Anthony Terrell Smith (born March 3, 1966), best known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper. He is known for his raspy voice, his hit songs "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina", for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award, and for being featured in "We're All in the Same Gang", a collaborative single by the West Coast Rap All-Stars.

Early life

Anthony Terrell Smith was born March 3, 1966, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Margaret, who managed a retirement home, and James Smith who passed away in 1972. As a result of his father's premature death, Tone Lōc and his three older brothers were raised by his mother. He was educated at the Hollywood Professional School. As a teenager, he performed with the rap group Triple A.

Career

1989–1991: mainstream success

Tone Lōc's debut album, Lōc-ed After Dark, was released in January 1989. The video for the first single, "Wild Thing," became a staple on MTV in the US. The song rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the top twenty in Australia. The second single, "Funky Cold Medina," also became a hit. It reached the top 5 in the US, peaking at No. 3; the top ten in Australia; and the top twenty in the UK. Lōc-ed After Dark reached No. 1 in the US. Since its release, it has been certified 2× platinum there. Tone Lōc's second album Cool Hand Lōc was released in November 1991. The album's first single was "All Through the Night", which found moderate success, reaching No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. It received frequent airplay on MTV and BET. He also contributed "If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody" for 20th Century Fox's FernGully.

1994–2004: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective franchise, and other endeavors

Tone Lōc played the part of police Sergeant Emilio in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). Tone Lōc's song "Ace Is in the House", which samples the Beastie Boys song "No Sleep till Brooklyn", is featured in the films Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective (2009). He provided vocals for Fefe Dobson for the track "Rock It Till You Drop It" on her self-titled debut album. Tone Lōc also voiced Fūd Wrapper, the host of the animatronic show Food Rocks. This was played at Epcot from 1994 to 2004. In this latter role, he sang the song "Always Read the Wrapper", a parody of his second hit single "Funky Cold Medina". He appeared as Albert in episode 8 of season 2 of Touched by an Angel, which aired November 11, 1995.

1992–2016: television, film and voice acting

Tone Lōc has performed in several feature films, including Poetic Justice, Blank Check, Heat and Posse. As a voice actor, Tone Lōc has voiced characters in several animated television series such as King of the Hill and C Bear and Jamal, and was featured in the animated film Bebe's Kids, playing the wise-cracking baby Pee Wee. He voiced the character Lou the Goanna in the 1992 film FernGully: The Last Rainforest. He has also provided his signature voice for episodes of 'Chowder' and Uncle Grandpa, both airing on Cartoon Network. In 2022, Tone Lōc was featured as the singing voice of Penny Proud in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on Disney+.

2016–present: I Love the 90s Tour

Tone Lōc was among the list of performers on the I Love the 90s Tour, which has performed worldwide since April 2016, as well as having featured appearances on the I Love the 90s: The Party Continues Tour from July to September 2017.

Personal life

Legal issues

In December 2010, Tone Lōc was arrested for an alleged DUI. He was released on bail claiming a medical condition had caused a seizure. On June 18, 2011, Tone Lōc was arrested for felony domestic violence and felony possession of a Colt AR-15 Sporter rifle, which is heavily restricted by California law. The weapon was not involved in the domestic incident, an altercation with the mother of one of his children. Tone Lōc was released less than three hours later after posting $50,000 bail. On October 3, 2011, he entered a plea of no contest to both charges, and was sentenced to one day in county jail, three years of probation, 52 weeks of anger management counseling and 30 days of community service. On March 23, 2019, Tone Loc was detained by the Midland Police Department in Midland, Texas. It was later revealed that the reason for the detention was a heated argument caused when Lōc confronted someone who was wearing a Confederate battle flag baseball cap. After the two arguing parties agreed to separate, Lōc was released and no charges were filed.

Health issues

Tone Lōc has collapsed onstage multiple times since 1995; some if not all of these collapses have been due to seizures, according to at least one report. On May 29, 2009, he was rushed to a hospital after collapsing during a concert in Pensacola, Florida. The rapper cut his elbow when he fell and was released the same day. On October 15, 2011, Lōc was hospitalized for exhaustion after collapsing onstage during a concert in Atlanta, Georgia. He was taken to a local hospital where he was intravenously rehydrated. Another similar incident occurred in 2012. On March 16, 2013, he collapsed onstage, at a performance at the Bridge Bash in Des Moines, Iowa, but he refused hospital care. Lōc collapsed onstage on December 6, 2013, during a performance in San Francisco, California, and collapsed again on November 26, 2016, during a performance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but he later returned to the stage. Lōc wears his signature sunglasses at every performance to help reduce the likelihood of a seizure.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Notes

Featured singles

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

Television