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Phillip Mlynar<\/a><\/p>\n \u00b7 <\/p>\n In the summer of 1994, Joseph \u201cDJ Jab\u201d Abajian opened a small basement record store on East 9th Street in Manhattan, New York City. He called it Fat Beats, dubbing it, \u201cthe last stop for hip-hop.\u201d The store\u2019s walls and ceiling were plastered with posters and vinyl records, making it feel like a hip-hop obsessive\u2019s chaotic bedroom; MC cipher sessions\u2014both planned and impromptu\u2014and in-store performances made the spot a hub for the city\u2019s fertile underground hip-hop community. At the same time, Abajian began noticing the way the hip-hop industry was rupturing, a growing chasm forming between the mainstream and the underground. Recognizing this as an opportunity, Abajian launched Fat Beats Records<\/a> in 1996\u2014along with what would also become a gargantuan distribution<\/a> arm\u2014to satisfy independent artists\u2019 artistic and structural needs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a calling at the time,\u201d says Abajian now, looking back on the circumstances that birthed Fat Beats Records. \u201cIn \u201994, you had a lot of R&B-influenced rap, and that was blowing up as it appeals to more people. So the majors kinda had a shift. Wu-Tang<\/a>, Nas<\/a>, and Biggie were signed, but in \u201995, they had that term \u2018get jiggy with it,\u2019 and it got really hard for an artist who was a big fan of Nas or Wu-Tang to come with that same style and get signed. The majors had success with Puff Daddy and Jermaine Dupri, and this style of rap that\u2019s selling ten million copies. Meanwhile, the hard stuff is selling 300,000. In our world, that\u2019s amazing, but to the majors, it\u2019s \u2018eh.\u2019 So this independent scene started happening. A couple of indie labels were starting, and then I got the bug to do some projects myself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first two official Fat Beats 12\u201ds arrived in 1996. First, turntablist and X-Ecutioners member Rob Swift<\/a> teamed with the MCs Cracker Jax to release \u201cSly Rhymes,\u201d a spacey track carried by hypnotic mid-tempo production that Abajian says came about after he approached Swift on the DJ scene and complimented the melodic tenor of his scratch routines. Next came \u201cLegacy,\u201d a brawny blast of conspiracy-theory venom from a rugged Brooklyn crew calling themselves Non Phixion. \u201cThe rap veteran, quick to blast Republicans\/ My ghetto\u2019s communist \u2019cause revolution calls for non-Americans,\u201d MC Goretex seethed, conveying the group\u2019s firebrand agenda and non-conformist stance over an eerie musical backdrop. \u201cI think those two records are very much a good barometer of what was going on during that time,\u201d says DJ Eclipse, a member of Non Phixion who has also held down various roles in the Fat Beats empire over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole purpose of why we even started the label,\u201d says Abajian, \u201cwas because, at that point, every artist that was hanging out at Fat Beats\u2014whether it be Natural Elements or Juggaknots<\/a> or Company Flow or Arsonists<\/a>\u2014everyone wanted to get signed by a major.\u201d Eclipse echoes Abajian\u2019s sentiments, \u201cIt got to a point where the music started to change so much that Fat Beats was like, \u2018Hey, guys, stop waiting for a label to pick you up\u2014why don\u2019t we just put your music out for you?\u2019 So those first two 12\u2033s were a sign of the pool of talent that was bubbling at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Those initial releases established a template for a Fat Beats sound that matched the musical preferences and cultural ethics of the indie scene at the time. \u201cBetween what the store carried and what the label pressed, the aesthetic became really well defined,\u201d says Breeze Brewin<\/a>, an MC and member of the Juggaknots who worked at the New York City Fat Beats store. \u201cIt was boom-bap, it was fat beats\u2014it\u2019s bugged. They might have well spelled it with a \u2018ph\u2019 or whatever! It just worked. It never felt patronizing; it just felt appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n Twenty-five years from its inaugural 12\u201d, Fat Beats Records has built up a catalog that has expanded both sonically and geographically while still staying faithful to the indie scene\u2019s original creative credo and foundational ethics. \u201cFat Beats Records champions authentic voices,\u201d says Tyler McWilliams, the label\u2019s head of sales and marketing. \u201cArtists whose goal in creation is telling their story and expressing their inner world, even if that story and that world isn\u2019t palatable or relatable to the mainstream. These artists are not making music with market forces in mind, which is why it\u2019s paradoxical from a label perspective that it\u2019s precisely these projects\u2014the ones that cut closest to the bone, the ones that run the risk of dividing an audience\u2014that ultimately unite and move the most units.\u201d McWilliams cites projects by ILL BILL<\/a>, Roc Marciano, and Blu<\/a> as releases that fit into that mold. \u201cI still look for those records that make me feel like a kid,\u201d Eclipse says, \u201cwhether it\u2019s just that the beat is incredible, or it\u2019s an MC that\u2019s saying something unique.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Upcoming Fat Beats Records releases include an album from legendary MC Rakim as well as an album on which jazz musician Benny Reid<\/a> reinterprets the sounds of Mobb Deep\u2019s 1995 classic The Infamous<\/em>. The two releases sound exactly like the sort of things that would have been brainstormed in the original Fat Beats record store by a group of hip-hop junkies. Or as Breeze puts it: \u201cFat Beats never stopped, even to what they do today. They\u2019re trying to be an outlet for that type of energy and music\u2014they\u2019ve stayed true to their aesthetic.