Funky Cold Medina – Tone Loc | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#3) & R&B (#7); 1989
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Following in the wake of white rappers the Beastie Boys and hip-hopper Bobby Brown – both of whom reached #1 on the album chart in1987 and 1990 respectively – Tone Loc was the next performer to bring the urban-based genre into the suburbs of middle America.
First his breakout single Wild Thing exploded onto the scene (#2 Pop & #3 R&B), then Funky Cold Medina followed suit. Both were creations of Marvin “Young M.C. Young and Delicious Vinyl founders Michael Ross and Matt Dike.
Medina‘s heady mix included samples from blues-rockers Free (All Right Now), R&B’s psychedelic Funkadelic ((Not Just) Knee Deep), and theatrical hard-rockers Kiss (Christine Sixteen).
The hit single one-two punch propelled the album, Loc-ed After Dark, to the top and drove sales into multi-platinum territory. Unfortunately, Tone Loc’s crossover success undermined his credibility on the street and within a year he had disappeared.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Michael Ross
- Matt Dike
Lyrics Written by:
- Young MC
- Matt Dike
- Michael Ross
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).