Song:Wild Thing
Album:Loc-ed After Dark
Tone-Loc was a very early rap success. He scored two top five pop hits. And Loc-ed After Dark was only the second rap album to top the Billboard Hot 200. But like a lot of rappers, he didn't last. He was born Anthony Terrell Smith Mar. 3, 1966 in Los Angeles. I guess at the time there was some novelty for a rapper with a gravelly voice. Apparently he was a gang member when Delicious Vinyl signed him to a record deal. Wild Thing was the first single from Tone-Loc's debut album Loc-ed After Dark. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second single Funky Cold Medina reached #3. The album was certified 2XPlatinum and it was Delicious Vinyl's first success. Most of the album was produced by Delicious Vinyl owners Matt Dike and Michael Ross. You might think that Wild Thing was based on The Troggs classic. It isn't. Of course the title is a sexual reference. Wild Thing is based on the Van Halen song Jamie's Cryin'. But there was no songwriting credit. Van Halen's management accepted a $5K settlement without consulting the band. Van Halen sued and settled for $180K out of court. Alex Van Halen said they should have got a lot more because the record made millions. Loc-ed After Dark is available as a budget CD. When his 1991 album Cool Hand Loc didn't sell that well, that was it for Tone-Loc. He became an actor and that's what he does today. Not surprisingly, he seems to do a lot of voice work. He still tours but at this point he's a nostalgia act. Here's the video for Wild Thing by Tone-Loc.
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