Oral History Interview with Sir Mix-A-Lot at His Studio, Auburn, WA, December 12, 1999

Sir Mix-A-Lot (Anthony Ray, b. 1963) is a Hip-Hop artist from Seattle, Washington emerging into Hip-Hop in the early '80s. Sir Mix-A-Lot was a co-founder the Nastymix record label in 1983 with his DJ, Nasty Nes, who also hosted Seattle's first Hip-Hop radio show. His first single was 1987's "Posse on Broadway," which referred to a street in Seattle, and the song became a local hit. In 1989, Mix-A-Lot released his released three charting singles in "Beepers," "My Hooptie," and "I Got Game" from his second album Seminar,  which helped become Sir Mix-A-Lot's second platinum album.

His most famous song was "Baby Got Back," which was released in 1992 under Def American and Reprise from his third album Mack Daddy. The song was produced by Def Jam co-founder and producer Rick Rubin. “Baby Got Back” was the second best-selling song in the US in 1992, spent five weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked number 17 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The success of “Baby Got Back” also help him to win a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Coming from a city with a smaller Hip-Hop scene, Sir Mix-A-Lot became a platinum-selling artist due to his danceable, bass-heavy tracks and strong following in the Hip-Hop community.