Eminem And Jay-Z Honor DJ Mark "The 45 King" James Following His Passing

BYCaroline FisherPublished on October 20, 2023539 Views

NEW YORK, NEW YORK--OCTOBER 10: DJ Mark The 45 King (aka Mark Howard James) appears in a portrait taken on October 10, 1994, in his home in New York City. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michaels Ochs Archives)

"Even when the life is short, the art is long,” Jay-Z says.

Earlier this week, it was sadly reported that DJ Mark "The 45 King" James passed away at the age of 62. At the time of writing, the producer's cause of death has not yet been revealed. The loss prompted various heartfelt messages from the late Bronx native's peers and collaborators, including Jay-Z and Eminem.

Jay-Z's engineer, Young Guru, took to social media to share a statement on his behalf. “Thank you, Mark. Your instrumentals, namely ‘The 900 Number,’ were more memorable than our whole albums,” he wrote. “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!!”

Eminem Is "4ever Grateful" For The 45 King

Eminem also shared some meaningful words for the late artist in a recent Tweet. “Legends are never over," he wrote. "#RIP Mark Howard James aka The 45 King … I’m 4ever grateful!!!” He also shared a video of The 45 King discussing his work on the track "Stan." DJ Premier shared the unfortunate news on Instagram this week, revealing that the producer died just days after his birthday. "R.I.P. DJ Mark The 45 King who passed this morning," he announced. "An ICON. His 62nd Birthday was Monday. I never heard of Gang Starr until I heard DJ Red Alert play their 2nd single Produced by Mark on 98.7 Kiss in NYC."

DJ Premier continued, "Mark is responsible for so many classics and was a member of the Iconic Crew FLAVOR UNIT. (Queen Latifah, Latee, Chill Rob G., Lakim Shabazz, Double J, Lord Alibaski, DJ Cee Justice, Apache, Naughty By Nature, Freddie Foxxx, Markey Fresh, Rowdy Rahz, Storm P and so many more members beyond whom I’ve mentioned..." What do you think of Jay-Z and Eminem's messages amid The 45 King's passing? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates. Rest In Peace to DJ Mark "The 45 King" James.

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About The Author

Caroline Fisher

Caroline Fisher is a News Writer at HotNewHipHop from Chicago, Illinois. She started at HNHH this year, and has since spent her time writing about all that is newsworthy in the world of hip-hop. With a drive for hunting down the hottest stories, she enjoys documenting new developments in culture and entertainment. She also has an appreciation for hip-hop and seeks to cover the most important trends and shifts. She has a Bachelor of Arts which she received at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Having graduated in 2022, she majored in English with a concentration in Media, Rhetoric and Cultural Studies. Specializing all things music, pop culture and entertainment, some of her favorite musical artists include Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Nicki Minaj. When she’s not writing about music she’s also a fan of attending shows, watching the latest movies, staying up-to-date with current events, photography, and poetry.