Mark Howard James (October 16, 1961 – October 19, 2023), 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.

Life and career

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. 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. 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 James as the song's originator. In 1998, James produced "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" for Jay-Z. The song was a hit and featured a looped chorus from the original cast album of the Broadway musical Annie. In an interview, Jay-Z spoke on James' importance to hip hop and called him a true pioneer of the business. Following the success of Hard Knock Life, James heard the Dido song "Thank You" in the 1998 film Sliding Doors. He looped the sample and added a bassline, then sent the result to Interscope Records. The recording was later used for the Eminem song "Stan", as the rapper interpreted Dido's lyrics as being about stalking. James died on October 19, 2023, at the age of 62.

Selected production credits

Discography