Anthony Terrell Smith was born March 3, 1966 and raised in West Los Angeles. He is better known by his stage name Tone Loc (sometimes stylized as Tone-Loc).

An American rapper and actor, Tone Loc is known for his deep, gravelly voice which he acquired after being given hot tea with brandy at age 13 by his mother. As soon as Delicious Vinyl’s Matt Dike and Mike Ross heard Tone Loc rap over the phone, they signed him immediately. He chose Tone Loc as his stage name after friends nicknamed him ‘Antonio Loco’ (Spanish for ‘Crazy Anthony’).

He is internationally known for his million-selling hit singles, “Wild Thing” (once the second-highest-selling single of all time) and “Funky Cold Medina”.

Before rapping, he was a professional soccer player. In his later career as a rapper, Tone-Loc has collapsed several times during concerts.