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Tone Lōc
Houston Dash 90s Bash, 2023-10-08 (53256126868) (cropped).jpg
Tone Lōc performing in October 2023
Background information
Birth name Anthony Terrell Smith
Also known as Tone Lōc
Born (1966-03-03) March 3, 1966 (age 59)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • actor
  • record producer
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1987–present
Labels
  • Delicious Vinyl
  • Rhino

Anthony Terrell Smith (born on March 3, 1966), known as Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor. He is famous for his unique, raspy voice. Tone Lōc had big hit songs like "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina". He was even nominated for a Grammy Award for his music. He also joined other artists in the song "We're All in the Same Gang".

Early Life and Beginnings

Anthony Terrell Smith was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 3, 1966. His mother, Margaret, raised him and his three older brothers. When he was a teenager, Tone Lōc started performing with a rap group called Triple A. He also went to the Hollywood Professional School.

Music Career

Early Success with Hit Songs

Tone Lōc's first album, Lōc-ed After Dark, came out in January 1989. The music video for his first song, "Wild Thing", was played a lot on MTV. This song became very popular, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also did well in Australia.

His second song, "Funky Cold Medina", was also a big hit. It reached number 3 in the U.S. and was popular in Australia and the UK. His album Lōc-ed After Dark even reached number 1 in the U.S. It has sold over two million copies.

Second Album and Movie Music

Tone Lōc's second album, Cool Hand Lōc, was released in November 1991. The first song from this album, "All Through the Night", was also successful. It was played often on MTV and BET. Tone Lōc also sang the song "If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody" for the movie FernGully.

Acting and Voice Work

Roles in Movies and TV Shows

Tone Lōc has appeared in many movies. He played Sergeant Emilio in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). His song "Ace Is in the House" was featured in this movie and its sequel, Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective.

He also lent his voice to characters in animated shows. He was Fūd Wrapper, the host of a show called Food Rocks at Epcot from 1994 to 2004. In this role, he sang a funny song called "Always Read the Wrapper".

Tone Lōc has acted in films like Poetic Justice, Blank Check, and Heat. He has also voiced characters in animated TV series such as King of the Hill and C Bear and Jamal. He voiced Pee Wee in the animated movie Bebe's Kids. In 2022, he was the singing voice of Penny Proud in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on Disney+.

Touring and Performances

Since April 2016, Tone Lōc has been part of the I Love the 90s Tour. He has performed his hit songs for fans around the world. He also appeared on the I Love the 90s: The Party Continues Tour in 2017.

Health and Well-being

Tone Lōc has faced some health challenges over the years. He has sometimes collapsed during concerts due to medical conditions. For example, he was taken to a hospital in 2009 after collapsing during a show in Florida. He has also had similar incidents in Atlanta, Des Moines, San Francisco, and Sioux Falls. To help manage his health, he often wears his signature sunglasses during performances.

Discography

Studio Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
US R&B
AUS
CAN
AUT
NZ
SWE
SWI
UK
Lōc-ed After Dark
  • Release date: January 23, 1989
  • Label: Delicious Vinyl
1 3 11 4 10 11 31 30 22
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum
Cool Hand Lōc
  • Release date: November 19, 1991
  • Label: Delicious Vinyl
46 129 39
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
Album
US
US Rap
US R&B
US Dan
AUS
AUT
CAN
NZ
SWI
UK
"On Fire" 1987 Non-album single
"Wild Thing" 1988 2 2 3 1 15 7 1 23 21
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum
  • ARIA: Gold
Lōc-ed After Dark
"Funky Cold Medina" 1989 3 3 7 8 8 13 10 3 13 13
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • ARIA: Gold
"I Got It Goin' On" 18 59 52 9 27 55
"All Through the Night"
(featuring El DeBarge)
1991 80 16 106 Cool Hand Lōc
"Cool Hand Loc" 1992
"Posse Love" 1993 Posse soundtrack
"Ace Is in the House"
(featuring Jim Carrey)
1994 Ace Ventura soundtrack
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Featured Singles

Title Year Artist Peak chart positions Album
US US R&B
"We're All in the Same Gang" 1990 West Coast Rap All-Stars 35 10 Non-album single

Awards and Nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
1989 MTV Video Music Awards Best Rap Video "Wild Thing" Nominated
1990 Grammy Awards Best New Artist Himself Nominated
Best Rap Solo Performance "Funky Cold Medina" Nominated
American Music Awards Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist Himself Nominated
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album Lōc-ed After Dark Nominated
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist Himself Nominated
Favorite Dance New Artist Won
1991 Grammy Awards Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "We're All in the Same Gang" Nominated

Filmography

Film Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1990 The Adventures of Ford Fairlane Slam
The Return of Superfly Unknown Uncredited
1992 FernGully: The Last Rainforest Goanna Voice
Bebe's Kids Pee-Wee Voice
1993 Posse Angel
Poetic Justice James Paul
Surf Ninjas Lieutenant Spence
A Cool Like That Christmas Marvin Television film
1994 Car 54, Where Are You? Handsome Cab Driver
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Emilio
Blank Check Juice
1995 Heat Richard Torena
Crosstown Traffic Keiser Television film
1996 Spy Hard Gangster #1
1997 Fakin' da Funk "Frog"
1998 Freedom Strike Tyler Haynes
1999 Jack and the Beanstalk The Giant Voice
2000 Whispers: An Elephant's Tale Macho Bull
Titan A.E. Tek Voice
Space Cowboys The Photographer Uncredited
2001 Deadly Rhapsody Jelly's Cousin
They Crawl Clarence
2002 Storm Watch Ray
2006 Totally Awesome Himself Television film
Dreamweaver Sandman Television film
2011 White T Jerry Voice
2014 Not Cool Pedestrian #2 Uncredited

Television Appearances

Year Title Role Notes
1990 The Earth Day Special Himself
1992–1994 Roc Ronnie Paxton 7 episodes
1994 Aladdin Magma Voice, episode: "Smolder and Wiser"
1995 Touched by an Angel Albert Turner Episode: "Operation Smile"
NewsRadio Security Guard, Lorenzo 2 episodes
1996–1997 C Bear and Jamal C-Bear Lead role
1996 Living Single Lester Tate Episode: "School's Out Forever"
1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child The Giant / Desmond Bear Voice, 2 episodes
Martin Himself Episode: "Ain't That About a Ditch"
Dangerous Minds Mr. Summers Episode: "To'e Me Up, To'e Me Down"
1999 Early Edition Derek "D.J." Johnson Episode: "Number One with a Bullet"
2000–2001 Rude Awakening Lenny 2 episodes
2001 Thieves Special Agent Al Trundall
2002 The District J.T. Betancourt Episode: "Twist of Hate"
Static Shock Hyde Voice, episode: "Static Shaq"
2004 Superstar USA Panelist
2005 King of the Hill Bouncer Voice, episode: "Smoking and the Bandit"
Yes, Dear Dave Episode: "Barbecue"
2008 Chowder Chestnut Voice, 3 episodes
2014 Uncle Grandpa Moon Man Voice, episode: "Bezt Frends"
2022 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Penny Proud (singing voice) Episode: "Snackland"

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tone Loc para niños

  • List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
  • List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
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