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This Top 10 Tone Loc Songs List presents the best Tone Loc Songs including “Funky Cold Medina,” “Wild Thing,” and many more. Before becoming Tone Loc, Anthony Smith was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1966 as the youngest of three brothers. Seven years later, they were raised by their widowed mother, who also managed a retirement facility. When he became a teenager, he began to perform as a rap artist, later debuting in 1989 with his first album, Loc-ed After Dark. His easily identifiable gravel voice was due to the scalding of his throat after drinking hot tea while he was a youth. As for the adoption of the stage name, Tone Loc, this came originally as a nickname he earned from his friends, which was Antonio Loco, Latin for Crazy Antonio.
The Recording Industry Association of America certified Loc-ed After Dark platinum twice over, marking a highly successful debut for what was now a famous rap star. His second album, Cool Hand Loc, was released in 1991 but did not perform quite as well as Tone Loc’s debut. He did, however, remain in the musical spotlight, namely for “Ace Is in the House,” a song that was featured in the Ace Ventura movie series, first in 1994 and then in 2009. Even as Tone Loc began to collapse on stage during his performances in 1995, this did not stop him. These collapses were connected to seizures he had experienced, as well as dehydration issues. For Tone Loc, this has been an ongoing issue. As part of the I Love the 90s tour group since 2016, Tone Loc has been sporting sunglasses during his stage performances as a means to reduce the chance of experiencing another seizure.
As a graduate of Hollywood Professional School, not only was Tone Loc known for his talent as a rap artist but also as an actor. On-screen, he has appeared in Blank Check, Poetic Justice, and Posse. As a voice actor, he has performed in a series of animated films such as Bebe’s Kids, C-Bar and Jarnal, as well as King of the Hill. As of 2021, Tone Loc lent his voice to Disney’s The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Now in 2022, Tone Loc still has only two studio albums to his credit but still remains one of the all-time favorites of a musical genre that owes the height of its popularity to the caliber of his talent, along with the creativity that went with it. Technically, he has nine songs he released as singles, as well as becoming a featured artist for the 1990 collaborative hit, “We’re All in the Same Gang.” This song was credited to the West Coast Rap All-Stars.
The musical momentum of Tone Loc came to a stall after he was arrested for domestic violence and possession of a firearm on June 18, 2011. This came about when he and one of the mothers of his children had a dispute that elevated to the point where the local authorities were called in to break it up. Although Tone Loc possessed a rifle at the scene, it had nothing to do with the incident that took place between the former couple. On October 3, 2011, Tone Loc pleaded no contest to both charges and was sentenced to a full day in jail, as well as a three-year probation period, thirty days of community service, and fifty-two weeks of anger management.
Top 10 Tone Loc Songs
#10 – Always Read the Wrapper
“Always Read the Wrapper” was a parody of one of Tone Loc’s signature singles, “Funky Cold Medina.” It was used at Disney’s Epcot Center from 1994 until 2004 as the song feature of the animatronic show Food Rocks. Prior to this, Tone Loc himself voiced the role of Fud Wrapper.
#9 – Ace Is in the House (featuring Jim Carrey)
“Ace Is in the House” was a single featured in 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and its 2009 sequel, Ace Ventura Jr. Pet Detective. This song also featured the sample music of “No Sleep til Brooklyn” which was a single released in 1986 by the Beastie Boys. Star comedian Jim Carrey’s input to “Ace Is in the House,” simply added even more humor to Tone Loc’s brilliant ability to take a song and turn it into a classic ribber, making it easy to become a fan favorite.
#8 – We’re All in the Same Gang
Although it was “Funky Cold Medina” that was featured in “We’re All in the Same Gang” in 1990 as a previous recording, Tone Loc still deserves the credit as it was instrumental enough to make this song a hit. On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it became a number ten hit and it peaked as high as number thirty-five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
#7 – Cheeba Cheeba
1989’s “Cheeba Cheeba” was Tone Loc’s rap-style celebration of marijuana, plus all the craving for munchies that came with it. This laid-back performance was met with just enough funk to make this an enjoyable fan favorite easily. Part of Tone Loc’s trademark style featured a humorous take on lifestyles of the high and hungry.
#6 – Cool Hand Loc
Unlike the party-style album Loc-ed After Dark, Cool Hand Loc focused more on smooth love songs than pursuing sex, drugs, and rap and roll as a way of life. “Cool Hand Loc,” as a single, featured Tone Loc’s unique combination of gravel vocals and seductive performance. Without overly saturating, this smoky number is both hot and cool at the same time. We wonder what Paul Newman would have thought of this play on the title of his famous film Cool Hand Luke.
