Beats and Breaks by The 45 King

The horn-heavy classic “The 900 Number” is The 45 King’s best-known track, later sampled by the likes of Public Enemy, DJ Kool, King Tech, among others. Plus notoriously adopted by Ed Lover for his Ed Lover Dance in Yo! MTV Raps. In a 2015 interview with Red Bull Music Academy, Aaron Fuchs of Tuff City Records reveals “Beat Suite” was the precursor to “The 900 Number,” before he handed a copy of Marva Whitney’s “Unwind Yourself” 45. “It started out as something called 'Beat Suite,' he told Rob ‘Unkut’ Ettelson, “the fourth movement of a four-beat concerto, and slowly but surely a couple of versions later it became ‘The 900 Number.’” The outcome of what became the Beat Suite, is the B-side to The 45 King’s The King Is Here 12”, consisting of “Club Trax,” “Keep The Rhythm,” and “The 900 Number.”

The immense success of "The 900 Number" landed The 45 King a production deal and long-term contract. Besides crafting a wide array of beats and hip-hop breaks on vinyl series like The Lost Breakbeats, Break Mania, and Straight Out Da Crate, he also kept repping his crew The Flavor Unit:

The Flavor Unit consisted of emcees centered around The 45 King. Latee, Lakim Shabazz, Chill Rob G, Double J, Apache, and Lord Alibaski all belonged to the original line-up of The Flavor Unit.