TONE-LOC
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
Tone-Loc is one happy man. His first single, "Wild Thing" on Delicious Vinyl, is double platinum, number two on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart and number five on MTV's heavy-rotation airplay list. The west Los Angeles rap star is taking it all In stride. "Never did I imagine that the record 'Wild Thing' would go over so big," Loc said backstage in his dressing room after a recent performance. "Mark Walker is my DJ, and he is the best DJ in the world. We are both very surprised to see the single go to number two on Billboard." Loc is not just an overnight sensation. He has been rapping to the Los Angeles nightclub crowds for nine years. His distinctive voice and comical delivery set him apart from the rest of the rap music pack. Loc's popularity has grown so huge that he has been approached by major Hollywood movie studios to film a movie based on his life story. "There have been independent TV networks and movie studios talking about making a story based on my life. I don't know what they are going to do about me. I will wait and see. "It's a beautiful thing to have a hit song. It really hasn't hit me yet," he said. "The main difference is all of the attention, press and TV interviews and being noticed in public wherever I go." Loc has roots in rap music and was raised in Los Angeles, where street gang violence has reached epic proportions. "A lot of the gang members want Tone and I to come and party with them," said Walker. The LA gangs like rap music," Loc said, "and by me being young and from the same city, they know that I have been in the same situation. Not by actually being a gang member, but by just being involved with the whole scene. "Some gang members are so far into it that nobody can save them; there is nothing that can be done. They have to catch the young ones that are just getting into it. I don't know if I can make a difference or not; all I can do is try." Kool-Mo Dee and Public Enemy have joined Tone-Loc to make a "Stop the Violence" video addressing the gang-violence problem. The National Urban League is coordinating a "Stop the Violence" rally in Los Angeles this month. Loc and his crew are not just the latest def ("hep") rappers to have a fresh approach to music. They are taking the message of the music back to the people of their community. Loc will be leading a march down one of the main streets that has been plagued with gang violence. Actors and rappers from LA and New York City also will participate. Loc also will be the key speaker of the "Stop the Violence" rally, which will be held at the end of the march. Loc says he cares about his community and the people in it. Even though in the midst of success, he remembers his roots and the people who were with him in the beginning. "I want to walk down the street and be able to wear any colors on my clothing that I choose to wear. I don't want someone coming along and trying to shoot me or stab me or beat me up for wearing a certain color. I don't like to see my own people hurting each other," he said.
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