Gravel voiced greats # 3. Tone Lōc

I was about ten years old when I was introduced to Tone Lōc. Whenever I recall that moment, I see comedy legend John Candy pissing in my mind's eye. Wiping away the metaphoric urine and a lone rose-tinted tear, I smile as the scene from Uncle Buck (1989) plays in my head: the touching routine where Buck tries to piss in a kindergarten urinal. The 'Wild Beats' instrumental of Lōc's track 'Wild Thing' lends the moment a sweet comedic bounce and I remember being captivated by the rhythm. A white boy living in rural England, hip hop was alien to me at that point, but a seed was sewn. It could be said my love of hip hop and movies grew from there, fused together in the fire of my heart, the flames extinguished by John Candy's piss to forge a lifelong love of both art-forms.

First, the name. There are conflicting sources as to the origins of Anthony Terrell Smith's monicker. Some say it originated when his peers nicknamed him "Antonio Loco" (Spanish for "crazy Anthony"). Others say the word "Lōc" stands for 'Love of Crips', showing his colours in connection to the South Compton Crips, an L.A. street gang. Personally I like to think Anthony shares my passion for sweet French snacks, 'Lōc' meaning 'Love of Crêpes'.

THE FILMS

Another early personal intro to the man came when he supplied his dirty throat buzz for animated feature FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). Voice acting was a natural fit for Tone, but he didn't stop there. Great voice + great face = a steady career as a reliable character actor, playing heroes on both sides of the law, laid-back and laconic and wooing movie-going cynics who frown on rap music. On the set of Poetic Justice (1993) Lōc would butt heads (literally) with Tupac Shakur. Pac was stunned (literally) by Lōc's cool verve and a complex 40 minute freestyle about French cuisine. Tupac would have just 3 years left to implement all Lōc had taught him over those few days filming. Before his death in '96, Shakur had dropped four multi-Platinum albums. After his death, Tupac's legend lives on; particles of his ashes reincarnated as 'new' releases, to the platinum joy of record companies the world over. Tone Lōc, like a wise mentor never selfish in spreading knowledge, smiles on Pac's success.

The heat of Tupac's burgeoning fame made Tone want for simpler things, and so it was he showed a laid-back and direct performance alongside Rob Schneider in Surf Ninjas (1993). Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) followed, perhaps Tone's finest role as laid-back cop Emilio. Doubters chuckled when he didn't return in the hit sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), but were 'flipped the bird' when Tone was hand picked by the great Michael Mann to work on Heat (1995). Tone continues to work in film and television. Huh? You wouldn't have heard of any of them, you only watch shit.

Today rappers have it easy. Record sales translate easily into star-vehicle offers (see Eminem and 50 Cent), glorified biopics about lives before the mic - drunken toasts, cheap blends of fact and much fiction. Back when Lōc was making records it was raw charisma alone that was the golden ticket to the dreamland of the movies. Of course there are others who managed to juggle music and acting successfully, all of them breaking into film after Tone Lōc had gained Hollywood's acceptance.

Check the roll call: Ice-T (credited wrongly by many as the O.G. rapper/actor), LL Cool J (Lackluster Lōc, Cool? Just...), Ice Cube (also producer, writer & director) and Will Smith. On paper, Smith seems to be the rapper that broke the mould, the shining example of how it should be done. He is the highest paid black actor in Hollywood, commanding $20 million a movie plus 20% of the box office. For screaming headless turkey I, Robot (2004) alone he banked $35 mill. Fact is y'all, Lōc don't need the money, because he has the RESPECT. Lōc is the mirror image of Tony Montana. First he had women, then power, then...respect - something I give none of the others on the list.

Tone didn't make IGN's Top 10 Rappers Turned Actors list (though they had the pips to include Mark Wahlberg), but he sure made mine, coming in at positions 1 through 10.

~Landon Garrett