Editing Sir Mix-a-Lot (section)

===1980s===
Soon after high school, he began DJing parties at local community centers.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=50163| title=Going Way Back A Brief History of 206 Hiphop|website=Thestranger.com| access-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref> By 1983, Sir Mix-a-Lot had begun playing weekends regularly at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club in South Seattle. Soon he moved locations and started hosting his parties at the Rotary Boys and Girls Club in the Central District.  It was there that he met 'Nasty' Nes Rodriguez, a local radio DJ and host of Fresh Tracks, the West Coast's first rap radio show on Seattle station [[KKDZ|KKFX]] (K-Fox).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/sir-mix-lot-ray-anthony-1963| title=Sir Mix-A-Lot / Ray, Anthony|website=Blackpast.org| date=28 October 2013| access-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref>

Sir Mix-a-Lot partnered with Nasty Nes and local businessman Ed Locke to found the Nastymix record label in 1983.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blecha |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter Blecha|title=Nastymix Records' party marks Gold Record awarded to Sir Mix-a-Lot's SWASS album on April 29, 1989 |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/9793 |website=Historylink.org |access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> The first song to gain popularity outside of Seattle was "Square Dance Rap" in 1986. Mix-a-Lot had originally decided to rap the entire song slowly, then speed it up and increase its pitch in post production, Mix later told ''Seattle Refined'' in 2018 that "I didn't want to rap, that's why I use this weird Smurf voice".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Karlinsky |first1=Malia |title=Rapping with the King of Old School: Seattle's own Sir Mix-A-Lot |url=http://seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/rapping-with-the-king-of-old-school-aka-seattles-sir-mix-a-lot |website=Seattle Refined |publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group |access-date=1 April 2019 |date=20 September 2018}}</ref> After the song was picked up by DJs in clubs nationwide, he toured Florida, New York, and other states. While in Arizona, he noticed a street named Broadway with a restaurant named [[Dick's Drive-In|Dick's]], just like Seattle. This gave him the idea to write his next hit, "[[Posse on Broadway]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Weingarten |first1=Christopher R. |title=Best of '88: How Sir-Mix-A-Lot's 'Posse on Broadway' Put Seattle on Rap's Map |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/best-of-88-sir-mix-a-lot-posse-on-broadway-751314/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=1 April 2019 |date=6 November 2018}}</ref> The title referred to [[Broadway (Seattle)|Broadway]] in Seattle's [[Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington|Capitol Hill]] district.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|title=Sir Mix-A-Lot – Biography|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p96|pure_url=yes}}|website=[[AllMusic]]|year=2003|access-date=2015-03-27}}</ref> Released in 1987, the single made the Top 100 but quickly disappeared, although it remains popular in the Seattle area for its references to many local landmarks.

''[[Swass]]'', Sir Mix-a-Lot's debut album, was released in 1988 with two other singles: "Square-Dance Rap"<ref name="allmusic"/> and "Iron Man", a [[rap metal]] track sampling from the [[Iron Man (song)|song of the same name]] by [[Black Sabbath]]; it was backed by the band [[Metal Church]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/rap-metal-ma0000002817 |title=Rap-Metal |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 24, 2008 |last=Henderson |first=Alex}}</ref> In 1990, the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] certified ''Swass'' [[platinum record|platinum]].<ref name=RIAA>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Sir%20Mix%20a%20Lot&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25|title=Gold & Platinum|publisher=RIAA|access-date=2009-03-13}}</ref>

''[[Seminar (album)|Seminar]]'', released in 1989, featured "My Hooptie", "Beepers", "Gortex" and "I Got Game".