Happy Birthday, Tone Loc!

Today, March 3, is the 53rd birthday of Los Angeles MC Anthony Terrell Smith, better known to the hip-hop world as Tone Lōc.

Tone Lōc came up during the '90s raps scene and has remained a voice in hip-hop ever since. His gravelly voice and chilly, Southern Cali delivery propelled the success of his 1989 singles, "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina."  "Wild Thing" went double platinum, and was No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Funky Cold Medina" was No. 3 later in 1989. "Funky Cold Medina" was also nominated for a Best Rap Solo Performance Grammy in 1990.

"Funky Cold Medina" is about Tone's night out at the bar, where he's wondering why women arent paying attention to him. His curiosity leads to him learning about a new drink, named after the song's title. "The girls is all jockin at the other end of the bar/Havin drinks with some no-name chump, when they know that I'm the star," he raps, with a little jealousy. "So I got up and strolled over to the other side of the cantina/I asked the guy, 'Why you so fly?' he said, 'Funky Cold Medina.'"

Tone dropped his debut album, Lōc-ed After Dark in January 1989. This album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and reached No. 3 on the R&B and Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Lōc-ed After Dark went certified double platinum by RIAA, and the Delicious Vinyl artist followed up with a second and final album in 1991, Cool Hand Lōc. Though he's had some health scares in recent years, collapsing at an Iowa concert in 2013, Tone still performs his hay day hits around America when prompted.

Happy Birthday, Tone Loc!

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