“Wild Thing” was the first platinum-certified rap song in America and is credited for “demolish(ing) the barrier between hip-hop and the mainstream”. It reached #1 in New Zealand, #2 in the US, #4 in The Netherlands, #7 in Canada, and the top 30 in several other countries.

It was co-written by Loc, Matt Dike (founder of his label, Delicious Vinyl) and Young MC. The term ‘wild thing’ has long been a euphemism for sex, and Loc was originally inspired to write the song after watching Spike Lee’s 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It, where Fab 5 Freddy tells a woman, “Let’s do the wild thing!”

Loc had originally written “Wild Thing” simply about having sex on the beach, but his record label owners wanted him ‘to calm it down’ so it was re-written more ambiguously about a man’s sexual conquests with multiple women: one off the street, one from the mall, and one from a party. In the final verse, he is about to have another conquest until he learns that she’s a prostitute.

“Wild Thing” samples heavily from Van Halen’s “Jamie’s Cryin'” (1978). It was originally uncredited, leading the band to sue. The case was settled with a $180,000 fee.