been revealed, though Premier’s post indicates James had been hospitalized for some time before his passing. He was 62 years old.

“R.I.P. DJ Mark The 45 King who passed this morning. An ICON,” Premier wrote. “His 62nd Birthday was Monday.” He went on to describe how he was introduced to Gang Starr in the mid 1980s — the group was founded by Guru (then going by MC Keithy E), Big Shug, and DJ Suave D before it reached its best known form as the duo of Guru and Premier — by way of their second single, “Bust A Move Boy,” which The 45 King produced.

Born in the Bronx 12 years before hip-hop was officially — or, at least, ceremonially — birthed there in 1973, The 45 King came up in the scene in the ’80s with the Flavor Unit, whose membership also included Queen Latifah, Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, and Apache. In the ’90s, he came into his own as a crafter of hits. He caught his first major break in 1996, when DJ Kool flipped his track “900 Number” for “Let Me Clear My Throat.”

A master sampler who gave established songs new life through his beats, The 45 King would go on to create the inescapable, iconic instrumentals for Eminem’s “Stan” and Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life.” His other late-’90s collaborators included Rakim, Craig Mack, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Common (back when he was Common Sense.) “His sound was unlike any other… his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” Premier wrote in his tribute post to The 45 King, later adding that “his vinyl releases of breakbeats are beyond any DJ of the 80’s/90’s Era, practically endless.

“Thanks Dave Lotwin (D & D) for Facetiming me Tuesday in the hospital to salute him 1 last time before he transitioned,” the post continues. “I know he heard me loud and clear. Condolences to his brother Mike and his sister. It’s so much more to say but I’ll
leave it here.”