Mark Howard James, best known as 45 King, has died.
He was 62.
45 King was a New York City hip-hop producer who worked with such iconic stars as Queen Latifah, Eminem and Jay-Z.
He took the name 45 King because he had sampled old, obscure records, The New York Times reported.
“His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” DJ Premier wrote on social media, announcing 45 King’s death, calling him DJ Mark The 45 King.
His cause of death was not released, but DJ Premier said that 45 King had been in the hospital this week, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A representative for the producer confirmed his death to Variety.
DJ 45 King produced fellow member of the Flavor Unit Queen Latifah’s “Wrath of My Madness” on her debut album “All Hail the Queen,” released in 1989.
“Thank you for teaching me taking me under your wing, teaching me about this thing called hip-hop, and so much more,” she wrote on Facebook.
He produced “Stan” by Eminem, which was part of his album “The Marshall Mathers LP,” released in 2000.
When talking about the track, 45 King said, “I took a first verse and made [it] into an eight-bar hook for Eminem,” who posted the 2021 interview, adding, “Legends are never over,” to his social media post.
45 King also produced “Hard Knock Life” for Jay-Z and “The 900 Number,” which was re-sampled in such songs as “Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)” and “Let Me Clear My Throat,” and featured a loop of baritone sax from Marva Whitney’s “Unwind Yourself,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
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