\u201d<\/p>\n Saluting the history of Fat Beats Records, here\u2019s a spotlight on eight releases from the vault.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both as a soloist as well as alongside his siblings in the group The Juggaknots, Breeze Brewin is one of the indie scene\u2019s most revered lyricists. Hindsight<\/em> acts a career overview of sorts, with its jump-off moment, \u201cGotta Love It,\u201d recorded at a time when the MC stopped working at the Fat Beats store to pursue a career as a teacher. Concept-driven songs abound, as Breeze\u2019s erudite lyrics are paired with production from a squad that includes De La Soul\u2019s Maseo, DJ Spinna<\/a>, and Black Milk.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Detroit quartet of Emile Vincent, Ilajide, L.A.Z., and Noveliss are a snug fit for the classic Fat Beats aesthetic. Lyrically, the MCs uphold A Tribe Called Quest\u2019s fabled dictum of beats, rhymes, and life, but add a healthy helping of video game references to their cocksure bars. Musically, Clear Soul Forces<\/a> nod to the breezy jazz-centric samples of \u201990s indie groups like Scienz of Life and Lone Catalysts<\/a>, underpinning the melodies with the sort of spacey thunk that home city icon J Dilla<\/a> conveyed so effectively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Twenty-five years into their lifespan, Fat Beats still has an eye on the underground East Coast rap scene. On 2019\u2019s Viridi Panem<\/em>, New Jersey MC CRIMEAPPLE<\/a> weaves together contraband capers, fine dining excess, and shady characters from Medell\u00edn backed by shadowy production courtesy of Buck Dudley.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the label\u2019s best sellers, Enter The 37th Chamber<\/em> is a smart and soulful instrumental exploration of the original source samples that fueled the early Wu-Tang Clan invasion. Head straight to \u201cCriminology\u201d to witness the experiment in full flow, as the band evocatively channels both the taut energy of Raekwon\u2019s 1995 track of the same name as well as the melodic swagger of the 1970s Black Ivory song that RZA sampled in his production.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ill Bill<\/a>\u2019s Fat Beats roots run deep. As a member of Non Phixion, the MC was a part of the label\u2019s initial wave of releases, and also worked at the record store. His 2013 solo album The Grimy Awards,<\/em>\u00a0veers into autobiography, as Bill recaps his formative Brooklyn years in trademark uncensored fashion over chiseled boom-bap beats from a production roster headed up by DJ Premier, Large Professor, and El-P<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Masta Ace<\/a>\u2018s 2012 release MA_DOOM: Son Of Yvonne<\/em> pairs the booksmart rapper\u2019s sharp penmanship with instrumental tracks repurposed from underground supervillain MF Doom<\/a>\u2018s Special Herbs<\/em> series. Ace is in nostalgia mode here, paying homage to his mother and looking back over his upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn. A cameo from Big Daddy Kane on sinewy mid-album cut \u201cThink I Am\u201d nods to the two MCs\u2019 roles in Marley Marl\u2019s iconic golden age posse Juice Crew.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Baker\u2019s Dozen<\/em><\/a> series spotlights the work of some of hip-hop\u2019s most progressive beatmakers alongside faces from the ambient and electronic worlds. The idea for the collection was originally suggested to Abajian by his staff in 2016, after they picked up on how important\u2014and financially successful\u2014instrumental releases have been to the Fat Beats brand. Alongside contributions from Daedelus<\/a>, Marco Polo, and Elaquent<\/a>, this key installment showcases the work of the sadly departed Ras G<\/a>, whose lo-fi recordings were originally produced on an iPhone and exude a lonesome interstellar feel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/merchrow><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/mplayer-artist><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before establishing himself as an influential figure in the crime rhyme milieu, Roc Marciano held down roles in both Busta Rhymes\u2019 Flip Squad and the Pete Rock<\/a>-affiliated The UN. Originally released in 2004, the hyper hardcore UN Or U Out<\/em> teams Marcy with MC allies Dino Brave, Mike Raw, and Laku to rampage through a series of productions that exude a feeling of impending danger and unflinching violence. It\u2019s a vintage East Coast sonic backdrop well-suited to verses from Marciano that brim with brilliantly insouciant menace.<\/p>\n
\n August 10, 2022
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nBreeze Brewin
Hindsight<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nClear Soul Forces
STILL<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nCRIMEAPPLE
Viridi Panem<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nEl Michels Affair
Enter The 37th Chamber<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nIll Bill
The Grimy Awards<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nMasta Ace
MA_DOOM: Son Of Yvonne<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nRas_G & The Afrikan Space Program
Baker\u2019s Dozen: Ras_G<\/em><\/a>
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\n<\/bamplayer-art><\/p>\nThe UN
UN Or U Out<\/em><\/a>
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