conducted by Hugo Lunny
“First The Fat Boys break up..” was the first line that Jay-Z began “Heart Of The City” with from the “Blueprint” album with, and not many of the younger generation of Hip Hop fans knew who he was referring to. He was of course talking about Buff Love (who has since passed away), Prince Markie Dee and Kool Rock-Ski, who in the late 80’s took the emerging Hip Hop and Rap world by storm.
It’s not often that you can’t to interview artists from the era when a genre of music really began, it’s also unusual that they’ll be in a recording studio with another influential artist (Eric B of Eric B and Rakim). But every once in a while (with this interview for example) that is the case. So amidst some laughter, MVRemix spoke to The Fat Boys reflecting on their past and future plans.
Also, after reading the interview check out the videos of The Fat Boys’ classic hits to either re-acquaint yourself with the group, or learn about their sound back in the late 80’s.
MVRemix: Compare a day in the life of The Fat Boys back in the late 80’s recording to that today…
Markie Dee: Wow, I guess a day in our lives now compared to what it was like in the 80’s is a lot different. I mean, we got cell phones and internet now but we still got pizza! [laughs]
We talk to our manager a lot, Uncle Louie. He text messages like a million times a day. In the 80’s we didn’t have that technology, know what I mean, it was a slower world.
MVRemix: When I say the most vivid memory of the era then, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Markie Dee: Success, being larger than life, and we were large [laughs], was an incredible feeling. I mean, meeting Michael Jackson at the Grammy’s and having him say he was proud of us meant more to us than anything. You know, it was fucking Michael Jackson!
MVRemix: Do you feel that The Fat Boys have been overlooked as far as pioneers in Hip Hop?
Kool Rock: You know, that’s a tough question. Did our publicist Fast Eddie view these jives? [laughs]. I definitely don’t think we were overlooked. I mean, we made millions in the 80s, so somebody was looking [laughs]. It was different times, a different game and we had a different approach. When it’s all said and done, we were kids, we had fun and we made an impact. We hope to do it again now.
MVRemix: Why the decision to make a comeback?
Kool Rock: A comeback has been in the back of our minds for years. It was like, you know we just had to find the right time. With Uncle Louie Management, we’re all on the same page. We’re taking baby steps, looking for the right tracks, the right proposals, the right scripts. We are learning from our history and moving forward responsibly.
MVRemix: Which of the two of you initiated the re-union?
Kool Rock: I guess the truth is, it was Uncle Louie. We known him for so many years now and he as always like, you know, he advised us. But one day he said, “Enough is enough with this. You both have what it takes but you have to accept that you are the Fat Boys, embrace it.” So we weighed the options [laughs] and signed with him.
MVRemix: Does it still feel like The Fat Boys without Buff Love?
Markie Dee: Buff will always be with us and I chill with Buff’s brother a lot. HBB means so much to us. He will never be replaced but he would want us to keep the legacy going, that’s my man.
MVRemix: As a result of his heart attack, did the two of you take your health more seriously?
Kool Rock: Can’t you tell man? [laughs] I’m down to 185 pounds and my health is real important. See, it’s much easier to stay well than to get well so I stay eating healthy and exercising.
Markie Dee: I dropped over 150 an I feel great. I look great too. [laughs] But yo, I’m hungry… I’m in the mood, plain and simple, I need food [laughs]
MVRemix: Like when rappers become older and remove the “Young” from their moniker, do you think The Fat Boys could ever become The Boys or “The Artists Formerly Known as Fat Boys” since you’ve lost weight?
Markie Dee: Our manager Louie tells us we gotta stick with what works, the Fat Boys is what America knows. I don’t know man, it’s just a name. At the end of the day, it’s just a name.
MVRemix: How did it feel to hear Jay-Z reference the group on the song “Heart Of The City”?
Kool Rock: It felt good; Jay-Z is something special. He is great for the whole industry. We’d love to get up with him.
Markie Dee: He made us proud of him and we were proud to be acknowledged.
MVRemix: Tell me about the new plans – the album, tour and reality TV show.
Markie Dee: Right now we are “shopping” for the best deal. We need to make sure that we get the most bang for the buck. We need to sit down with the networks and see who is coming with the right deal. As for the record, sorry CD, [laughs] there are some tracks in the works and we are in the studio again. Right now we are concentrating on our website development (www.Fatboys.tv) and trying to let the world know The Fat Boys are Back!
MVRemix: Is the album complete?
Markie Dee: Nah, it’s not done yet but it’s shaping up to be a classic.
Kool Rock: It’s a work in progress. [laughs]
Uncle Louie: The Boys can’t rush perfection.
MVRemix: When can we expect it?
Uncle Louie: The album should be done in about 6 months.
MVRemix: How did the reality show come about?
Markie Dee: Our manager wrote a treatment and when we read it, we were like, “Word?” It was just so funny.
Kool Rock: With Flav, Chuck D, Rev Run, Salt n Pepa and all the Reality Shows on air, we thought it was the right time.
MVRemix: Have fun with this one, a la “Fight Club” – “If you could fight any celebrity, who would you fight”?
Markie Dee: I ain’t a fighter [laughing] but I’d love to be a match matcher. I would like to see Kimbo Slick fight Mike Tyson!
Eric B: If it doesn’t make dollars then it don’t make sense [laughs]. Leave the boxing to me though. Good. Real Good.
Kool Rock: Yeah, Eric’s the dude who dabbles in boxing, we ain’t fighters.
MVRemix: Would you win?
Eric B: If Kimbo vs. Tyson was my card, I would win all day and all the way to the bank [laughing], pay-per-view baby!
MVRemix: In a sentence or less, what do you do to relax?
Kool Rock: Family man, you know, friends, family and just chilling.
MVRemix: Reflecting upon The Fat Boys of the 80’s, if there were anything you could improve or change about how things went back then, what would it be?
Markie Dee: In three words, “invest in technology.”
MVRemix: For new fans, what would you recommend they check out first of yours?
Markie Dee: Fat Boys recipe [chuckling], I guess just check the trilogy. First heat up some Krush Groove, next add Disorderlies and then mix with Wipeout, Can you Feel it, Crushin’.
Kool Rock: Yah, and add some other of our songs ‘Til Your Taste Buds Tingle [laughs], Twist!
MVRemix: Any last words?
Markie Dee: Word? Last words [laughs], we ain’t dying man, we making a comeback record! I mean, we would love to hear from the big names that make Hip-Hop what it is today, each out.
Kool Rock: The website should be up and running by November, we hope the fans email us and blog, Uncle Louie says we gotta blog.
Markie Dee: What’s a blog, we can eat that? [laughs]
The Fat Boys – Wipeout video featuring The Beach Boys
The Fat Boys – The Twist video featuring Chubby Checker
One reply on “The Fat Boys Interview: The Big Comeback”
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