The Fat Boys, emerging from Brooklyn, New York, were more than just a hip-hop group; they were a cultural phenomenon. Damon Wimbley, known as Kool Rock-Ski, along with Prince Markie Dee and Buff Love, redefined the landscape of early hip-hop. This article explores the group's rise to fame, their impact on music and pop culture, and the individual journeys of its members, including Kool Rock-Ski's ongoing legacy.
The Birth of a Legend: From Disco 3 to The Fat Boys
In 1983, a Swiss promoter named Charles Stettler, owner of Tin Pan Apple, organized a hip-hop talent contest. Stettler secured Coca-Cola as a sponsor and hosted "Coca-Cola and WBLS present: The Tin Pan Apple After Dark Dance & Rap Contest!" at Radio City Music Hall on May 23, 1983. The winner was promised a recording contract. The host that evening was Mr. Magic from the radio program Rap Attack. A boy from Harlem won. This contest marked the beginning of The Fat Boys' journey.
Initially known as The Disco 3, the group released their debut single "Reality" in 1983. Stettler, acting as their manager, took them on a European bus tour, encouraging them to gain weight. With late-night concerts and limited food options like McDonald's and Burger King, the group members gained weight. This contributed to their image. Stettler introduced the group to rapper and producer Kurtis Blow, who became instrumental in shaping their signature sound. Kurtis Blow recruited Run-D.M.C.'s drum machine programmers, Larry Smith and Davy "DMX" Reeves, to work on the album.
Breaking Ground: Music and Cultural Impact
The group's 1984 self-titled debut album, Fat Boys, is considered by many to be the first hip-hop album to feature beatboxing. The Fat Boys were one of the first rap groups to release full-length rap albums, along with Run-DMC, Whodini and Kurtis Blow. The first two albums of the group were produced by Kurtis Blow.
In 1984, Russell Simmons approached Stettler to finance the Fresh Fest Tour '84, featuring his groups and breakdancers. When Stettler couldn't secure Coca-Cola again, he turned to Swatch, leading to a commercial featuring the Fat Boys.
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One day in 1984, Russell Simmons stormed into Stettler's office and told him that he was going to have a festival titled Fresh Fest Tour '84, in which his groups and breakdancers would take part. Since Stettler raised $300,000 from Coca-Cola to finance his 1983 contest, Simmons wanted Stettler to do it again. The young promoter could not get the beverage company to return, so he called a friend of his and asked him if there was anything the Swiss were trying to sell. The Swatch wristwatch turned out to be such a product. Russell Simmons did not want to take the Fat Boys on the tour, because nobody had heard of them at that point. Stettler put the group members on the scale; at that time they weighed 868 lb (394 kg) together.
The next day, Stettler saw in the newspaper that The Jackson 5 was going to be reuniting at a concert in October 1984. He called his wife and part-time partner, asking her to write a press release saying that the Jackson 5 have picked the then-still-unknown group the Fat Boys as their opening act. Stettler distributed this press release across the city. The next morning, Stettler and The Fat Boys appeared on the TV show Good Morning America. When the host turned around to The Fat Boys, they did not know what to say. They simply said: "Brrr, Stick' Em!
At the time, the American office of the company Swatch was tasked with trying to advertise its product to American audiences. The company was known for using offbeat campaigns, and agreed to feature the Fat Boys in a commercial for the watches on MTV. The video "Brrr, Swatch ’Em!" was aired in December 1984. Swatch again featured The Fat Boys in a 1985 Christmas advertisement created by former MTV creative heads Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert. Also because of these commercials, the group developed a reputation for their sense of humor.
Their impact extended beyond music with appearances in films like Krush Groove (1985). About that experience, Wimbley says "Krush Groove had things in there that were hot for a while, [but] it was about showing off the culture. It had to work and lay down the foundation [for how] hip-hop can be what it is today. With rap you have two to three months to have a good record-then they go to the next one. In 1984, the Fat Boys had participated in national marketing campaigns and had been featured in several movies, the trio’s first role being in the 1985 musical comedy-drama Krush Groove. They starred in several feature films.
