On this day in Hip-Hop history, Sir Mix-a-Lot released his third LP, Mack Daddy. This was the Seattle-born rapper’s most successful project, housing his timeless hit single, “Baby Got Back.”
Although the shine of “Baby Got Back” gave Sir Mix-a-Lot his claim to fame, it wasn’t the strongest track on the project. As much as people want to tag Sir Mix-a-Lot a “one-hit wonder,” his ability as a rapper is one that doesn’t give much room for questioning. At the time of his popularity, there weren’t many rappers outside of New York or Los Angeles gaining any real commercial success, let alone chart placements. Sir Mix-a-Lot was able to gain stardom due to the bulk of this project.
Released under Def American Recordings with the majority of the production coming from Rick Rubin, this project hit the ground running. The first single “One Time’s Got No Case” is one containing traditional Hip-Hop subject matter: racist police and social injustice. The rest of the project, besides the hit single, of course, narrates a tale of his life in the streets of Seattle.
“Baby Got Back” is a song Sir Mix-a-Lot will be performing until the end of his career. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. It also saw international success claiming #8 in Australia, #3 in New Zealand, #25 in Germany, #56 in the UK, and #31 in the Netherlands. The song has also been voted the #1 “Greatest One Hit Wonder Of The 90s” by VH1.
After this album, Sir Mix-a-Lot went on to release three more studio albums. He’s also taken his talents to the small screen, being cast in reality television with guest appearances on various shows. In 2014, Nicki Minaj released the single “Anaconda” paying homage to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s famed single and sampling a section of one of his verses.
