The 59-year-old Auburn, Washington-born rapper known as Sir Mix-a-Lot will live forever.
Videos by American Songwriter
His song, “Baby Got Back,” is not only a go-to karaoke track but it’s also a subtle subversive way to support people with a myriad of body types.
The iconic Seattle rapper is also known for his memorable name—Sir Mix-a-Lot. But what is the story behind the name and are there others in his crew?
The Rapper
Born on August 12, 1963, outside Seattle, Anthony Ray would help define the city’s music culture and legacy in the ’80s and ’90s. “Baby Got Back” song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1993.
Mix, as he’s known in Seattle, grew up in the city’s Central District. His mother was a nurse at the King County Jail. Mix went to high school with Guns N. Roses bassist, Duff McKagan, during a time when the city’s schools were trying to integrate. While the time was difficult, Mix was introduced to music by a teacher.
“From my perspective, it was the best thing that could have happened to me,” he told Seattle’s KUOW radio of the integration.
Mix loved electronics and so with the rise of electronic equipment in music, especially in hip-hop, he was hooked.
He began DJing all over the city. And in 1987 he released his first hit, “Posse on Broadway.” Then in 1991 he signed to the Def American label and worked with people like Rick Rubin. In 1992, he released “Baby Got Back.” He’s been a made man ever since.
The Name
Sir Mix-a-Lot told Seattle’s King5 that his name stems from his prowess with mixing songs. For him, as a burgeoning, and then professional DJ, it wasn’t about scratching or anything like that. It was about serving the sound of the song. He developed this while working in the clubs.
“The whole Mix-A-Lot name came from what I did in the mix,” said Mix to the news outlet. “It wasn’t just scratching records. I would bring synthesizers, early drum machines, the old Roland DR-55, and remake the songs on the fly.”
This improvisational skill set served him well and made his live performances unique.
However, there is more to it. Those who have followed Seattle’s hip-hop culture know that there was an underground local movement in the ’80s of the artists of the “Sound Table.” The term, of course, harkens to the Knights of the Round Table. And those hip-hop artists, that were a part of that “Sound Table,” earned “a-Lot” names like the old medieval men in armor.
Prime Minista
Fun fact: Sir Mix-a-Lot enjoys tech and gadgets so much that he is a known CB radio user. And his handle on the “citizens band” radio device is “Prime Minista.” Preach.
