The 45 King, Renowned Music Producer Behind Hits Like "Stan" and "Hard Knock Life", Has Passed Away. His Legacy and Contributions to the Music Industry Will be Remembered.

The 45 King, the producer behind some of rap’s most iconic songs, has passed away, according to his manager, Paul Martinez, who confirmed the news. The 45 King, whose real name was Mark Howard James, was born in the Bronx and began making beats in the mid-80s, when hip-hop was booming in New York City. He rose to fame with his work for Queen Latifah in the late '80s, and later produced hits such as Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” Eminem’s “Stan,” and more. James was 62 years old, and died a few days after his birthday on October 16. The cause of death has not been announced.

James got his name from his DJing style, where he would use obscure 45 records to create sound effects, which influenced his production technique and reflected the hip-hop culture of sampling that is still prevalent today. His breakthrough track “The 900 Number” came out in 1987, and featured a catchy saxophone sample from Marva Whitney’s 1968 song “Unwind Yourself.” The track was also part of James’ 1988 debut album Master of the Game. Since then, “The 900 Number” has been used and remixed by many artists, such as DJ Kool, Public Enemy, Breakestra, and Ced Gee.

James was part of a New York hip-hop collective called the Flavor Unit, which included emerging artists like Apache, Lakim Shabazz, Chill Rob G, and Queen Latifah. After the success of “The 900 Number,” James was hired to produce Latifah’s 1989 debut All Hail the Queen.

James continued to produce and remix songs for Latifah, Gang Starr, Salt-N-Pepa, Eric B. & Rakim, Digital Underground, Madonna, C&C Music Factory, and many others throughout the late '80s and mid-'90s. He also released his own records during that time, such as Straight Out Da Crate and The Lost Breakbeats series.

In 1998, James produced Jay-Z’s smash hit “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” which introduced him to a new generation of rap fans. The song cleverly samples and loops “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from the original cast recording of the Broadway musical Annie. In 2000, James made another star turn on Eminem’s second album The Marshall Mathers LP, crafting the legendary beat for “Stan,” which samples Dido.

Many artists have paid tribute to James after his death, including Eminem, who wrote on social media: “Legends are never over. #RIP Mark Howard James aka the 45 King … I’m 4ever grateful!!!” The Alchemist called James “one of the original architects of production,” while DJ Premier wrote “we Salute your greatness!”

Jay-Z added: “Thank you Mark. Your instrumentals, namely ‘The 900 Number,’ were more memorable than our whole albums. You gave me a canvas to have a conversation with the world!! You changed my life. Even when the life is short, the art is long!!”

In 2014, after recovering from a heart attack, James posted a video to his YouTube channel where he talked about his legacy. “I like to be liked for my personality and my sense of humor, in honesty, instead of my beats,” he said. “But people just like you for your art sometimes when it’s hot. I never said that my music was good. I’m just so glad enough people like my art where I can pay the bills.”