#5 – Posse Love
1993’s American Western, Posse, featured an ensemble cast depicting the tale of a group of soldiers of African-American descent whom a corrupt colonel of the American army betrayed. They, along with an outcasted white soldier in their posse, found themselves on the receiving end of betrayal by a collection of corrupt authority figures. Told as a flashback tale, the movie’s storyline featured the posse seeking justice. As for “Posse Love,” what started out as a classic western whistle beautifully grooved into an easy-listening rap tune only the talent of Tone Loc could pull off. In the song, as well as the movie, the posse revolves around the brotherly love shared among a group of individuals who’ve been brought together as a family unit of their own.
#4 – All Through the Night (featuring DeBarge)
The first single from Ton Loc’s second studio album, Cool Hand Loc, was “All Through the Night.” which became a number sixteen hit on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart after it was released in 1991. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it charted as high as number eighty. This was Tone Loc’s final single that would become a hit on the music charts. Featured as guest vocalists, DeBarge teamed up with Tone-Loc, “All Through the Night” is still considered by many fans as a cherished classic.
#3 – I Got It Goin’ On
From Loc-ed After Dark, “I Got It Goin’ On” was the third and final single released by Tone Loc. In 1989, it peaked at number eighteen on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and a number fifty-nine hit on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became certified gold by the RIAA. On the RPM Canadian Tracks chart, “I Got It Goin’ On” faired better by charting as high as number nine. For Tone Loc, “I Got It Goin’ On” was his final international hit as it charted as high as number twenty-seven in New Zealand, number fifty-two in Australia, and number fifty-five in the UK.
As a trademark, Tone Loc was notorious for mixing humor with his music, which was the perfect formula needed to make him such a fantastic rapper. Tone-Loc has been credited for coupling pop-rock and rap music as one, brilliantly meshing musical masterpieces that paved the way for hip-hop to burst forth. “I Got It Goin’ On” was, and still is, the ultimate example of bringing enough bling into the R&B genre to widen this particular genre’s wings.
#2 – Funky Cold Medina
In 1989, “Funky Cold Medina” became a number three hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, and on New Zealand Singles Chart. It was at least a top ten hit among the nations of Australia, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, and the UK. “Funky Cold Medina” was the second hit in Tone Loc’s career to at least become certified platinum by the RIAA and gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It also earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1990.
Fans with a discerning ear will recognize bits and pieces of sampled music from Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded,” Funkadelic’s “Get Off Your A** and Jam,” and The Rolling Stones‘ “Satisfaction.” As for “Funky Cold Medina” this was in reference to a special love potion Tone Loc sang about that could also have a certain effect on domestic animals, including dogs, namely Alex Medina, and Spuds McKenzie Budweiser fans may recognize Spuds McKenzie while fans of Strohs are likely to remember Alex.
#1 – Wild Thing
“Wild Thing” became more than a hit single for Tone Loc after it was released in 1988. On USA’s MTV and Canada’s MuchMusic video stations, it became a staple. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number two and was a number one hit on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and on the official music chart belonging to New Zealand. “Wild Thing” became certified double-platinum by the RIAA and gold by the ARIA.
The hit version of this song was considerably more toned down compared to what Tone Loc originally had in mind for a song. Again, fans with heightened hearing capabilities should have no trouble recognizing Eddie Van Halen’s guitar genius at hand here as his infamous riffs from “Jamie’s Cryin'” could be heard just as vividly as the suggestive content “Wild Thing” was about. This famous slang term came about during the late 1980s when celebrities replaced Bob Eubanks’s then-outdated catchphrase, “Whoopie” with “Wild Thing.”
What also makes “Wild Thing” earn its rightful place as the number one song on this list was it served as the first rap song by a black artist to become a crossover hit. It was also the first rap single in history to become certified platinum by the RIAA. Interestingly enough, “Funky Cold Medina” became the second. “Wild Thing” served as a stepping stone for the hip-hop musical genre, as well as triggering the infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger catchphrase in the 1991 blockbuster, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. “Hasta la vista, baby” was Tone Loc’s vocal response after learning the final lady he sang about in this song was a prostitute. Prior to “Wild Thing,” however, Jody Watley was the first to come up with that infamous phrase with her 1987 hit, Looking For a New Love.”
