Fat Tony (rapper)

Career

Fat Tony's debut album RABDARGAB was released October 19, 2010 and featured production entirely from Tom Cruz formerly of Atlanta-based rap group Supreeme. The album features appearances by Murs, Negashi Armada aka Blunt Fang from Supreeme, Charly East, Bo. P, Kam Franklin, and Tom Cruz. "RABDARGAB" is a reference to a late 1990s Houston Independent School District campaign aimed at elementary school students to promote literacy by offering $1 to students in exchange for book reports. The acronym stands for "Read a Book – Do A Report – Get a Buck." With the release of this album, Fat Tony ran a promotion entitled LISDARGAB (Listen, Do a Review, Get a Buck) where Fat Tony undertook to send anyone who emailed him a review for RABDARGAB a dollar bill in the mail. The album was preceded by a mixtape release entitled RABDARGAB: The EPreview mixed by Fat Tony's DJ iPod Ammo. The mixtape featured collaborations with Das Racist, Juiceboxxx, HOSPITAL, Jade <3, Tecla, Smash Bro, and more.

On March 24, 2011 he released a remix album entitled SCREWDARGAB. It was a "chopped-up, not slopped up" version of RABDARGAB remixed by Swishahouse co-founder DJ OG RON C.

On June 1, 2012, Young One Records released Double Dragon; a collaborative free album with producer Tom Cruz. Double Dragon features Fat Tony and Tom Cruz performing as a duo and is entirely produced by Tom Cruz. The album is a precursor to Fat Tony's second album Smart Ass Black Boy. In November 2012, Fat Tony released the first single from Smart Ass Black Boy entitled "BKNY". In March 2013, Vice announced the Smart Ass Black Boy album release date and premiered the second single entitled "Hood Party" featuring Kool A.D. and Despot.

Smart Ass Black Boy, Fat Tony's second album, was released June 11, 2013 on Young One Records. The album is produced by Tom Cruz and was written in two days and recorded in four days in Los Angeles, California during April 2012. NPR premiered a full length stream of Smart Ass Black Boy on June 3, 2013 and wrote positively of the album's material. The album received positive reviews from XXL, Rolling Stone, Spin, Robert Christgau for MSN, AllMusic, and Houston Press. Pitchfork premiered the "Hood Party" video on the album's release date.

Style and influences

His primary musical influences are drawn from Southern Hip Hop, Underground Hip Hop, West Coast Hip Hop, pop music, and punk rock. Fat Tony has cited artists such as Prince, the Ramones, E-40, Devin the Dude, Black Flag, and A Tribe Called Quest among others as influences.

Personal life and education

Fat Tony lived in the Third Ward area of Houston. Anthony Onyebuchi Obi, Fat Tony's father, is an engineer, and his mother Johnnie is a housewife. Fat Tony's father, an Igbo, fought in a civil war in Nigeria before coming to Houston. Fat Tony attended Carnegie Vanguard High School (Class of 2006) and the University of St. Thomas. He also studied as a communications major at the University of Houston.

In 2008 Fat Tony participated in a charity concert to raise money for prevention and treatment of HIV.

Studio albums

Remix albums

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

Guest appearances