![]() ![]() He wasn't pigeonholed or marginalized for his lifestyle. Yet when Baltimore locals discuss his music, Tony's sexuality is never the primary focus. Tony's audacity to fully be himself-a gay man in drag talking about his sexuality in spaces where he may not have been fully accepted-that has made him a hero to many. ![]() Without Tony, there would have been no blueprint for some of Baltimore club's most iconic songs like Rod Lee's "Dance My Pain Away" or Blaqstarr's "Rider Girl." ![]() His songs like "Pull Ya Gunz Out?," "How U Wanna Carry It?," and "Living in the Alley" turned what started as DJs editing house records into proper tracks where he would talk about everything from being a social outcast, to the struggle of everyday life, to just wanting to party. His local legend is equally about music as it is identity. Widely recognized as the first club music emcee, he'd often snatch the mic at a club to complement the DJ's skills, threaten to take people's men home, and shout out different neighborhoods (for a fee). Miss Tony was a 6-foot, 300-pound queer icon you'd frequently see voguing through dancefloors, dressed in drag.
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