The Fat Boys' success continued with their fourth studio album Crushin' (1987), which achieved Platinum status thanks to their hit single "Wipeout!" featuring The Beach Boys. Hoping to repeat the success of Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith with the single "Walk This Way" The Fat Boys made a cover version of the song "Wipeout" together with rock group The Beach Boys. The music video for the song begins with an announcement of a boxing match, The Fat Boys and The Beach Boys are attending the match. The match is interrupted by a fight. In the following scene, The Fat Boys load up a car with swimsuits and then drive off. The Beach Boys are driving in a dune buggy through the city. Both bands go around the city in the direction of a beach, while they perform the song and invite the inhabitants of the city to come to the beach. Meanwhile, at the beach one of The Fat Boys tries to lift a heavy weight and is laughed at by two women because of failure, another playing volleyball and another surfing. The Beach Boys on the other hand are DJing in the street. Their next album called Coming Back Hard Again repeated the formula of the previous one.
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Their next album, Coming Back Hard Again (1988), achieved Gold status, driven by the successful single "The Twist (Yo, Twist)" with Chubby Checker. This time, The Fat Boys recorded a cover version of the song "The Twist" with Chubby Checker, who performed it originally in 1960. The single peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 40 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song "The Twist (Yo, Twist)" reached number two on UK Top 100 in July 1988 during a 11-week chart run. Another song from the album, "Louie Louie", is a cover version of a 1957 song by American singer Richard Berry.
The Downfall and Aftermath
However, changing musical tastes and internal tensions led to the group's decline. By taking part in the rap opera On and On, the group tried to regain its fame, but this only accelerated the breakup of the group. Prince Markie Dee got fired from the group in 1990 to pursue solo interests., which included producing many early tracks for Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige which included her debut single, "Real Love". In 1991, the remaining two members, Kool Rock-Ski and Buff Love, carried on as a duo trying to sign with Polygram Records but the label did not sign them. They signed with Atlanta, Georgia label Ichiban Records and they released Mack Daddy (1991) with the single Whip It On Me, The album did not make much success, but shortly thereafter, the group disbanded (until 2008).
In the 1992 feature film Boomerang, Chris Rock's character laments the breakup of the Fat Boys.
The group faced tragedy with the death of Buff Love on December 10, 1995, due to a heart attack during a bout with respiratory flu. On December 10, 1995, Buff Love died of a heart attack during a bout with respiratory flu in Rosedale, Queens, New York.
Kool Rock-Ski: Continuing the Legacy
Damon Wimbley was born on November 9, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, NY. The surviving members of the Fat Boys launched its first official homepage, OriginalFatBoys.com, on November 5, 2008. On October 18, 2010, the cable network TV One aired Unsung: The Story of The Fat Boys. It mentioned that the two surviving members reunited and were touring with Doug E. Fresh who was providing the beatboxing. There was no confirmation at the time as to whether he was the new third permanent member. Prince Markie Dee died of a suspected heart attack on February 18, 2021, the day before his 53rd birthday; according to TMZ, Morales had gone to the hospital complaining of chest pains. Prince Markie Dee was a radio host who worked at WMIB-FM and WEDR-FM in Miami, Florida, as well as SiriusXM.
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Wimbley is still active on social media, and regularly posts about the Fat Boys, and also produces Fat Boys merchandise which he promotes via Instagram. Wimbley is still active on social media, and regularly posts about the Fat Boys, and also produces Fat Boys merchandise which he promotes via Instagram. He has been featured on multiple records, collaborating with New York rappers City the Great and Kokane in 2022.
Discography
- Fat Boys (1984)
- The Fat Boys Are Back (1985)
- Big & Beautiful (1986)
- Crushin' (1987)
- Coming Back Hard Again (1988)
- On and On (1989)
- Mack Daddy (1991)
Chart History
- The Fat Boys - Chart History: Billboard 200
- The Fat Boys - Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
- The Fat Boys - Chart History: Billboard Hot 100
- The Fat Boys - Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
- The Fat Boys - Chart History: Hot Dance Club Songs
Filmography
- Krush Groove (1985)
- Knights of the City (1986)
- Disorderlies (1987)
- Boomerang (1992)