DJ Mark the 45 King, whose famous tracks include ‘900 Number’ and ‘Hard Knock Life,’ has died at age 62.
DJ Premier posted about the tragic news via Instagram on Thursday (October 19), saying the man born Mark James died that morning – just a few days after he celebrated his 62nd birthday.
Who was The 45 King?
Mark Howard James , 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.
He 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, and the 45 King remixed the track for Kool.
In 1998, 45 produced “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” for Jay-Z. The song was a hit that featured a looped chorus from the original cast album of the Broadway musical Annie.
Jay-Z also did an interview when he spoke about how important the 45 King has been to hip hop music and considers him a true pioneer of the business. In 2000, he produced the platinum-certified track “Stan” by Eminem.
The 45 King Age
DJ Mark was born on October 16, 1961, in the Bronx, New York. He died on October 19, 2023, at the age of 62.
The 45 King wife
He was married to Paula Perry, a rapper and producer who was also part of the Flavor Unit crew.
They met in the late 1980s and collaborated on several songs, such as “Y’all Chickens Make Me Laugh” and “The Flavor Unit Assassination Squad”.
They had two children together, a son and a daughter. However, their marriage ended in divorce in the early 2000s.
The 45 King children
He had two children with his ex-wife Paula Perry, a rapper and producer who was also part of the Flavor Unit crew.
They had a son named Mark Jr. and a daughter named Marva, who were both born in the early 1990s.
The 45 King parents
His parents were Howard James and Marva James, who were both music lovers and collectors of vinyl records.
They encouraged their son to pursue his passion for music and DJing from an early age.
They also supported him when he dropped out of high school to focus on his career.
The 45 King siblings
The 45 King had one brother named Mike James and one sister whose name is not publicly known.
He was close with his siblings and often collaborated with them on his music projects. His brother Mike was also a DJ and a member of the Flavor Unit crew.
He helped the 45 King produce some of his classic tracks, such as “The 900 Number” and “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”.
His sister was a singer and a songwriter who contributed vocals and lyrics to some of his songs, such as “Stan” and “The Flavor Unit Assassination Squad”.
The 45 King family
Father: Howard James
Mother: Marva James
Siblings: Mike James
Spouse/Ex-: Paula Perry
Children: Mark Jr. and Marva
The 45 King net worth
his net worth was $14 million. However, this information may not be accurate or up-to-date, as there are no official records of his wealth or assets.
The 45 King Cause of death
The 45 King died on October 19, 2023, at the age of 62. While no cause of death has been specified, he had been sick for some time.
Other hip-hop luminaries who also chimed in about 45 King’s death include Diamond D, Kareem “Biggs” Burke, Young Guru, Mad Skillz, Blu, and A-Trak as of the early Thursday afternoon time of publishing.
45 lent his talents to some of the most memorable hip-hop songs in history, including Eminem’s “Stan,” Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and Queen Latifah’s “Ladies First,” among others.
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